![Realm "The Bard" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Napa Valley, California) - [JD 98] [AG 98][JS 97][RP 96]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/products/realmBardCab14-w-2_{width}x.jpg?v=1614114664)
Realm "The Bard" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Napa Valley, California) - [JD 98] [AG 98][JS 97][RP 96]
Regular price $155.00 Sale price $139.97 Save $15.03
Notes from the Winemaker:
"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. We've made this Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend since 2003, our tribute to the great wines of Bordeaux's Left Bank. We consider The Bard to be the quintessential wine of Realm: a dense, weighty and concentrated wine that year in and year out showcases the very best Cabernet Sauvignon of Napa Valley. Beckstoffer To Kalon and Dr. Crane, Blair Vineyard, Weitz Vineyard, Fortuna Vineyard and Beckstoffer Orchard have all found a place in The Bard. While the composition of the wine varies from year to year, Cabernet Sauvignon typically comprises over 70% of the blend, joined by lesser percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and/or Petit Verdot.
Ratings & Reviews
"The 2018 The Bard is beautiful and certainly in the same realm as the 2015 and 2016, both magical wines. This cuvee reveals a deep purple color followed by a beautiful perfume of creme de cassis, blackberries, roasted coffee, spring flowers, and violets. With incredible richness, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish, this incredible wine offers serious opulence with no sensation of heaviness or weight. It's beautifully done and already complex and nuanced. It will evolve for at least 15+ years. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% each of Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah." - Jeb Dunnuck (8/29/2020)
98 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2018 The Bard is fabulous and also one of the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Realm. Vertical structure, power and explosive energy infuse the 2018 with tremendous character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, licorice and lavender are some of the many notes that run through the 2018. This is the first vintage that includes a dollop of Petite Sirah from Bourn. It is also the first vintage in which a portion of the wine was aged in concrete eggs, which seems to add tension and a palpable sense of vibrancy. The Bard is a blend of 40 different lots, everything from Calistoga to Coombsville, a marriage of elements that works so well. Although none of these wines could be referred to as inexpensive, The Bard is a tremendous relative value within the context of high-end Napa Valley. I loved it. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Petite Sirah." - AG (1/2020)
96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Petite Sirah, the 2018 The Bard comes from 12 different vineyard sources and is composed from 40 separate lots. Deep garnet-purple colored, it soars from the glass with notions of creme de cassis, blueberry pie and plum preserves, giving way to a a wave of clove oil, chocolate box, exotic spices and cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, rich and plush in the mouth, it has loads of spice-spiked black fruit layers, lifted by just enough freshness, going long and mineral-laced on the finish." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (10/8/2020)