This lusty wine is terroir-driven. Reflecting the vineyard’s unique place on earth, it is immense, persistent, complex, gracious, and generous, with ample but not ponderous tannins.

The characteristics of the two Bordeaux varietals are well-integrated, creating a wine that is redolent of cherry, currant, cedar, plum, licorice, and chocolate. It is muscular, lively, and hedonistic. A dominant feature is the “garrique”, a word the French use to describe spicy flavors and aromas related to anise, lavender, and sage. With two years of bottle conditioning, this wine is good to go, but will also reward further cellaring.

Vineyard Notes On the edge of an ancient caldera on the western border of the Mount Veeder District, Random Ridge is a 47-acre ranch that straddles the Napa and Sonoma county line at an elevation of 2300 feet. Bill Hawley built the family home with recycled materials in 1980 and planted the first vines in the spring of 1982. The vineyard is currently 10 acres densely planted with a simple vertical trellis system, yielding roughly 1.5 tons per acre. The soil is decomposed volcanics, tuff, and solid rock.