2021 Realm Cellars The Bard
Community Tasting Note
aaronwine Likes this wine:
93 Points
Sunday, October 8, 2023 - If you like big Napa cabs like Parker then you'll love this one. Grape juice nose with decadence and lingering tannins on the finish. Could be a touch higher in abv than the 14.6 label and it is noticeable on the nose but hidden on the palette by the abundance of fruit. IMO while some pro reviewers reward this style - my score is based on the present and it currently lacks enough depth and complexity at this stage to warrant a higher score.
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3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (5,218 views)
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (5,218 views)
Comment posted by AGELVIS:
10/8/2023 11:01:00 AM - Appreciate the preview. I’m going to love the ‘21. The couple of Fait-Mains I’ve had were terrific. I’m very much in the fruit forward (Parker) camp. Cheers my friend!
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/8/2023 11:56:00 AM - It'll be a great year.....but hold for another year if you can!
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
10/9/2023 6:11:00 AM - Not sure why anyone would expect more of a ‘21 Bard at this time, will surely improve
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/9/2023 7:13:00 AM - Def.....but not too many years ago, I would have opened all mine this early, too. Hard for me to do that this year though as you're holding my '21s and I haven't even touched my '18s or '19s yet!
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
10/9/2023 7:15:00 AM - Actually they haven’t even arrived yet! I just had an email that they are shipping soon.
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/9/2023 7:21:00 AM - No hurry, I have plenty to drink here. Napa '21s I've tasted out there are a really nice vintage, too. Napa got it right I think, and they'll probably end up along the lines of the '12s and '15s as far as fruit/density/structure.
Comment posted by aaronwine:
10/9/2023 8:19:00 AM - I wanted to add that this was at a wine store tasting. Agree with the comments that this is one to hold in the cellar.
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/9/2023 10:14:00 AM - Ah...thanks for the context Aaron! I figured it was probably someone pushing sales! This isn't selling out from the winery like it used to since their price keeps rising a good bit. Pretty soon, there will be a lot of wine shops carrying these former Napa sellouts all over the country......
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
10/9/2023 10:57:00 AM - Mark, that may or may not be true. Realm always has a certain amount of allocation to wine shops and restaurants. I don’t think they are having a demand problem right now, even with the price increase. I was limited on what I could buy
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/9/2023 11:27:00 AM - DQ....they're being pushed on Wineaccess now, too ($175/bottle). Same with The Mascot. Napa has finally priced some of their wines out of many consumers wallets. Hence, these wineries turning to a big online presence to generate more sales.
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
10/9/2023 11:36:00 AM - $175 not so much of a push vs an offer? But, yeah, the pricing is ridiculous these days.
Comment posted by RayT:
10/16/2023 10:42:00 PM - Never heard of a wine store pouring The Bard. Lucky you to get a preview!
Comment posted by RayT:
10/16/2023 10:42:00 PM - Never heard of a wine store pouring The Bard. Lucky you to get a preview!
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/17/2023 3:41:00 AM - Ray, that was my point, as well. Napa is in the early stages off killing off many of their Golden Geese with their pricing....fine wine is a 'disposable income' commodity and for many people today that income is drying up, me included.
Comment posted by RayT:
10/17/2023 6:24:00 AM - Yes I have been pretty upset with the 2021 price increases. I already started cutting back. I also just started buying wines from benchmark for pretty darn good prices comparatively. Haven't tried wine auctions yet? Any advice with that?
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/17/2023 7:00:00 AM - Lol.....I'd wager one third of my cellar has come from auctions over the past 6 years. Just have to be careful on your bidding, learn all the fees and realize that it's buyer beware so if someone stored their wine in their garage for 8 years, you'll get screwed. Having said that I'd bet I've only had a dozen bad bottles out of maybe a thousand so far? Some I may uncover for another decade as I drink down my cellar......
Comment posted by RayT:
10/17/2023 2:18:00 PM - Mark I have definitely worried about provenance but I am going to start looking in to the auctions but like you said check all the fees. I am pretty good at setting a price and not going over it. I don't need to WIN! Any auction houses that you feel are the best?
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
10/17/2023 2:53:00 PM - Ray, hit me up: Mark1pt@aol.com
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
10/18/2023 5:21:00 AM - Ray, Mark will give you great advice on which auctions and strategy. But I would just echo that although it has been rare for me, you still will get some off bottles. I have just learned to be ok with that up front and don’t get too stressed about it. The discounts I have had overall make up for a few lost bottles along the way.
Comment posted by RayT:
10/18/2023 12:05:00 PM - DQ that is what I figured. I have still had an off bottle buying from stores so I figured an auction would increase that but the savings could make up the difference. Thanks for looking out!