Bill Hawley, owner and winemaker at Random Ridge, is a very talented guy. He’s also a bit of a puzzle. One need only take a gander at his wine labels. There you’ll find symbols, illustrations and interesting doodles. Are these pictograms? Clues that lead one to some treasure? There is no better way to ponder Bill’s whimsical label than to do so over a glass of the real treasure that resides inside the bottle.

Today’s Random Ridge 2011 Cabernets is a perfect blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, both from Bill’s own Mt. Veeder vineyard. This high-elevation vineyard produces extraordinary fruit. The fruit in today’s wine obviously escaped the curse of 2011 - a vintage in which most Napa Valley fruit failed to get to full ripeness before being harvested. Most 2011s are lacking in fruit and complexity. Today’s wine has plenty of both.

This is a juicy and complex wine that is dense, soft and elegant on the palate. On the finish the primary flavors fade and something interesting happens… the wine reveals a second round of flavors. These stick around for a long time, before fading to spice and woodsy notes.

This stunner of a wine is offered with Agent Red’s most hearty recommendation. He loves it. So will you.