Random Ridge
2009 Mt. Veeder District Reserve Cabernets
Red Blend
California: Mount Veeder (Napa)
Mission Briefing
Cowabunga Bill
Thank you, once again, Bill Hawley!
We are very grateful for our special relationship with Random Ridge Winery and proprietor/winemaker Bill Hawley for allowing The Wine Spies special access to their coveted wines. Wine Spies Operatives have enjoyed more than a dozen offerings from Random Ridge over the years, and each time we showcase a Random Ridge wine, our Operatives buy up ever increasing quantities. Now, if only we could convince Bill to make more wine!
Today’s Random Ridge 2009 Mt. Veeder District Reserve Cabernets is a more earthy and elegant wine than previous vintages, giving the wine a dose of complexity that adds even more intrigue than we’re accustomed to from this spy-favorite winery.
We are so proud to offer you today’s smallish allocation of another very highly recommended Random Ridge stunner.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark, inky scarlet at its heart, lightening to a rustic, hazy ruby fringe. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | A robust balance of fruit, earth, and spice, with stewed dark plum and blackberry, tobacco, fresh forest floor, sandalwood, dark chocolate, black pepper, and clove. |
| Taste: | Elegant and refined on the palate, with fruit and earth presented on equal footing. Black cherry, black currant, and braised boysenberry are laid overtop dark chocolate-covered espresso bean, sweet tobacco leaf, cedarwood cigar box, saddle leather, toasted dark spices, and a touch of pomegranate black tea. |
| Finish: | Classic, rich, and concentrated, the long and lasting finish is highlighted by plenty of grippy tannins and lush notes of dark, stewed fruit that slowly give way to lingering hints of earth. |
| Pairing: | Pork ribs, prepared Southern style - dry rubbed with your own secret blend of spices, and then slow roasted to perfection. Serve alongside your favorite barbecue sauce. |
What the Winery Says
A perfect growing season at Random Ridge with extended hang time led to a leisurely and bountiful harvest of luscious ripe fruit. This bodacious barrel-select reserve wine is dark, extracted, and generous in flavors of plum, spice, licorice, cocoa, cedar, and red currants.
- Winemaker
- Bill Hawley
- Appellation
- Mount Veeder District, Napa Valley
- Varietal Blend
- 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Cabernet Franc
- Production
- Only 8 barrels
- ABV
- 14.2%
About the Winery
Random Ridge produces fine wines from vineyards pioneered by the Hawley family in the Mayacamas mountains of Napa County, California. We produce wines in very limited quantities from vines meticulously maintained to reflect the essence of the soils in which they grow. We are farmers first but will surf anytime anywhere. Our dedication in the vineyards naturally segues into traditional winemaking practices in the cellar. We strive to enable the fruit to develop its inherent Buddha nature to become wine of complexity harmony & passion.
The vineyard’s intense fruit yields a limited production of exceptional wines that are spicy, extracted, and rich. As Bill Hawley says, they are “wines with alti-dude.”
Winemaker/poet/surfer Bill Hawley
Bill began to pioneer Random Ridge in 1980. At the end of a remote fire road at 2400 feet on California’s stunning Mount Veeder, he built a house for his young family with recycled lumber. The next year he cleared and planted a 10-acre vineyard right on the Napa-Sonoma County ridgeline. Today from the home and vineyard the views of Mount Tamalpais and the San Francisco Bay still dazzle the southern horizon and the sun sets over Sonoma Mountain.
From 1982 to 1988, Bill was employed at Carmenet Vineyard as vineyard manager, mentored by the late great Dick Graff. “…as part of my continuing education, Dick arranged for me to travel to Burgundy and Bordeaux for a month in 1986, visiting cutting-edge producers that shaped my wine aesthetic. Then in 1988 Susan and I traveled to New Zealand and I attended the Cool Climate Viticulture Conference, another mind-blowing trip.”
Bill credits his Chalone experience with introducing him to many winemakers that remain great friends.