2018 Realm Cellars The Falstaff

Community Tasting Notes (8) Avg Score: 95.3 points

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  9/8/2023 - Tonythefish Likes this wine: 95 Points

  First taste of this wine. Earthy, with deep red color and opened up beautifully in the glass. Dark fruits, mushrooms and very floral, with also hints of wet cement. 30-45 second finish on back end. Over the 90 minutes plus that we enjoyed it opened and started to show its character, and will get better with another year in cellar I think

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  2/7/2022 - va10230 wrote: 97 Points

  more earthy than moonracer / houyi. Love it. Needs more time

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  12/5/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Opened by HMC for us.....right from the pnp, the nose was exquisite. Perfumed florals abound, in spades. It took a good amount of time for the dark fruited palate to get up close to the nose, after a few hours of air, it improved. In fact, I think I would have rated the nose a 96 or 97 right from the start, the wine a 95-96 with time. It probably gets a few points better from here, too. Thanks for opening, Jimbo!

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  12/5/2021 - HowellMountainCru Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Outstanding complex nose. Initially a bit grippy but settled down and softened after a few hours. Fruit forward but not primary like so many 18s No detailed notes taken but an excellent and enjoyable blend. 95 now 96 -97 possible with just a bit of age. HMC

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  9/15/2021 - csimm wrote: 96 Points

  Right out of the gate, this puppy was off and rolling with fruit, spice, fruit, spice, and fruit. Decanting a few hours helped to fan and fill out its form, but this barely needed to stretch its legs before it was already jumping and bopping around. Fans of Falstaff will not be disappointed here with the 2018, which is a 65%, 25%, 10% blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, respectively. After a hiatus in 2017, the Falstaff shows no signs of skipping a beat from where it left off in 2016, though this 2018 seems less overtly muscular and suggestively sultry than its 2016 athletic model counterpart. The 2016 is about power and opulence. The 2018 is about…fruit (I mean, it’s a Realm, so no shocker there).
  
  Instead of a tannic beast powerhouse type of full-throttle everything slaphappy right in your jawhole (which is often the case with the fledgling single vineyard offerings), folks will find a surprisingly accessible and welcoming posture in the 2018, reminding me of the 2014 in terms of its rounded edges but with more concentration and slightly more girth, but certainly a tick behind the 2016’s mega horsepower. But fear not, this 2018 is no slouch nor a simple fruity oak gob.
  
  With a physique built on an entry of round and ripe dark cherry lusciousness, the Falstaff also hits the higher register purple and deep red berry notes that bowl steadily along the palate and make for a complete cadre of mixed berry goodness. Cassis and floral elements pick up the ride midway through, finishing with a richer complement of lavish spice and chocolatey oak. It is both chewy and fresh, with the purity of fruit apparent but partially masked by some of the current wood treatment encompassing the full accompaniment of flavors. The spine is less muscular than I would have anticipated, but it is certainly not without requisite acidity and frame.
  
  Though time in bottle will likely make for a more complex and integrated creature, I’m not personally convinced it necessarily “needs” more time to provide enjoyment for those instant pleasure-seekers who like slaying young Napa wines. 94-96+ points.

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