Realm - The Riddle of the Sphinx

Tasted Saturday, March 3, 2018 by csimm with 269 views

Introduction

Q: What walks on four legs in the morning?
A: The abominable fat baby Bard.

Q: What walks on two legs in the afternoon?
A: The consummate professional Moonracer.

Q: What walks on three legs in the evening?
A: The crippled peg-leg 2010 Farella.

Q: What walks on no legs at night?
A: My empty corpse of a Realm SVD allocation.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • 2017 Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Traditional SB notes of yellow citrus and white stone core fruit, yellow pear, lemon juice, honeydew melon, mango, pumice, sulfur, and wet pavement. A medium attack with an equally medium-weighted mid-palate. Not a whole lot of complexity to be had at the moment (I have more favored previous vintages of Realm’s SB/white wines - ‘16 Fidelio and ‘14/‘15 ibid.Farella).

    The back end fell off a bit, replaced with post hole cement and sulphuric-tinged notes that threw the core fruit a little off-kilter in terms of seamlessness.

    90-91+ points for now, with hope that the sulfur and concrete notes will subside and allow some brighter fruit to push forward. Hold until late summer of 2018.

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2015 Realm Cellars The Bard 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Previous notes apply. Sweet blackberry liqueur, blueberry smoothie, dark chocolate chunk, vanilla bean, bread dough, mocha, clove, and anise. Still exhibiting a bit of a clumsy profile, with a fat, all thumbs, ham-fisted thump to my Daffy Duck palate by Hugo The Abominable Snow Man..."I will name him George and I will hug him, and pet him, and squeeze him..."

    It's certainly a mouthful of notable flavor (so it gains points there), but there isn't much focus. The heavy saccharine-laced pawing of the palate becomes fairly cloying and mushy. The Sumo chassis slaps the burlesque flavors around like a fat pimp with a sloppy stripper. Are we Caymus-bound with this particular wine?? ...hoping to appeal to the piles of Miley Cyrus cronies pouring themselves out of undulating party busses, all the while clenching close to the allotments of Cranes and To Kalons of the lineup which are better served for hobnobbing with the Hong Kong bankers and Warren Buffetts of the world? Jesus I hope not.......

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 2010 Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville

    Disappointingly mulchy and cedar-driven, with black currant, forest floor, tobacco, wood-paneling, and a bitter leather note on the back end. This felt like something more from the mid-90's than a 2010. Not the best indicator of aging potential with the Farella. Let's hope the uptick in quality with more recent editions and improvements stylistically have prepped the Farellas of the 12/13/14/15/16 vintages for better aging. Not sure why these sorts of "library" wines are included in a tasting lineup. Someone must have an affinity for convalescent homes...

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 2015 Realm Cellars Moonracer 97 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Captivating and concentrated black core fruit, a fistful of dark spices, and black minerality all pulsate across the palate in a beautifully powerful display of flavor and intensity. This Moonracer was a welcome liposuction to the triglyceride 2015 Bard (which tasted like fat kid spilling a gallon of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey into a punchbowl of sangria and Jamba Juice).

    The Moonracer has most of what I could ask for in a SLD Cabernet. Dark full-bodied, pure fruit, wonderful complexity, skyscraper texture, and a notable drive that pushes all of the flavors forward in a complete and veritable explosion of flavor. Despite its seeming enormity, it maintains a balance and finesse that elevates it beyond just being a monster Napa Cabernet.

    A definite success in 2015. 95-97 points. QPR is a little bit of a Scooby Doo, "Rhuh?? Ruh-roh Raggy!" when compared to the "more affordable" Crane and To Kalon offerings.

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