Yeah I want to say no to Dr Crane, and I already have enough in my cellar… but damn, it’s good. I opened a bottle of 2014 on Christmas and it was stunning. I dont have a SQN allocation but I’ve been collecting… so I get it… how much wine does one need at this price point. I’m thinking to myself, do I want more of this or should I buy some “value” Napa cab or even save the $$ for something stupid like Harlan.
The Farella for the W!
And if offered, it’ll be hard to pass on that Realm vs N’uns bottling…
Does anyone remember when reviewers scores / tasting notes usually come out? I’m a little nervous about 2022 in general as I’ve seem comparisons to 2017 which I have generally not liked.
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Never had their farella but have an 18 sitting pretty that i may try to see how it is.
I just had a magnum of the Bard 21 and loved it! I enjoyed the 19’ but the 21’ was so much more drinkable.
I need to go back to it I suppose. I had it at a friends house and it was a pop and pour. It was also on the heels of an 05 La Jota Cab… very different wines. I just got a ton of diacetyl, its was really off putting… Maybe just a bad bottle?
Hi everyone, thanks for the continued support and I appreciate all the chatter.
Tristan, sorry to hear you were disappointed with 21 Bard. I haven’t experienced heavy diacetyl from any bottle I’ve tasted yet but I appreciate your feedback. I’m confident in the chemistry of that wine so maybe it was just an off bottle? Due to the higher volume, it’s the only wine in the portfolio we filter to be absolutely certain it’s stable, balanced and consistent for the long haul. I will say that 21 Bard benefits from some air given its youth. I had a bottle in a decanter overnight the other day and it was better in the morning. I don’t normally do that with our wines but this one is still particularly youthful. Don’t hesitate to email me or call me at the winery if you ever taste something and you’re disappointed – we need to hear that feedback!
There’s also been a subtle evolution of The Bard (and Realm more broadly) over the years. We still like to call our wines “big but light on their feet.” In other words, a balance between richness and freshness. The 12 and 13 vintages placed more emphasis on richness whereas I think the 18, 19, 21 vintages place more emphasis on freshness. 14-17 vintages were a transition of sorts between the two. Of course it’s not as simple as that – Mother Nature dictates a lot of a wine’s personality from one vintage to the next – but this gives you a simple framework to follow. Some of the evolution is attributable to the fact that we have much more “control” today than we did a decade ago – owning vineyards, our own facilities, etc. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of little decisions in the vineyard and cellar that add up to emphasizing one thing over another. I’d like to think the evolution also reflects our palates and constantly learning. I loved the sexiness of 2012 and 13 The Bard upon release. Tasting them today, I think they represent a moment in our journey. Candidly, I think our wines today will age far more gracefully than those early vintages. It’s not to say 12 and 13 Bard are bad, but I don’t think they are as “good” as The Bard from 18, 19 and 21 vintages. But what do I know?!? Some wine critics preferred our 12 and 13 Bard over recent vintages. And the market price for 12 and 13 Bard is far higher than recent vintages (obviously some of that is due to volume and availability). So who’s to judge? Of course in the end it’s up to you to drink what you like! As we seek to build Realm into something enduring, I think ultimately we will judge ourselves by how these wines age and evolve, and that’s why I’m more excited about recent vintages than older ones.
Tom, you’ve been on this journey with us a long time. I remember fondly a nice conversation with you at the Practical Dreamer event back in 2019. I just wanted to say thank you for your support over all these years. Whether you buy or not in this next release, just know we are glad to have you as a part of Realm. I hope we get to share a glass of wine together again someday.
Now, to the release at hand…
We are excited for this one! Let’s get the sensitive pricing discussion out of the way early. No price increase for Fidelio, Precious Twin (compared to La Fe) or the Beckstoffer wines. The last time we released Houyi and Farella (19 vintage) was before we included shipping so it’s not exactly an apples-for-apples comparison. Farella will be released at $225 and Houyi at $295. Realm x Nine Suns price will be the same as Houyi, which is also roughly in line with how the Chang family priced their Cabernet bottling in the past. For Pritchard Hill, I believe this price still represents value. And within the Realm portfolio, I think Farella represents good value among the single vineyard wines we produce. A lot has been written on this board about pricing in Napa Valley, and I truly appreciate hearing so many perspectives and comments. There are a lot of headwinds in Napa Valley these days…this is a topic for another post but, for now, just know I feel a keen sense of responsibility to ensure we try to overdeliver for our members as a way of saying thanks for the loyalty and support.
I’ll jump back in here over the next few days to offer some thoughts on each of the wines and the vintages in this release. Fire away with questions or comments. Thanks again for all the support. We never take that for granted.
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Scott,
I really appreciate your input and involvement with WB.
And surprised you remember that Practical Dreamer event in SF. It was fantastic talking with you and others and enjoying all the great wines.
I love Realm and it is my single largest collection of wines in my cellar.
I will continue to buy The Bard and others here and there.
I’m at that age where I just need to drink more than I buy.
Hope to share a glass as well, and best of luck with this release and all future releases.
Tom
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Hi Scott - Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed response. It’s the kind of thing that makes me want to stay all in on this release.
I’m going to pull a bottle of Bard ‘21 from my locker asap and see if it was a fluke. The bottle I had wasn’t mine, it was at a friends house and he got it through retail channels… could have been improperly stored??
Any idea of the price of the rosé last time out?
My notes say $60
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thanks, will stick with the SB which is probably my favourite in the valley. I know this year it seems to be all from Coombsville vs having some Gamble fruit, interested to hear why the change.
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Nice to hear no price increase on the Beckstoffer wines so I’m still in! Hope to get a shot at the 9 Suns bottling as I discovered that wine right before Realm bought them and liked it.
Starting with the 2022 vintage, we kept the Gamble fruit separate from Farella. Farella goes to Fidelio and we bottled a special edition of The Bard using Gamble’s SB fruit. It’s called The Bard Riverbound Edition - only available through select retail and restaurants. It was partly a way to say thanks to our trade partners (giving them the exclusive on a wine). It was also a way to taste and track the changes we’ve been making in farming at Farella through a pure play single vineyard SB.
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Thanks for the explanation scott. Love the fidelio. My favorite wine in the portfoilio. Glad the price stayed the same!
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Me too, thanks Scott!
Scott, hoping Realm makes it way to south Florida sometime soon! Dying for a wine dinner or anything down here! Can’t wait for the new release!
Thanks Scott for always participating on this forum. Look forward to this release. Especially Fidelio and Beckstoffer.
I saw that they are coming to an event in Miami. I think its at the end of Feb. I swear I had a tab opened on my computer with the details… My wife probably closed it! LOL
I thought they were too, but I can’t find it. Hopefully I can find the info!