The Sonoma Independent
june 27, 1996, "Renaissance Dude, Surf and Turf"

Poet/surfer/vintner Bill Hawley carves out a niche.

North Berkeley Wine
December 1998, "NEW STAR - OLD WAVE"

We're certain that you are well aware of our obsession with Zinfandel made from ancient vines. Old Vine Zins are responsible for some of the finest, most distinctive bottlings that we know. The 1997 Old Wave Zinfandel from Bill Hawley completely fills the bill. As passionate about his wines as he is about surfing (take a look at the label), Bill expresses his enthusiastic free spirit and drive for excellence in his style of Zin. As a long time advocate of controlling soil erosion, organic and dry fanning, he has at times butted heads with more traditional California winernaking practices. His attention to the maintenance of these 90+ year old vines and the red volcanic soils in this Sonoma Valley vineyard yield what Bill calls, "the taste of the earth." Sounds similar to what our European friends have said for years. Yes, there is something fresh and unique about this winemaker and his Zinfandel, and that is what makes it so special. Brambly earth and pepper spice aromas surround the intense berry fruit. Deep pitched flavors of the darkest and most succulent berries mixed with a floral root spice reminds you of licking your fingers after picking fresh blackberries. Its full body has no hard edges and hits every inch of your mouth while the dense yet pure fruit is a hallmark of this soon-to-be-legendary vintage. As with all wines that are treated with such care and dedication, production is small. One of the best!

Connoisseur's Guide

1997 Surfer Dude of the Year Award

Gourmet Magazine
november 1997, Gerald Asher, "Vines Among the Redwoods"

... the Zinfandels of such tiny producers as Lore Olds at Sky and Bill Hawley at Random Ridge are memorable of course, almost any Mount Veeder wine can, on occasion, seem too intense, and therefore overly dramatic. But that goes with the territory.

Wine & Spirits
october 1997, Rod Smith, "Old Vine Zinfandel"

... Random Ridge (tiny amounts of majestic zin), the Old Wave bottling especially impressive...

Surfer Magazine
september 1997, Gary Taylor, "Better With Age"

What do walking the nose and walking on grapes have in common? If you asked vintner/surfer Bill Hawley, owner of Random Ridge wines, he'd tell you they're complimentary... The 45-year old Hawley, a lifelong surfer and winemaker, has carved himself a niche... What's even better is that Hawley has remained close to his surfing roots, using labels such as "CloudBreak" and "Old Wave" for his wines. The art on the labels, according to Hawley, "are a humble nod to the late Rick Griffin." On top of that, his one-man business enables him to take two or three good surf trips a year to exotic locations.

As difficult as it might be to imagine a man with a Hawaiian shirt perpetually dangling from his tan, fit frame discussing [fine wine], make no mistake about his wine-making abilities. Hawley's wines have been hailed across the board and regularly hold top 10 positions in wine reviews.

Sonoma Wine Exchange Catalog
fall 1997

1994 Random Ridge. 1994 was a spectacular year for Mt. Veeder grapes and from them Bill Hawley produced one of his best wines ever. Bill's Random Ridge vineyards are at 2300 feet on the northeast side of the mountain ... This is a big, serious wine that shows copious quantities of sweet black fruit. Rich flavors of berry, smoke, earth and spice make this a Cabernet for all hearty dishes. It will also reward patience.

1996 Cloudbreak Chardonnay. Winemaker and vineyardist Bill Hawley has never failed to impress with his unique blends and his hand-colored, entertaining labels. This old vine Semillon made from 90-year old vines may be his finest effort to date, red or white... The wine was entirely barrel fermented, sur lie aged, with 70% malolactic fermentation, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. The richness, length and depth are remarkable for a wine of this price -- or any price for that matter. This is one of the very finest examples of this varietal we've ever tasted and bears comparison to a top white Graves from Bordeaux. So if you're burned out on Chardonnay, come on over!

California Grapevine
july 1997

1995 Old Wave ... attractive, briary, spicy, jammy, ripe berry fruit aroma, big rich, smooth, high extract. Very enjoyable to drink now. Highly recommended.

Oddbins Fine Wines Catalogue
London 1997

Random Ridge could accurately be described as a phenomenon... the setting is reminiscent of a 50's homestead... handcrafted, well-knit [wines]...

1993 Random Ridge Table Wine. Steven Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, "Juicy, tobacco-flavoured fruit offers good ripeness and balancing acidity and a Bordeaux-like shapeliness."

Gary Snyder
april 1997

... great wine...

The Wine Advocate
1997, Issue 112, Robert Parker

89+ - Random Ridge 1994 Red Table Wine. Made from a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Cabernet Franc grapes, grown on Mount Veeder, Random Ridge's 1994 is a fruit- driven, intense, medium to full-bodied wine that exhibits excellent winemaking. With its copious quantities of sweet, jammy black fruits intermixed with smoke, earth, and spice, this wine possesses structure and tannin, which is masked by a flashy display of fruit, glycerine, and extract. With another year or so in the bottle, this wine will undoubtedly settle down and become more focused. An intriguing, grapy, unevolved, 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.

Wine Spectator
december 1996

1993 Random Ridge Cabernets. Score: 86.

Los Angeles Times
Dan Berger, "Former 'longhairs' true to their environmental roots"

Thirty years ago, when the counter-culture staged sit- in protests and raged about the environment -- and middle America called them kooks -- some "longhairs," frustrated at intransigence in the establishment, moved to northern California.

Many wound up in the then-little-populated California counties of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino... the growth of the California wine industry in the early 1970's coincides with the move of disaffected city-dwelling, environmentally conscious youth to the hinterlands, many of whom wound up in the wine industry.

In the last decade, some have reverted to their original philosophy and adopted the organic farming methods that are proving effective for the making of fine wine.

... With tiny wineries such as Random Ridge in the Napa Valley... full organic farming is in full effect.

California Grapevine
september 1996, "1994 Zinfandel"

1994 Random Ridge. "Old Wave," Sonoma Valley. Medium- dark ruby with purplish tinges; attractive, intense, briary, spicy, ripe berry fruit which developed with airing; medium-full to full body; big, rich, jammy flavors with a slightly tart acidic core; medium to medium-full tannin; slightly tart finish; lingering aftertaste. Superior quality. Very highly recommended.

harvest time at Random Ridge

Wine Enthusiast
august 1996, Dan Berger, "Unknown Sonoma"

Random Ridge: Surfer Bill Hawley began to make wine a decade ago from his own six-acre vineyard high in the Mayacamas Mountains. The vineyard, now 10 acres, is on Mount Veeder, accessible through a remote Sonoma Valley road. "The Napa/Sonoma county line goes right through my property; my house is in both counties," he says.

Hawley's production, including a joint venture with Wellington, is 700 cases. The Random Ridge red wine is a 50-50 Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc blend; Wellington uses Random Ridge as a vineyard designate. About 90 percent of Hawley's wine is sold "within an hour's drive of my home." He also makes Old Wave Zinfandel from a 90-year old Sonoma Valley vineyard and a tiny amount of Cloudbreak Chardonnay.

Hawley moved here in 1972 to attend Sonoma State University (and wrote a thesis on the influence of Zen Buddhism on the San Francisco school of poetry), built his own home, hand-embellishes each wine label, farms all the grapes he uses.

North Berkeley Wine Catalog
june 1996, "No Random Success -- Ride the Wave"

The 1994 [Old Wave] Zinfandel is one of the finest 94's we have yet tasted. The 1993 Mt. Veeder Red Table Wine is full, serious Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc... Tiny production, hand-embellished, and full- flavored wines represent perfectly the free spirit of Bill, but rarely see retail shelves. . . The flavors are hedonistic, jammy, structured and totally seductive.

Restaurant Wine
Ron Weigand, Issue No. 46

93 Old Wave. * * * * * Rich, very spicy, and intensely flavored (blackberry, black pepper) an outstanding Zinfandel, which emphasizes flavor impact over refinement.

St. Helena Wine Center Catalog
june 1995

1992 Random Ridge Red Table Wine. From the densely planted Random Ridge Vineyard on the edge of a caldera in the Mt. Veeder area, this unfined, unfiltered 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is big, rich, and impressive. Complex concentrated black cherry, cassis and ripe plum aromas, and flavors with spicy, floral notes give high standing to this newcomer. The unique, hand-embellished labels are eye catching and memorable. Only 240 cases produced -- catch a rising star while you can!

Press Democrat
september 1994, "Dan Berger's Wine Cellar"

Some of the best new labels on the shelf are from newcomers who have developed new wineries on existing vineyards. Among these are excellent producers with names such as ... Random Ridge... Today adventuresome consumers can have good, fairly priced wine in almost every price range -- wine that's better than it's ever been.

Napa Valley Register
august 1991, L. Pierce Carson

Bill Hawley: Poet, Surfer, Grapegrower, Father.

San Francisco Chronicle
april 1989, Rod Smith, The Wine Page, "A Fine Crew of California Zinfandels Ages Well"

It could only be described as a fine Zinfandel in its prime. That was the case with the 1979 Quantum Leap, made by Sonoma County grapegrower William Hawley from his own vineyard in the Mount Veeder area. As a dry late harvest wine, it showed another classic zin style that is unique to the variety. Inky purple and very, very ripe, it showed volcanic Zinfandel flavors and a dusting of black pepper in the long finish.

Sonoma Index-Tribune
october 1985, John Lynch, "Poet and grape grower honored for vineyard control efforts here"

Bill Hawley earned his college degree in Contemporary Poetry. But he has developed equal talent in expressing his work with his hands... Hawley, 33,... has been selected as 1984 "Cooperator of the Year" by the Sonoma Valley Resource Conservation District for his efforts to control hillside vineyard erosion.

San Francisco Chronicle
november 1983, George Snyder, "A Winery Fights to Keep Topsoil"

... 'We don't want erosion and we don't want to use pesticides and herbicides here,' Hawley says. 'I guess the bottom line is that we want to hold onto the soil. It's that fine, red, volcanic stuff that gives our grapes their distinctive taste. The French call it the 'taste of the earth.' It's something we just don't want to lose.'