Realm Save the Date - 3rd Feb

Thanks, yup I’m on the fence still and considering the exact same thing (i.e. getting another TKO and Dr. C instead). I think if the estate 3 pack was more like $350-$400 it would be an easy buy.

Thanks Scott. As a relatively new Realm member it’s so awesome to have access to these top end, incredible wines. Appreciate you posting here and sharing information as well. Will be participating again next year!

This was a wonderful idea and a great idea to sell a few more bottles. Hopefully, this continues in the future, as I was able to add a Cab Franc bottle to my order, which I really appreciate.

1 Like

Thanks Scott, and thanks for engaging here. Its a great additional way to connect with Realm and truly love hearing your insights on each release.

PS - excited for the Heavenly Questions wish grant and gladly take the partial one bottle fulfillment to get to try this one!

Has anyone here done the Realm x La Conseillante experience, or tried the Oceans Crossing? Unfortunate it is coming to an end as I really like LC as well, but can’t make any of the remaining dates. Any chance leftover bottles are available to members?

1 Like

Did this experience last year. Super fun. Awesome side project.

2 Likes

What did you think about the Oceans Crossing wine? Very curious about the Pomerol-Napa mashup

1 Like

I thought the wine was great. The experience is a major part of that though. Its really cool to taste both wines and then see what they are like when you blend them together. Not sure of any other experience like it in the valley. Keep in mind that nothing about the project is “efficient”. So don’t compare the wine to the rest of the Realm SVD portfolio. You definitely pay for the novelty and absurdity of the concept. If you are really looking for objective terms, I prefer other Realm bottles at lower prices. However, I would absolutely pay the price for the experience again (they crushed it) and I think that is what Realm was trying to achieve.

3 Likes

Thanks for your response, totally agree the idea of the tasting and comparison of all 3 seems to be the coolest part. Hopefully they will consider another similar collab in the future!

Never tried Realm but I really want to!

The Realm tasting at Houyi showcasing the La Conseillante was exceptional.

I was able to go last September and my partner and I were hosted by Ryan. It felt like a once in a lifetime experience. Great wine, amazing venue, and wonderful conversation.

I highly recommend any tasting that Realm offers as we went to Realm North (Calistoga) on the same trip. We were hosted by Nick and it also was a special experience.

If you get in touch with Realm I bet they would be pleased to get a bottle or more of the Ocean Crossing in your hands.

1 Like

Mike, apologies for the delayed reply. Appreciate your thoughts on half bottles. I’m not sure we have enough history yet with half bottles to offer fully formed thoughts on how exactly they compare to 750’s. I’m expecting them to evolve faster as you would imagine. We’ve also released 2023 The Bard with 6 extra months of bottle age (moving from fall to spring release) so that should also ensure the wine is more approachable and ready to drink once you receive it. Will be curious to hear your thoughts once you pull a cork!

1 Like

Completely agree. If I recall they were only offering the wine at the tasting experience, which makes a lot of sense IMO. For the money, I’d certainly rather have a BTK or Houyi Cab, and would have probably not appreciated the bottle standalone had I just ordered as part of a seasonal release. It would almost need to be sold as a 3 pack with a bottle of Conseillante included to achieve its goal. I ended up buying 2 bottles after the tasting out of pure amusement and to keep the experience going - I am curious how they age over the next 5-10 years. Fantastic experience on-site.

Definitely not a cheap bottle - not as expensive as the Absurd!

As I won’t be able to make it to Napa, I’m curious what they were selling the bottle for at the tasting. I’m really bummed out I won’t be able to make it.

Sheepishly I admit - 525. Only the Absurd is more expensive AFAIK. Hartwell XX is pricey also but I did recently have a '21 and it was very very good.

Well, at least you got to taste it. As a long time member, I missed out on my complimentary tasting. Sigh. :cry:

Just bought a bottle - haven’t tasted it.

1 Like

Hi everyone, thanks for the chatter around the Realm x La Conseillante bottling. It’s been fun to watch/taste how that wine has evolved since initially blending the components into tank. We only did four barrels so we’ve been limiting it to a bottle or two per customer during estate visits. I think the wine really challenges the palate to try to tease out the influences from Pomerol vs. Pritchard Hill. My main concern was that we create something substantive and unique - not a gimmick. I have enormous respect for the LC team and the way they approach their craft. If we were going to offer it, it needed to be distinct…and I think we’ve accomplished that. We are talking about potentially trying it again with the 2025 vintage so stay tuned. Now that we’ve worked through some of the mechanics and nuances, we might try to bottle something with a bit more quantity so we could share it more widely. Let’s see.

As our release comes to a close, I thought I’d take a moment to share a few thoughts based on conversations with members over the past month. We heard some good feedback on the extended release window so I think that’s something we may continue. In general, my sense is that we need to evolve our offerings to meet customers where they are. For the smaller production wines, the release format may still work fine. But for wines like The Bard, and even our estate wines, having them more accessible on a year-round basis seems more customer-friendly. Half bottles have been a big hit and we can look at bottling some Fidelio in that format. I’m seeing increased interest and demand for white wines like Fidelio in restaurants. I heard some constructive feedback from members about the difficulty of getting into certain events or attending an estate visit - thank you!. We are working on expanding visits to Houyi later this year and I’m excited to unveil that soon. We sold more bottles of The Bard in this release than ever before - that’s the ultimate feedback. I suppose part of it could be the 2023 vintage but I’d like to think the small price reduction played a role too. I’m excited to hear your feedback on 2023 The Bard…after tasting it more and more, I think it might be one of the best we’ve bottled. I’ve tasted it multiple times now next to 2016 and it’s a fascinating comparison. We will be sending out a spring Realm X email with new events and activities in the next month or so. Thanks again to everyone for being such a meaningful part of the Realm journey! The team and I look forward to sharing a glass with many of you either in Napa Valley or somewhere on the road… :wine_glass: :folded_hands:

15 Likes

I would love to see the Tempest available in 375ml 3-packs, if there’s ever thought of expanding offerings in that format.