Realm Cellars, The Bard, Napa Valley

Outstanding. Everything talks about 2012/2013 and 2018/2019 as the best vintages for napa cabernet in the 2010's decade, but I've drank quite a few excellent wines from 2015, including this one. Clearly leans towards a modern style, but there is a savory, grippy mineral streak on the finish that adds a layer of dimensionality and separates this wine from many modern producers. This is an expertly crafted blend. Paired extremely well with a steak au poivre. Easily a decade or …

2015 vintage

Very good expression of a modern style Napa cab/blend. Pretty one note, even after 10 years. Thankfully no VA notes that seem to be present in many modern style Napa cabs from the 2010s. Glad to have. Few more.

2015 vintage

Old school 70�s style Napa Cab. Bold structure on the palate with notes of black cherries, blackberries, along with leather, cedar and tobacco. Those same notes are also present on the nose. This wine is young, even after 10 years and requires a two hour decant before consuming. If you hold this wine in your cellar, I would hold to let the tannins to settle more.

2015 vintage

Delicious and open It’s quite dark and rich - almost saturated but has some cooler edges and lift. Some menthol in nose perhaps a touch of bitter chocolate on finish Cab Franc comes through but feels more like a lesser component - I’d have guess at a small percentage Just looks up and says 88% ? It’s lovely however

2015 vintage

Killer juice! In a great window.

2015 vintage

Not blind. Classic Napa Cab profile. nose with light red and black berries. On the palate, a burst of vanilla and ripe red fruit up front. Still vibrant, with acidity on the finish suggesting years of life ahead. My kind of Napa—elegant but structured. Paired well with cheese and crackers, but holds its own alongside a full meal. Long, lingering finish—easily 20+ seconds. Hl 2. Fd 1. B 3.

2015 vintage

Good bouquet, okay palate. Thought it would be amazing, but left me wanting more.

2015 vintage

Outstanding wine. Big, Bold, Spice, Chalky and somehow manages to bind together with elegance and restraint.

2015 vintage

Moderately tannic on opening, but still drinkable. Better after 1-2 hours of bottle air. Typical Bard-great fruit, depth, balance, & richness.

2015 vintage

After @jcampano’s recent note, I was looking for an opportune time to open this and today was the day. 60 min of air and we were off the races. Purple black dark with just a touch of bricking. Nose—bourbon/coke, cassis, bitters, spice, heavenly even if favoring tertiary notes. Unfortunately a hint of Bret showed after 2 hr. Palate-more bourbon/coke, cassis, but no oak or tannin impeding. More earthy tertiary notes, but plenty of fruit to somewhat balance this marginally elegant, …

2015 vintage

Wow, this was magnificent. With a 30-minute decant, it screamed of black cherry, violets, and blueberry pie with hints of graphite and light cedar. Huge minerality and a silky 30-second finish. My last bottle so I will go on the hunt for more.

2015 vintage

Delicious but even with a decant tasted young. Was a little tight compared with the Houyi of the same age. A little less expressive this time out. More classic Bordeaux which would set it up for many years to come.

2015 vintage

Decanted for an hour and still continued to improve with more time open.

2015 vintage

Leather, gobs of blackberry, mineral and tobacco. This is bliss. Big and heady but finishes elegant.

2015 vintage

Brought this to a Pre-Thanksgiving dinner at an Italian restaurant with my wine group. This blew everyone away. I'm sure it can age, but right now, it is drinking great! Easily the WOTN. We gave it time to breathe, and it was full bodied, with a long finish. Just a great wine!

2015 vintage

comparable to 2013 & 2015 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red in side by side tasting. No clear winner. All were excellent

2015 vintage

Great wine in perfect place. Currants, plums and cherries. Finishes with a little mint and leather.

2010 vintage

Concentrated, layered blackberry fruit that needs 40 minutes to decant where the wine becomes even more expressive…notes of cassis, lavender, and dark chocolate. Hints of earth on the finish but this drinks like a new world bordeaux.

2015 vintage

Agree with most recent reviews. Wonderful Cab Franc prominent wine. Great fruit, balance, some minerality. Was great right out of the bottle but even better after 30-60 mins of bottle air.

2015 vintage

Chocolate, berries, long finish

2015 vintage

Stunning Cab Franc & Merlot blend, vibrant fruit, fully integrated and delicious, 30 second finish. Drink now but will last for 10+

2015 vintage

Drank one memorial day weekend in Anna Maria Island with family for dad's 80th bday. This is delicious. Not great at describing - it has interesting diversity of flavors. Not as thick and juicy as an Outpost Howell Mountain but perhaps more interesting. Excited I have one more l. Wish I had a lot more.

2015 vintage

Almost as good as last tasting, 1+. year ago. Should have decanted, only gave it air for 2-3 hours, but it opened up great. Unanimously the #2 of 4 wines shared.

2015 vintage

uq i mmm mmm

2015 vintage

Perfect on PnP Aromatics, color, balance on point with medium long finish

2010 vintage

NOT blind Pnp. Big fruit nose. Red fruits on the initial attack. A fruit bomb nose. Powerful tannins. 8/10 Dark fruit and chocolate in the finish. Strong acidity in the finish but not overpowering given the power of the fruit. Long finish. Hl 1 fd 2 fi

2015 vintage

Wow. Spectacular!! So lush and well balanced.

2015 vintage

First try of Realm. Definitely a big boy cab, but not sure how to rate. Drank over two nights and never really seemed to open up. Could be great in a few years, but who knows.

2015 vintage

Out of magnum - double decanted the night before, and it was singing for dinner - dark rich fruit, but balanced with structure - a real highlight.

2015 vintage

Deep ruby color with a slight garnet hue. Aromas of black and red fruits, such as blackberry, cassis, plum, and cherry, are intertwined with notes of cedar, tobacco, vanilla, and spice. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and rich, with flavors of black fruit, chocolate, espresso, and oak. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, and the acidity is bright and refreshing. The finish is long and lingering, with notes of fruit, spice, and oak. Decanted for 3 hours and …

2010 vintage

Deep inky red/purple color. The nose is a little bit overwhelming, with deep fruit, eucalyptus, sage and oak sweetness. The palate is full, low acid and medium tannins. Long finish. I usually like Realm wines for what they are, but this seems somewhat over the top. I think it might be the vintage.

2015 vintage

Great nose, tannins all resolved, soft and rounded, really drinking well and.an example of how elegant yet full and balanced Napa cab can be

2010 vintage

Three Realm 2015s side by side. I'm not a big fan of this vintage, as the wines can often be too ripe for my tastes, cloying and with the alcohol showing. However, Realm did a good job of avoiding the biggest pitfalls. Especially the Dr. Crane and the Farella were well-behaved without much excess. The winner was the Dr. Crane (96pts), the most complex, precise and elegant of the trio. A step behind the Farella (94pts), which had a good …

2015 vintage

Part of a small Napa 2015 vintage horizontal, focusing on Realm and Bevan. My main observations were that 2015 is more extracted and ripe than 2014 or 2016, less elegant but with more weight. The wines were generally open and in a good spot, but still all primary. Tannin structures are soft Tasting note: Intense with ripe and extracted fruit of black cassis. Complimentary notes of black coffee, milk chocolate, liquorish and violets. High-intensity palate with some heat tainting the …

2015 vintage

Very good bottle that really leans more toward the earthy and herbal side of Napa Cabernet Franc. Where some of the Pritchard Hill francs really capture the dusty side of the varietal this one nails the pepper note splendidly and combined with black fruit it really shows well with decanting.

2015 vintage

Needs more time

2015 vintage

Ready now, with a brief decant. Full-bodied, soft, not heavy. Black cherry and plum on the palate.

2010 vintage

Magnificent cab franc blend. Nose of blueberry, black cherry, violets and cedar. Tasty minerality with flavors of blueberry pie, red cherries and plums. Silky tannins and a 20-second finish.

2015 vintage

Still just a massive beautiful wine. Realm Bard is still one of the best QPR�s for high end Napa cab. This bottle is lush with massive dark fruit supported by some graphite and tertiary notes. Paired with a 24oz Wagyu Tomahawk - perfect!

2015 vintage

Not as tannic this time, mellowed out well.

2015 vintage

What a mouthful! Wine is super young, decades of life ahead of it. Blackberries and blueberries with a silky smooth texture. Goes down easy. Save or drink

2015 vintage

I slow oxed this for about 3 hours, had some of the bottle, and put the rest in the fridge for the following day. This is a solid red wine that is still quite dark in the glass. There was a fair amount of sediment toward the end of the bottle – I stood this up for several weeks before consuming, so there wasn’t a big issue, but I would generally recommend decanting at this point. On the nose, the …

2010 vintage

PnP and went quick. This was really really good, No specific notes other than it kicked ass. One more bottle left that I will not share with others but will have with food.

2015 vintage

Not much to add to my previous note. Stunning and flavorful.

2015 vintage

As noted by others, this bottle indicates that The Bard at 12 years old has aged gracefully. This bottle was purchased upon release from realm and stored properly over the years. It is now a nuanced, red fruited wine with excellent balance and a smooth flavorful finish. There is nice body and the fruit is still shining.If you're wanting in your face excitement, this isn't what this bottle is anymore. It's smooth jazz in a bottle.

2010 vintage

An old time Bordeaux that didn't take 15 years to be ready... a classic claret that tastes French, kudos Realm!

2015 vintage

Awesome wine! Intense and bright flavors of blackberries, blueberries, and a little black cherry. Smooth with a long finish. Had as a pop and pour when we took it to a local restaurant.

2015 vintage

This is now drinking in top form - previous 2019 tasting note showed a muted flavour profile. Beautifully drinking, elegant and poised, blue fruits, balancing acidity.

2010 vintage

Very pretty nose of cassis, cherry and a hint of green pepper. Palate rich and heavily fruited, but a bit on the heavy, syrupy side for my palate. After four hours of air it balanced out better, with less weight and more pepper on the palate. Very good.

2015 vintage

Enjoyed with the Bishops.

2015 vintage

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Realm Cellars, The Bard, Napa Valley

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