There are 600 cases of the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Fortunate Son. This wine only spends 24 months in cask, but shows terrific black and red currant fruit, licorice, forest floor and a touch of underbrush in a medium to full-bodied, supple, lush style that is probably the only Woodbridge wine best drunk in its first 15 or so years of life.

As for the Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, there is the blend called Fortunate Son, and the 2012 edition is still in barrel. It displays opulence in its wonderfully sweet, pure blackberry and black currant fruit along with some earthiness, spice box, graphite and background oak. This is fleshy, rich, broad, and certainly capable of lasting another 10-15 years.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Fortunate Son, which is defined as selections from the cellar, is a beauty. Woodbridge considers this wine to be a completely separate project. It appears to be virtually all Cabernet Sauvignon in its aromatic and flavor profiles, offering a deep, full-bodied, intense, powerful style with the purity, richness and appeal that his other wines display. Of course, 2010 was a remarkable vintage in Napa, and this wine reflects that. Proprietor Jayson Woodbridge, one of the wine world’s most compelling, outspoken, irreverent, bigger-than-life personalities, can get away with just about anything he wants to say or do simply because year after year he proves what great wine is all about from his 15-acre Kayli Morgan Vineyard east of St. Helena, his 15-acre parcel on Howell Mountain, and another vineyard on the upslope of the Eisele Vineyard (recently acquired by Chateau Latour in Pauillac), called Few and Far Between. Woodbridge was recently profiled in a wonderful graphic wine magazine called “Loam Baby,” and may have set a Guiness Book World record for the number of times the word “F***” was used in that interview. I first met Woodbridge, who hales from Canada, when he released his first vintage, 2000, which is still going strong and showing more staying power than I would ever have imagined even though I loved the wine from the beginning. It remains a sensational wine at age 13. He currently has six cuvees of Cabernet Sauvignon, the Kayli Morgan Vineyard, the Arc Vineyard on Howell Mountain, the Few and Far Between Vineyard in Calistoga near the Eisele Vineyard, a wine called Deep Time which spends considerably more time in barrel than its siblings, a wine called Precious, and depending on his mood, another wine called Fortunate Son. He also makes a hedonistic, attractive Pinot Noir from the Stanly Vineyard called Cherry Pie, and he has had enormous success with the high quality yet bargain-basement priced selections from around the world called Layer Cake. The Few and Far Between Vineyard is a 5-acre parcel on what Woodbridge calls the “upside of the Eisele Vineyard.” The only blend in his portfolio, this cuvee includes 15% Cabernet Franc. The first vintage was 2008, and this is another exceptional wine, with the 2010 achieving perfection and the 2012 capable of doing so. I only tasted two vintages of the Precious cuvee made from Woodbridge’s favorite barrels. Normally he limits production to 100 or so cases, which would be four barrels. I only tasted one vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon Deep Time because it spends up to 40 months in barrel and almost becomes like a great chef’s reduction sauce because of evaporation. It is normally a selection from the Kayli Morgan Vineyard. It is a remarkable wine, but very little is available. www.hundredacre.com

The 2009 Fortunate Son wraps around the palate with layers of dark fruit. Seamless, rich and inviting, the 2009 is pure opulence and richness. Bittersweet chocolate, mocha, plums and spice box are some of the many notes that flow through to the rich, enveloping finish. A round, layered wine, the 2009 stands out for its depth and total plushness. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Jayson Woodbridge is one of the most focused and determined people I have ever met in the Napa Valley, or anywhere, for that matter. A man of deeply held convictions, Woodbridge knows exactly what he wants to achieve and won’t let anyone get in the way. His inner drive and passion are both remarkable. I suppose surviving cancer at the age of 18 will do that to you. Hundred Acre fans will find much to admire in this set of new releases. The Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignons remain some of the most distinctive wines being made in Napa Valley today. Tel. (707) 967-9398

Super-ripe dark cherries, flowers, mint and spices are some of the nuances that flow from the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Fortunate Son. The 2009 impresses for its silky tannins and long, generous finish. This is a slightly more refined style, very much in keeping with the spirit of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. (Not yet released)Proprietor Jayson Woodbridge makes some of the most unique, deeply personal wines in Napa Valley. Very late harvests and minimal intervention in the cellar, including no rackings until bottling, are just some of the choices that inform these wines. Woodbridge’s vineyards are in St. Helena (Kayli Morgan), the lower part of Howell Mountain (Ark) and Calistoga (Few and Far Between). Woodbridge is less reliant on outside consultants than many of his colleagues, so the wines bear very specific signatures that are unlike those of other wines being made in the Valley. The late harvests give the wines super-ripe fruit that can at times veer towards sweetness, but it is the extreme silkiness and finesse of the tannins that differentiates these wines. Woodbridge believes wines must be ready to go upon release and frowns upon decanting or advance aeration, which he doesn’t think should be necessary. As outstanding as these wines can be upon release, the reality is that the wines have also proven to age exceptionally well. I tasted a huge number of wines with Woodbridge and his team, but it was two wines with some bottle age (the 2000 and 2006 Kayli Morgan) that made the deepest impression. I hope Hundred Acre fans can find the discipline to put away a few bottles. The transformation of these wines in bottle is remarkable. These no-holds-barred Cabernets aren’t for everyone, but they are compelling and highly individualistic, just like Woodbridge himself.Tel. (707) 967-9398