Community Tasting Note

• Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 97 points

  January 16, 2023 - Blind tasting of 19 Realm Dr Crane, 19 Myriad Elysian, 19 Memento Mori Crane and 19 Schrader Heritage. All Crane except for the Schrader. These were double decanted and consumed over a 10 hour period.
  
  Initial impression after about 4 hours of air had Elysian in the lead, followed closely by Memento Mori with Realm next and Schrader last. The Elysian and Realm were the most similar (surprisingly), with both displaying chalky tannins and deep concentration along with the vanilla and oak most typically seen in the Mike Smith wines. The Elysian had a more expressive nose and a longer finish, which gave it the edge. Meanwhile, the MM had excellent acidity and lift, with a stronger tannin profile and slightly less body. The Schrader was most similar to the MM, but had redder fruit, less concentration and while elegant, overall was a bit more forgettable.
  
  By hour 10 things had changed quite a bit. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Realm developed a gorgeous nose, tons of energy and a super long finish, while the Elysian started to recede, shortening up on the finish and not developing with more time. The MM kept integrating and getting better, with a great mix of elegance, energy and sophistication. The Schrader also improved in a similar way to the MM, just with a redder profile and less body, which again made it less interesting to me.
  
  The takeaways here are pretty consistent with my view of these producers/wine makers and the source. The Realm ended up the best of the bunch, but it will hit you with oak, vanilla etc and can come across heavy handed at times. While it's not as over the top of Elysian, and certainly comes with better development than most from this site, you probably don't need to pour it for your French wine loving buddies. I've been buying this wine since 2012 and it has literally never lost a Crane blind, despite running it in about 10 of them over the years.
  
  The Elysian is typical of Mike Smith's style. Hard to ever beat his wines young, as they start amazingly gorgeous and expressive, with pure fruit that is super hedonistic. The downside is in my experience, they top out young, and don't have the complexity or balance to age well. They are a wine to drink in the first few years and think of as dessert in a bottle.
  
  Both the MM and Schrader are elegant, with a style that probably appeals to a larger crowd. They aren't stuffed with massive concentration, but they are more seamless, have less overt vanilla and oak, and display crisper acidity. I prefer the MM, not just because it was Crane vs TK here, but because the profile is darker and I think Sam gets more concentration out of the wine. I'd bet on these aging the best of the bunch.
  
  One thing I will note is I do think especially for Dr. Crane, these are wines to drink young. In my experience, they don't really age super well and once you get past the unreal purity of fruit, the rest becomes less interesting, and you are just getting a sharper wine with less going on.

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7 Comments

• MJP Hou TX commented:

  1/16/23, 1:26 PM - Great write up! I'm wondering where A&B would have fallen had it been in the line up. Is it still as compelling today as it was a year ago? I'll be on the hook for the spend upon release with the hopes it's built for the cellar.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  1/16/23, 2:34 PM - Yeah, I thought about throwing the AB in the mix (also the VV), but a lot of it would've gone to waste. From experience, the AB generally doesn't win these blinds, but it has been more solidly middle of the pack in recent years. I think the 19 edition my be the best one yet, so it should be fun to follow. That said, I really believe what I said about the vineyard (Crane) - it's not a 15+ year source with development, and the best years are early, even if for AB that is a bit longer down the line than Myriad etc.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  1/17/23, 3:28 AM - Thanks Cristal, this is a great review! I agree with your assessment of the Smith wines although it has taken me awhile to get there, I am now trying to get through them while they are still going and fruity. Do you think this Realm ‘19 is really ready to go? I would have thought a couple more years.

• CleverCorkage commented:

  1/17/23, 4:10 AM - Cristal, what would you consider young? Or prime drinking age for Realm Dr Crane?

• Cristal2000 commented:

  1/17/23, 7:26 AM - Hi DQ: I don't think the Realm is ready to go. I'd give in a couple years in bottle. It will develop for a while, it's just not a 15+ year positive trend development in my opinion. I do have a 2012 of it, so I will have to test my own theory.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  1/17/23, 7:29 AM - Hi CC: Young definitely depends on the wine, vineyard and producer for me. In the case of Dr Crane, I think young is in the first 7 years. Now for Elysian, I think you should get to in in the first 3-5 years. I am not saying they will be over the hill completely after 10 years, but I just think they will be less interesting and past their peak for the most part.

• NickRut commented:

  1/22/23, 6:54 AM - I think Crane may be the most hedonistic vineyard in Napa Definitely one of my favorites but you gotta want that style of wine
  
  Thanks for the reviews Cristal. Looks like I’ll be holding on to these for a bit

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