Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another perfect wine (but very limited in production at 200 cases) is the 2013 The Absurd, a blend of 17 components dominated by 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Winemaker Benoit Touquette told me that this wine is produced with no rules and no restrictions, and is considered their super-blend of the best they have in any given vintage. (I guess I would look stupid if I didn't give it 100 points, given the fact that two other Realm wines already hit that maximum score.) There is something different in this wine, with an opaque purple color for sure, but then there's the cassis, the blackberries, the roasted meats, some spicy pepper, and then an extravagantly rich, cascading palate that seems to be built like a skyscraper, but without one hard edge. This is a seriously endowed, super-rich, incredibly well-balanced wine that should drink well for 25 or more years.
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James Suckling
A wild wine that is a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors that changes all the time. Amaretto, spices, orange peel, mushrooms, walnuts and stones. Full body, masses of fruit, yet held in form by an impressive buttress of ripe tannins. Remains cool and taunt. Try in 2020 but so great now. A blend of 83% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.
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Wine Spectator
Smoky oak provides the framework, with riveting blackberry, wild berry, black cherry and plum flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030.
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.