Realm Cellars, The Absurd, Napa Valley

Part of a high end CA Cabernet night with my wine group. We had the following on the table and in glasses at the same time. 1996 Ridge Monte Bello, 2002 Shafer Hillside Select and the 2013 Realm The Bard. The Ridge and Shafer were decanted, the Realm was not (lack of space and decent decanters at the restaurant), all three were opened for an hour before pouring into glasses. For me, the Realm was a definite spot below the …

2013 vintage

Gift Eric and Susan Wiseman 70th

2018 vintage

Agree with recent comments this is peaking - recommend drinking asap. Excellent

2013 vintage

Big ripe and rich but with good balance, good acidity and structure. Long and complex and hedonistic. Drinking beautifully now and over the next decade or two. Made in 90% new oak. In 20212 Realm stopped punching down and now use a more gentle pump over extraction process.

2013 vintage

Dark and pretty ripe, slight cooked. Tannins have mellowed a bit, but slightly drying and in comparison more rustic than the 23. Probably at peak and I would drink up personally.

2013 vintage

Amazingly good! Had this not quite as a pop and pour. Opened the bottle but left in the bottle for an hour or two before drinking most on one night, and just as good or better the next night (after using a vacuum stopper in the bottle overnight). Berry fruit on the nose, with slightly sweet ripe berry fruit with a little mocha, in a velvety smooth mouthfeel and a long finish. Not a smack you across the face Napa …

2016 vintage

Lighter than I expected.some currants and blueberry fade into a soft stony finished.

2013 vintage

Over 4 years since I last tried a bottle. Opened and decanted for 4 hours. The nose is all fruit with hints of chocolate. The palate red & black berry, cherry, plum, tobacco and chocolate. The finish is long and smooth. A great wine and as my good friend Michael clearly stated "damn it this one one fantastic wine" but is is really worth the price personally I do not think so. I have seen it online for a $1000 …

2013 vintage

Well balanced with layers of complexity. From palate entry to finish, The Absurd is a beautiful expression of a Napa Cab. The wine was exquisite even this early in the drinking window and delivered ripe fruit, grainy tannins and a sultry clean finish. Drinking ever so slowly in small sips, I don’t want this bottle to end.

2016 vintage

Bones are really good but needs more time. Try again in 5 years.

2018 vintage

Rich, layered, and young. 1 hour in decanter and consumed over 2.5 hours. Been a while since my last napa. Not bad. Chocolate, floral and graphite on the nose. Cassis, dark coffee with a touch of minerality on the palate. Velvety tannins and long finish. Medium acidity. I do think Realm mid range bottlings are better value. Cool label though, like most Realms.

2018 vintage

Four hour slo-ox, then double decanted off large amount of sediment. Consumed over 2 days. Day 0ne: very heavy port nose and taste, so much so as to be off-putting. Reminded me of Jim Pride's Reserve cab from back in the day, but on steroids. Day Two: portiness almost totally resolved, lushious dark fruit with multiple layers of secondary notes, sweet tannins, smooth mouthfeel, power, grace, balance and sophistication. A totally different wine, perhaps opened too early.

2013 vintage

Before I even took my first sip, I had to decant it for two hours. I would recommend decanting for at least 5 hours if you want to drink it now. The nose was light and fruity, with notes of crushed raspberries and spices, all complemented by a subtle alcohol presence. The wine itself was a powerful and beautiful expression of young, fresh berries and oak. The finish was long and finely tannic, leaving a lasting impression. While it was …

2016 vintage

This was Realms best Bard ever produced. I believe they used some Beckstoffer fruit in it.

2013 vintage

Deep, dark color, nose of dark fruit, multilayered, oak, sweet tannins, smooth mouthfeel, all in almost perfect balance, long finish. This is the real deal. Very enjoyable.

2013 vintage

Felt a little disjointed tonight, alcohol poking through on the finish.

2016 vintage

It was good but overshadowed by 2019 and 2021

2018 vintage

Excellent wine that has a chewiness to it. Nice suits with soft tannins.

2013 vintage

I hate to use it but I will, this wine is absurd, or better yet ludicrous, ridiculous, and insane. Enough fun with the adjectives. First thing is.. I am not going to bore you on a paragraph with quick whims and graphic details on how the legs where like the lamp from the Christmas Story. This wine is killer, it hits three out of five senses like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick (one more if you "feel" inclined). The price …

2016 vintage

Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs, except has entered peak drinking; outstanding, drink or hold

2013 vintage

Incredible wine. Perfect to drink now but will also last a few more years. Opened bottle and let rest for about 20 minutes. Wonderful bouquet, dark berries and hints of chocolate. Long smooth finish.

2013 vintage

My oh my, this is massive. Extracted Napa cabs aren't normally my jam, but in this style, have I ever had a better one? Maybe not. This was extraordinary. Overwhelming flavor of blueberry compote. Plenty to balance it including moist soil, flowers. Tremendously good.

2016 vintage

Dissapointing. Maybe this is entering a sleeping phase. It seemed to be missing entire ranges of flavors. In fairness it was only decanted an hour but over 4 hours later it was still not special. i have one more and will wait 3 years.

2018 vintage

It took about an hour in decanter to show up and when it did, Hello! Long and complex. It constantly changed and I can't even remember the whole evolution but it was improving right to the end hours after opening. The finish at the end was 3-4 minutes. A fantastic wine at peak

2013 vintage

Dark berries, long finish. Decant at least one hour before drinking. Softened dramatically during that hour. Excellent wine, one of my favorites.

2013 vintage

What a wine! Pulled the cork, shook some air into and recorked for 2 hr. Opened at dinner and this was hitting on all cylinders for the first 30 min. Some apparent bricking, but tannins and oak have completely integrated. Damp forest floor, burnt embers, chocolate, cherry cola, dark chocolate covered cherries. Long finish. Drank well by itself and paired well with dinner. Was a potential candidate for perfection, but this showed way more tertiary elements than expected and drank …

2013 vintage

Singing and great way to celebrate the new place.

2016 vintage

Collectable Wine Night (Tuscany Steakhouse NYC) : One of three collectable reds I had with my wine group. Can you be disappointed in a wine you rate 93 points? Yes you can, when it cost over $300 for the bottle and the WA gives it 100 points. Reading the WA review, I always felt that the reviewer felt self-pressure to rate it this high. It is a nice wine, but really no better than many wines that cost under $150. …

2013 vintage

Still at the top of its game after 30-60 mins in decanter or 1-2 hours breathing in bottle. I wasn’t sure when I first opened it-seemed tannic but less impressive. But once it opened up, as good as the last 2 bottles I drank in 2022 & 2023. It is my 5th bottle out of a case I bought-great juice!! I’m not sure it will improve, but it still has a long life at this level.

2013 vintage

Opened for Christmas dinner; let it sit for about 2 hours before sharing. Followed for about 2 hours. Dark purple color. Nose shows dark fruits and a bit of VA. That blows off. Powerful and rich, perhaps a bit too much. Concentrated and with depth. Layers of flavor. Showing a little bit of heat. A powerhous eof a wine that can improve with more age,

2013 vintage

Had this as a pop and pour after a 2019 Scarecrow. On my first tastes I thought this was as good as or better than the Scarecrow, but as a little time went on I realized that it did not quite keep up with the Scarecrow. With berry fruits and a smooth long finish, there was a hint of sourness or acidity in the finish that I might not have noticed except in comparison to the previous wine. But still …

2018 vintage

Wow! This was ABSURDLY good! Had this with dinner at my friend Dick's house about 4 months ago and I am just catching up with TN. He almost popped the 2019 Absurd but I talked him in to popping the 2016 instead. We decanted this for an hour before dinner. I tried this on pnp and it was delicious but it filled out a touch with air. This wine is dark purple almost black in color with a beautifully expressive …

2016 vintage

Not blind. Together with a few great wines so a tough tasking. Decanted half the bottle for 6 hours and kept the balance. I preferred the non decanted. Over the decanted. Oak and wood on the nose with some light fragrant Hl 2. Tannins mm how much the tenants are just okay, I got my notes on th

2018 vintage

Deep purplish ruby red. Decanted for six hours. Would like to actually try this around four hours next time. Quite floral on the nose with cinnamon, brown sugar, blackberries and cassis. Full bodied with heavy tannins (7.5/10). Well balanced and the tine definitely helped. Rich and layered. Definitely showing a wine of a different caliber.

2018 vintage

Deep ruby red. Dark and fruity nose with dark chocolate with baking spices and blueberries. Medium bodied and very well integrated with medium tannins (6.5/10). Similar notes on the palate with dark fruit and spices. Definitely a little over its peak. If you have it drink it. Medium to medium plus finish. Drink now.

2013 vintage

Not blind. Fruity nose and initial attack. I think this is starting to decline. It was unfair to compare tonight to 3 wines all 96+.

2013 vintage

A very good wine. Creamy and buttery taste, with a hint of chocolate and vanilla. Powerful structure and definitely full bodied. High alcohol level and high tannin. But the hype of this wine outweighted its actual performance; I have definitely drank better California cabs that are cheaper than this, for example, Bevan Sugarloaf Mt.

2016 vintage

Napa 2023 - The Sequel; 8/23/2023-8/28/2023 : PnP and this was ready from the start. Still a little youth showing but wow, what a wine. Red berry and blue fruit complimented by a chocolate note on the back end. Not overly complex, but fun to drink. Everything in harmony, no hard edges. WOTN at dinner. Much better than the ‘14s I’ve had which were more black fruited and heavy on the plums. Missed out on the Benjamin because I think …

2016 vintage

Double decanted for 2 hrs, deep ruby, black cherries with a touch of vanilla on both nose & palate (the oak has almost fully integrated), med/firm tannins (typical 13), long finish; outstanding, drink or preferably hold (I will wait at least another year for my last bottle)

2013 vintage

Is this Scarecrow or Schrader? Damn this young juice is delicious. Try it if you can find it

2018 vintage

Amazing! Having this as a pop and pour out of a magnum reminded me of this wine’s earlier days from the 750 ml bottles. Powerful, rich, smooth, flavorful, with a long finish. A sad day at the end, however, since this is my last bottle of this…

2013 vintage

Silky smooth. Like velvet.

2013 vintage

Wow wow wow from the first sip what a wonderful fabulous wine to drink for Father’s Day

2016 vintage

This is a wonderful mature New World wine, full of black and red berries, nutmeg, oak, dark chocolate and licorice. I could drink this all day and would score it a point or two hire if not for the slight lingering heat on the palate. At 13.5% ABV this wine would've been electric.

2013 vintage

Dark crimson-ruby. Nose of Madagascar vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, and red fruits. Thick texture with dense tannins. Notes of vanilla, crabapple, and mixed red fruits.

2018 vintage

Ok so been heavy on Old World and about to have an Epic Piedmont dinner next week so… let’s go big or go home and boy did this deliver the ultimate guilty pleasure. 2018 Revana block 6- their best wine hands down. More on that wine under that tasting note. 2016 Realm Absurd- I was a big fan of realm years ago and have become jaded as of late due to a number of issues from lower quality/massive sourcing which …

2016 vintage

PnP and drank over 2 hrs. On open this was earthy with topsoil, drying tannins, macerated blackberries and powdered cocoa. This lasted for 30 min. Shifted to our other wine, a ‘14 Colgin Tychson Hill, before reverting. 40 min after opening, a completely different wine, and I’m not sure I’m happy about it. Gone were the secondary/tertiary notes and out popped a stripper from a large fake birthday cake. Blueberry, blackberry, hint of crème pie, big and boisterous. Frankly almost …

2013 vintage

Insane

2016 vintage

Drinking brilliantly right now

2013 vintage

Typical high end extracted Napa cab. Smooth, soft, very berry oriented. While this is a very good wine, it is not my taste. Should have sold.

2013 vintage

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Realm Cellars, The Absurd, Napa Valley

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