The Hazel & Axe label exists because of a grandmother. Hazel was the kind of woman who held her family together and moved through life by a simple rule: wield your axe — use your inner strength and never stop moving forward. Her grandchildren, the founders of Erikson & Caradin, named this line of wines in her honor, reserving it for bottles they felt she'd be proud to share with friends and family.

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon earned 93 points from Decanter, and at this price it's hard to argue with their verdict.

The wine is made by Kevin Morrisey, whose résumé is about as serious as it gets in California. He secured a harvest internship at Chateau Pétrus while studying at UC Davis, then returned to Napa to work his way up at Stags' Leap Winery — eventually becoming Head Winemaker and General Manager — before being recruited to lead winemaking at Etude Wines under Tony Soter, and later at Ehlers Estate in St. Helena, where he spent nine years building a reputation for world-class Bordeaux varietals.

Hazel & Axe represents his accessible tier, but he brings none of those credentials lightly.

2022 is sourced from top-quality vineyards across Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Mendocino County, and aged 12 months in 100% second-use French oak — keeping the fruit front and center and the oak in a supporting role. For a California Cab at this price point, the Pétrus-trained pedigree behind every bottle makes this one of the most compelling over-delivers on the site.