2018 Realm Cellars The Bard Proprietary Blend

The complexity of 2018 The Bard is unparalleled, not only in its fruit sources but in the way it’s put together and how it sits in the glass and on the palate. With fruit, acid, and tannins are woven together seamlessly, this is the most complete example of The Bard Realm has ever made. With so many different dimensions coming together in harmony, there is more than meets the eye with this wine along with something for everyone. Quite simply, this is the best The Bard Realm has produced.

Making wine at the very highest level is at the core of Realm Cellars. Since 2012, the wines have been awarded more 100-point scores from internationally recognized wine critics than any other producer. The wines are equal parts an expression of the land and an articulation of the winemaking craft. The “style” of Realm can best be described as a creative tension between richness and precision, density and finesse, purity of fruit, and nuance. In other words: A giant who is light on his feet. Always looking ahead, this dynamic team is continuing its quest to earn an enduring place among the icons of the wine world.

Realm is one of the most sought-after producers in the Napa Valley. With less than two decades of wine production behind this label, it is truly amazing how much demand that has been created for these wines. The Bard is, as Realm describes, the quintessential wine of the estate. Cabernet is sourced from top vineyard sights throughout the valley and blended with small quantities of other Bordeaux varieties, and for the first time in 2018, just a splash of Petite Sirah. The result is a dense, almost hedonistic, wine with a seemingly endless finish. 

"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm..." Immortal lines from William Shakespeare’s King Richard II, the source of Realm’s – and this wine’s – name. This is a lot to live up to, Realm certainly doesn't fall short of the mark with this flagship wine. 

Realm enjoys the perks of a winery of a certain status, their wines sit on lists of three Michelin starred restaurants. They sell the vast majority of their wine to their mailing list and can do so within hours of release. When you taste the wines, it is no wonder, they can produce a wine that will seemingly age for a century, all the while tasting beautiful every single day along the way.