Juan Mercado stepping away from Realm - new Paso Grenache Venture

News to me - will be a fun one to watch

Juan is stepping back from his day-to-day responsibilities at Realm to start a new wine project in Paso Robles based on Grenache. He will continue to be a partner in Realm and you will inevitably see him during our Practical Dreamer Tour (details and locations coming soon!) later this year. This transition has been both gradual and natural over the last seven years as the team grew and roles evolved.

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Damm. What the heck does that even mean?

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Happy for Juan. Paso is really killing it and a great place to start a new wine brand. Excited to try the wines once the project is up and running…

Eric Jensen of Booker told me this a few months ago, but wouldn’t get into any details. I know Juan is really close with Eric and some of the other Paso winemakers. Very excited about this project, as I really enjoy Paso wines.

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Heard from some people in the know while up in Napa in DEC that this was expected. Also heard this most likely isn’t the last bit of news to be coming out of Realm… #PopcornReady

[popcorn.gif] any hints on that other news?

IMO, i wish the email acknowledged that there was a Realm before 2012 (thanks to Juan) which made great wines. most will say the wines have improved and I would agree. nonetheless, the first line of the email is somewhat misleading.

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Just got on the list last year, but I did pick up a 2007 Falstaff at K&L recently, very polished and balanced. Actually my spring wines just arrived 10 minutes ago.

There’s almost always more to the story when these changes occur.

While they, as a private business, don’t owe anyone transparency and I would be fine if they kept all this private, they champion transparency in their email. Ironically, it doesn’t feel very transparent and we’ll see later in hindsight if that is accurate.

Best of luck to Juan in his new ventures!

thought the wines were pretty stellar when I tasted there back in 2009 with Juan!

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totally agreed. my above post wasn’t meant to draw comparisons to the quality pre/post 2012, but more to acknowledge that Realm has been a badass winery for almost 20 years (mostly due to Juan) and that part seemed to get partially ignored.

Anyone have any info on the Practical Dreamer tour that is referenced?

A good background article on the origins of Realm

‪The story of St. Helena’s Realm Cellars The story of St. Helena’s Realm Cellars via @NapaRegister‬

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Thanks for sharing the article. Interesting indeed. Went to school with MJ Tseng - not sure if she is still there but talented individual as well.

Cheers

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Tickets for the “Practical Dreamer” tour are out. Anyone going in Los Angeles?

Anyone have more detailed info on Practical Dreamers Tour? $200 a person is serious.

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We are excited to visit 7 cities this year to introduce our 2017 wines and share our gratitude for your support. The 2019 Practical Dreamer Tour marks the beginning of many roadshows to come in the years ahead. We are happy to hear your ideas of new cities for 2020 and beyond!

These events will offer you the chance to taste through the portfolio of wines from the 2017 vintage. We will also be pouring a few library selections out of magnum and 3L format. Your ticket price includes heavy appetizers to pair with the wines. This is not a seated event so you may come and go as you please.

The Realm journey over the last several years has taught us to become practical dreamers. We know many of you have your own stories of taking risks and pursuing dreams. With a shared passion for wine and life, we look forward to celebrating the journey with you in the months ahead!

$175 a ticket via Eventbrite

San Francisco
August 6, 2019
Morton’s The Steakhouse
5-8 PM




Los Angeles
August 8, 2019
Mastro’s Steakhouse Beverly Hills
5-8 PM




New York City
August 20, 2019
Mastro’s Steakhouse 6th Avenue
5-8 PM




Chicago
August 22, 2019
Mastro’s Steakhouse
5-8 PM







Houston
October 21, 2019
Post Oak Hotel
5-8 PM




Dallas
October 23, 2019
Oceanaire
5-8 PM




Fort Lauderdale
November 9, 2019
Mastro’s
5-8 PM

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[cheers.gif] I signed up for the NY event - I figured it would be a fun event with great wine and great people

They indicated there would be more roadshows - Looking forward to when they showcase the 2018 vintage next year.

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That sold out pretty darn quick in Chicago.

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