I have not hung around the guys at Realm in a while. I heard they had new digs in St Helena, just a few hundred feet from where they use to be, so went by to say hello. Spent about 4 hours there trying various wines and talking shop.
In case many of you do not know, Wendell Laidley is no longer an owner of Realm and there are a few new people in the mix, one of whom is Michael Browne, as an investor. Yeah, that Michael Browne. It should be said though that Michael is not involved in day to day operations, that is still Juan Mercado running the show. Benoit Toquette is the winemaker, and the 2011s are the first vintage where he made them top to bottom. Michel Rolland has been consulting for two vintages.
Also, at their new location, they have a sweet tasting salon and they have added to staff. It no longer feels like a 2-person show! All this, without adding to wine volume production. To me, THAT is the real sign they are serious. It is very clear to me that Ream is entering a new phase where they plan to turn over any stone to improve quality. All their fruit is now being picked in FYBs (actually, they are red), they are tweaking their branding in a very cool way (can’t say how yet, but it will be noticeable in a year), they are re-doing their website as we speak, and have added a few new vineyards in the last year (Pritchard Hill for example) while pulling back or dropping a few other vineyards (don’t worry, they still have Crane and ToKalon.) It looks like they are going to position themselves as a potential blue chip at the $75-175 level and now have the funding to do so without compromise.
I tasted all their 2011s and did not take detailed notes, but have clear impressions and a few favorites.
First, I sense just a touch more structure with Benoit as winemaker than under Mike Hirby, who is a really under-regarded winemaker btw, with more dense-ness and a little less up front fruitiness. It is hard to nail this all down with just one vintage, especially in 2011, but that is my sense. The wines are extremely smooth. Benoit has hit the ground running there.
Second, their 2011s are really, really good. I sensed no green-ness in any of their wines, and only a slight herbaceous streak in their Falstaff, the Franc dominated blend, that was actually pleasant. The fact they did so well in 2011 bodes really well for their future. You will see who really owns the future in high-end Cab in Napa by how the 11s turned out, because unless you dropped fruit, were willing to lose fruit to mold to allow the rest to fully ripen, and sold off a good dose of the final product in bulk that was not up to par, you did not do too well in 2011.
One wine that jumped out at me was the 2011 Tempest. Made of 68% Merlot, this tasted like a true Merlot and a really juice one at that. Sourced from a Beckstoffer vineyard in Oak Knoll, it has red cherry flavors and tannin that gains on the end. Really round, this is my favorite Tempest since the 2007. A pleasure, I would drink it now and over the next 7 years, easy. Should be about $75 when it comes out and to me that seems like a really good price for what you are getting. I seriously doubt many Merlot-based wines can hang with this one, especially in 2011.
If you like Franc, the Falstaff, from Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga, across the street from Araujo, is a blue-fruit driven, structured wine of real class. I prefer the Tempest now, but think in 5 years the Falstaff might surpass it. To have the Tempest side by side with the Falstaff is really interesting. $85.
Of the SVDs, I was shocked at how good the Farella was. I figured that in 2011, it would have struggled to ripen, but instead it is a beauty of black fruit and structure. Every few years the Farella is my favorite of the Realm SVDs, even over ToKalon, and at this young stage (they were only bottled recently) this was my winner. A real coup for Coombsville in a year like 2011. Keep an eye out for it in several months when they release it.
There is one small production wine I had that merits some serious attention, and that is their 2010 Sauv Blanc. Yep, 2010. Juan pulled it out just for fun. It was a killer! It reminded me of a slightly less structured Arkenstone, which is my favorite SB in Napa. It had no new oak on it, but you would think from the mouthfeel that it did. It is in a perfect drinking stage right now. Juan has ten cases, and although it is $50, I think it is probably worth it. I had the 10SB two years ago and liked it then, but it has done something rare in Napa for SB, gotten better with a little age. I would drink it over the next year. If you want any of the 10SB, just write Juan directly or via the website.
Overall, Realm looks ready to move to the next stage. I am jealous! Keep an eye out for them moving forward and keep em in mind to visit their new salon in St Helena to see for yourself when you come to the valley.