Happy International Cabernet Day Everyone!

And we’re celebrating with not just one but THREE DAYS of some of the choicest examples, stay tuned.

FULL·SEND: (fʊl sɛnd) verb

1. to go all out with no cares given.

Winemaker/poet/surfer Bill Hawley knows how to send it and he’s back with another uber-heady, mondo Cab like no other. A potent Veeder-powered fruit bomb with a radical 50% OFF thrown in?! Word of caution before proceeding - not a wine for the timid!

Random Ridge is a true insiders’, old school, locals-only type winery found on the backside of Mt Veeder. Pioneered by Hawley, at an elevation of 2400 they’re among the highest wineries in Napa County. Bill snagged this beautiful Mayacamas property in 1979, with a Walden-esque vision. He built a house out of recycled lumber for his family and planted 9.5 acres in the rugged volcanic soil and has been steadily cranking out killer wines for almost thirty years.

He describes these wines as “spicy, extracted and rich wines with alti-dude.” Only a few hundred cases per vintage are made and most of that goes straight to their club members, visitors, restaurants, or small bottle shops. We convince Bill to throw us a few because it’s a favorite among our Cab drinkers (going way back to 2007 our earliest days!!).

2018 was a killer vintage, a near-perfect growing season, and this reflects that. Swelling, like the ultimate big wave to surf on, with a HUGE core of blackberry jam, dark brown sugar, bittersweet chocolate, and violets all wrapped in a robe of toasty oak. His wines fit a certain style, and if you love that ultra-rich, get barreled, ripe, no-holds-barred type of Cabernet, this one is for you.

Bill doesn’t send his wines for scoring, but an old assessment from Robert Parker of Random Ridge Cabernets lauded *“excellent winemaking… copious quantities of sweet, jammy black fruits intermixed with smoke, earth, and spice… a dense, spicy wine with considerable potential, its forward charms are difficult to resist. Drink it over the next decade, but don’t be surprised to see it develop more complexity, and last for 10 to 15 years.”

That description rings true here.

If you’re still among the uninitiated, what are you waiting for? No doubt our supply is rapidly depleting as you read this - Mount Veeder Cabernet, UNDER $30?? SEND IT!