Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Proprietary Red Absurd is, in essence, the owner’s and winemaker Benoit Touquette’s selection of their favorite barrels. This is another three-digit tour de force in winemaking. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and dollops of Merlot and Petit Verdot, all from the Dr. Crane and To Kalon vineyards, it boasts a soaring, majestic set of aromatics consisting of blueberries, baking spices, wet gravel, blackberries and acacia flowers. Full-bodied, opulent and voluptuously textured with sweet tannin and a mindboggling, long finish, this is magnificent stuff! Kudos to the entire Realm Cellars family. This is their finest achievement to date (and I haven’t even tasted their 2013s). Drink now through 2032.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.