The Tempest – a famous play, a violent storm, and the name of our Merlot-based blend, fashioned after the great wines of Pomerol in Bordeaux. The Tempest was the first proprietary wine Realm released, so named for the “perfect” storm of three grape varietals that became available at the same time, from the same vineyard, in 2002 -- the year of our tumultuous beginning. Though our equipment was borrowed and the winery we occupied unfinished, our grapes were sound that year – beautiful in fact – and the resulting wine reflected a fierce determination to brave the storm. The Tempest is still made with beautiful grapes, from vineyards such as Beckstoffer Orchard and Dr. Crane, as well as Blair Vineyard in Calistoga. Predominantly Merlot, with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot depending on vintage, The Tempest is a roiling cauldron of lush, bright, red fruit – a wine that shows what Merlot can be in the right hands, from the right vineyards.
“When drinking water, remember the source:” an old Chinese proverb that could apply to wine as easily as water. Located in what used to be St. Helena’s “Chinatown” in the 1920’s, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard now sits in a residential neighborhood on the west side of town, an unassuming site bordered by an old riverbed and a rock quarry. The vineyard was originally planted in 1858 by San Franciscan Dr. George Belden Crane; today it is owned by Andy Beckstoffer, who replanted it to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in 1998. With extremely well-drained, gravelly soils, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane is undoubtedly one of the finest vineyards in St. Helena, and its wines are unmistakable. “You know it when you smell it,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “Dr. Crane has everything you look for -- minerality, complexity, excellent fruit definition, good tannin structure; a complete wine with many layers.” Realm’s Dr. Crane is predominantly (@ 95%) Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6 blended with a small amount of Petit Verdot.
To Kalon: \TO ka∙lon\ noun: the ideal of physical and moral beauty especially as conceived by the philosophers of classical Greece.
It was also the ancient Greeks who first said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is true, then To Kalon Vineyard is aptly named, considered by countless people over many decades as the preeminent vineyard of Napa Valley. We’ve been fortunate to work with grapes from Beckstoffer To Kalon since we began making wine in 2002. Comprised of a portion of the historical To Kalon vineyard planted in 1868, the 89-acre parcel was acquired by Andy Beckstoffer in 1993 and replanted to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Sitting on the west side of the Napa Valley’s Oakville appellation, Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes are only made available to a small number of boutique wine producers, who, quite simply, fashion them into some of the highest quality wines Napa Valley has to offer. “The wines from To Kalon are so dense, so opulent,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “When you look at it, it’s hard to put a finger on what makes this vineyard so special. But in the wine, its beauty is unmistakable.” Realm’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several blocks planted to Clones 4 and 337. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.