Realm Cellars The Bard 2017
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
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Winemaker Notes
We’ve made this Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend since 2003, our tribute to the great wines of Bordeaux’s Left Bank. We consider The Bard to be the quintessential wine of Realm: a dense, weighty and concentrated wine that year in and year out showcases the very best Cabernet Sauvignon of Napa Valley. Beckstoffer To Kalon and Dr. Crane, Blair Vineyard, Weitz Vineyard, Fortuna Vineyard and Beckstoffer Orchard have all found a place in The Bard. While the composition of the wine varies from year to year, Cabernet Sauvignon typically comprises over 70% of the blend, joined by lesser percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and/or Petit Verdot.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon (87%) and a small amount of Merlot (13%), the 2017 The Bard is another ripe, sexy wine that has more sweetness of fruit than most in the vintage. Black cherries, blackberries, scorched earth, graphite, and some violets notes all dominate the nose, and it's beautifully textured and balanced on the palate. It’s beautiful today yet has 15-20 years of prime drinking ahead of it.
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James Suckling
This is tight and focused with firm, lightly dusty tannins. Blueberries and blackcurrants. Violets as well. Tannic and chewy finish. Vertical line of tannins running through it. Drink after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 21 different lots from 11 different vineyards, the 2017 The Bard is composed of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts out of the glass with blackcurrant cordial, warm plums, redcurrant jelly and chocolate-covered cherries notes, leading to a minty undercurrent with a waft of cinnamon. Medium to full-bodied, soft-textured and refreshing, it delivers a good core of black fruit on the palate, finishing wonderfully spicy. Rating: 93+
Other Vintages
2021-
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
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Suckling
James
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert
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Parker
Robert
Realm Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most electrifying wine brands with estate vineyards in Stags Leap District, Pritchard Hill and Coombsville. In 2012, owner Scott Becker and his partner, winemaker Benoit Touquette teamed up to revive a nearly bankrupt brand. Since then, Realm has been transformed into one of the most collected wineries in Napa Valley, with a vineyard portfolio that today exemplifies the beauty and longevity of Napa Valley. Making wine at the very highest level is at the core of Realm Cellars. Since 2012, the wines have been awarded more 100-point scores from internationally recognized wine critics than any other producer in Napa Valley.
Formerly the Hartwell Estate, Realm acquired the property in 2015 and began initial construction and development phases of an endeavor that will take decades to realize. In 2022, Realm acquired Nine Suns and Houyi Vineyard in Napa Valley’s famed area, Pritchard Hill. Realm’s portfolio of wines includes estate, single vineyard wines and proprietary blends, unified by a “style” best described as a creative tension between richness and precision, density and finesse, purity of fruit and nuance. In addition to its estate vineyard sites, Realm partners with Napa Valley’s most prestigious and iconic wine growers and vineyard sites, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Beckstoffer To Kalon.
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.