Realm Cellars Wine Dinner

JP's American Bistro, Minneapolis
Tasted Thursday, July 28, 2005 by Siggy with 804 views

Introduction

Juan Mercado from Realm Cellars stopped by Minneapolis to kick off the first in a series of dinner events showcasing their fantastic Napa wines. The 2003s had just been bottled at the time of this tasting, and were all tight, primal, and delicious. JP Samuelson's New American bistro cuisine perfectly matched the flight of four wines, which had been decanted for approximately six hours before pouring. As my tasting notes indicate, they could easily have used 24 hours or more. The menu highlights for me were JP's rustic pizza with applewood smoked bacon, cashew currant pesto and Pecorino-Romano, followed by an entree of pan-seared hangar steak served on Yukon gold potato puree with caramelized onion and oven-roasted grapes.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2003 Realm Cellars The Tempest 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    76% Merlot / 12% Cabernet Sauvignon / 9% Cabernet Franc / 3% Petit Verdot. Inky purple. Huge extract, very tight and primal. Notes of black licorice and espresso; dense layers of jammy blackberry fruit. Long finish with a wall of tannins.

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  • 2003 Realm Cellars The Bard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    90% Cabernet Sauvignon / 5% Merlot / 5% Petit Verdot. The favorite at our table by a narrow margin, this came off as a little more Bordeaux-styled. Primal purple color, with notes of black licorice, tar, and black fruits. A blast of tannins on the long finish.

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  • 2003 Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Coombsville

    Black pepper and bitter dark chocolate dominate the palate. The finish turned slightly astringent. Needs time to integrate further.

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  • 2003 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    WOTN for me by a narrow margin. Huge, ripe nose of cassis and red raspberry. A touch less primal than the other 2003s, this had a lovely velvety mouthfeel and a thick wall of tannins on the finish.

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