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  • Country ranking ?

    62
  • Producer ranking ?

    1
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    from 2029
  • Food Pairing

    Game

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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98 points, Vinous | "Vertical structure, power and explosive energy infuse the 2018 with tremendous character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and lavender are some of the many notes that run through the 2018."

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The Story

The flagship of Realm’s portfolio, The Bard is the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Proprietary Blend we’ve made since 2003. We consider The Bard to be the most dynamic expression of Napa Valley: a blend of grapes from Coombsville to Calistoga, from the east to the west sides, from the hillsides to the valley floor. Dense, weighty, and concentrated, The Bard always punches above its weight, and with multiple dimensions coming together in harmony, ...

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Wine Information

The turning point came with Realm's 2012 vintage (just the second vintage under Touquette). Robert Parker awarded the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and The Absurd cuvées 100 points. Realm's flagship wine – The Bard – was also awarded an impressive 99 points. The following year all three received perfect scores – and the quality is now consistently at this level.


The Bard represents close to 50% of the production, but Realm also produces 12 other ...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

Intense and perfumed aromas of cassis, mulberry, lavender, nutmeg and cloves. Praline, walnuts and dark chocolate, too. It’s full-bodied, creamy and polished with a precise finish. Firm yet smoothly coating tannins. Very fine.

  • 97p

The 2018 The Bard is fabulous and also one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Realm. Vertical structure, power and explosive energy infuse the 2018 with tremendous character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and lavender are some of the many notes that run through the 2018. This is the first vintage that includes a dollop of Petite Sirah from Bourn. It is also the first vintage in which a portion of the wine was aged in concrete eggs, which seems to add tension and a palpable sense of vibrancy. The Bard is a blend of 40 different lots, everything from Calistoga to Coombsville, a marriage of elements that works so well. Although none of these wines could be referred to as inexpensive, The Bard is a tremendous relative value within the context of high-end Napa Valley. I loved it. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Petite Sirah.

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Napa , Napa Valley
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