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News
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."
Wine Description
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, there is more than meets the eye in this complex wine. Outstanding vineyards such as Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Bourn, Blair, Houyi, Larkmead, Realm SLD Estate, Farella, Orchard and Bettinelli Upper Range have all found a place in the wine. While the composition of The Bard varies from year to year, Cabernet Sauvignon typically comprises over 70% of the blend, joined by lesser percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Realm Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s biggest success stories of the last decade, but its journey was far from easy. Having gone from one crisis to another, Realm Cellars in 2011 was on the brink of collapse. That was before talented, Bordeaux-born winemaker Benoit Touquette and business partner Scott Becker resurrected it.
Before joining Realm, Becker had worked under Bill Harlan helping set up Promontory. Touquette had been helping make wines at Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle and trained under Andy Erickson. The team admits they were standing on the shoulders of giants – but they knew where to source the best fruit and how to make world-class wines.
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 red wines and one Sauvignon Blanc. There is such consistency across the range, although production levels vary. Most notably, fewer than 5,000 bottles are made of The Absurd (a secret blend).