I sure hope the wine in the Copa bottles is different than the S&H, or we really undercharged you guys on the Copa deals 
Morning All, Josh Cairns from Hahn Family Wines back again. I’m ready for easily several of your questions (the rest I’ll have to ask Paul about).
We’re calling the drink age on this drink now till 2015. The 2007 really came into it’s own last year and will be stable for quite a while with the big bottle.
Soon Wordek, I’m really looking forward to finally being able to ship into MD in July. The permit is a bit pricy, but all you thirsty Marylanders should make up for it.
Hi: how many cases of the 750 bottle were produced? Also, would you say this is an easy, fruit forward dinker with lil alcohol and mild tannins? If not, how would you best describe it? Thanks!
So to put it in perspective for people, this is the first time we’ve sold the S&H 1.5’s to consumers. They are just made for retailers and distributors. Just another perk of being a distributor.
However, after the number of times we had Copa del Rey on the site we wanted to say thank you to the Wooters with a first. So enjoy the wine thank you Wooters for being so awesome.
PM for you
Roosterbooster: Could you discuss where the Smith & Hook label fits in the quality heirarchy of your many brands?
Production on the 2007 was 15,000 cases. You might still find this vintage in the stores, but we started shipping the 2009 in December of last year.
My opinion of the wine from just opening a bottle is that it’s dark fruit and a smooth drinker. The 14.8% alc is balanced out and while the tannins are not mild to me, they would be best described as firm, present but not too drying.
Was 2007 a great cabernet year for Monterrey and Paso, as it was for Sonoma and Napa?
I’d say so. We just tasted dozens of wineries from the Central Coast and out of all the recent vintages(2005-2009) we tasted, I would have to give the nod to 2007 overall. 2008 had 3 days in a row of 100 degree weather and much of the wine had a distinct heat/funk to it(not necessarily alcohol). 2004, 05 + 06 were also good, but every time we tried a vertical of 2007/2008, 2007 easily won. Some of the 2008’s from vineyards closer to the Pacific were more friendly than those inland.
Sure thing, Smith & Hook is our highest end Bordeaux. Paul talks about the history some in his VintVM but to expand. Smith & Hook was originally made from the Smith vineyard (right in front of the tasting room in Soledad) and the Hook vineyard. Starting from 1980 until the early 2000’s, we made great wine some years and okay wine the rest of the time. The big change in quality for S&H came when we realized that the Santa Lucia Highlands make world class Pinot Noir, but doesn’t have the climate for Cab.
So the Smith & Hook vineyards were replanted with Pinot Noir and we create the wine from vineyards in Arroyo Seco and Paso Robles, which are much better suited for Cab.
So the S&H label is on a higher tier than the Hahn Winery brand, the Bourdeaux equivalent of our Hahn SLH Estate Rhone wines.
Interesting! I saw your Hahn Estates Grand Meritage 05 (previous woot) was 13.5% compared with the 15.3% for that year’s Smith & Hook 2005 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. SO I thought perhaps it was a tier below the Hahn .
So, what’s the difference in style between this and your Hahn Cabs and Meritages?
If you look passed the winery pricing and at the market price (such as $17/750 at wine-searcher.com), the savings in minimal, no? Or, to put it this way…$34 for 1.5l x 2 bottles is $68 + shipping versus the Woot price of $60 + shipping.
I look forward to Black-tie Wednesdays for the higher end wines we don’t see during the week. This offer might have been a better fit for another day during the week.
heads up, expect something different tomorrow… #chardonnay
Thanks, Woot, for today’s writeup! You really put the attributes of this wine into a form I can understand. Now, if I just lived in a state where I could order wine…
You may be right. However, quite a few people put a premium on having a magnum.
A. Magnum = cool. (could the the 'tache and the Ferrari)
B. The bottles are probably harder to make, and exist in smaller quantities.
C. Also a scarcity premium.
D. Magnums age more slowly as there’s a higher wine-air ratio.
Faux Chablis?
Can you please explain this? wine-air ratio?
Thanks
There is approximately the same amount of air in a magnum as in a 750ml bottle, with twice as much wine in the mangnum. That means that there is a smaller percentage of the wine exposed to the air in the bottle and its oxidizing effects.
Thank you! In for ONE!
Uh oh…