Friday, April 3, 2009

Wine Musings Vol#80

Tasted at the most recent Realm Cellars tasting event in NYC. I did not have enough time to spend with each wine so my notes may seem a bit superficial:

Wine of Merit: ***+Realm Cellars, Dr. Crane Vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: Lovely. Typical, perfumed Dr. Crane nose of red fruit, licorice root, spice box and cassis. Some elderflower perhaps. The palate is smooth and well balanced. The new wood and primary and secondary elements well integrated even at this young age. A somewhat noticeable petite verdot element of pine needle and black licorice at the back of the palate, which I am guessing will integrate more as the wine ages. Lovely, fine, furry finish. A very nice, complete rendering of a Napa Valley cabernet.

***+ Realm Cellars, The Tempest, Napa Valley, 2006: Delicious, in fact downright yummy. A blend of mostly merlot, with a significant amount of cabernet sauvignon, a dollop of cab franc and petite verdot. I liked this wine, and would like it even better at a lower price point. Violets, licorice root, a touch of grilled mushroom, plum and black fruit. A touch of herbs. Very good depth and concentration. Voluminous. Good grip and length. Again, if this wine were priced inthe 30s it would be a bang the table buy. Alas, it is in the 60s...

***+ Realm Cellars, ToKalon beckstoffer Vineyard, Napa valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: Also very nice. I am a huge fan of this vineyard and was bowled over by the 2005 Realm offering. I think the 2006, at first blush, may not quite achieve that mark. It is a wine that takes you immediately to the ToKalon vineyard...all Rutherford dust, laser black fruit concentration, a ton of cassis...is that mint? Very nice. The palate loses me a bit...I did not find the grip and concentration of past efforts. A bit one dimensional. Perhaps even a bit juicy. The finish, like the Dr. Crane, seems to suggest some PV. Good, firm finish. A very nice wine all things considered.

**++ Realm Cellars, The Bard, Napa Valley, 2006: Nice. This is similar to the Tempest in its assemblage, with cabernet dominating instead of merlot, though somehow I found this more grapey and round, characteristics I would associate with napa merlot. A delicious if fairly straightforward wine. Lots of chocolate, some briar, big round gushy plum. My least favorite of the night but still a wine that I am sure will get better with age and will be enjoyable for 3 to 5 years from now. Not bad at all!