2018 Realm Cellars The Bard Proprietary Red Blend | Napa Valley California 750ml

'This blessed plot, this earth, this realm...' Immortal lines from William Shakespeare's King Richard III, the source of Realm's - and the wine's - name. 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. | Realm Cellars

...beautiful and certainly in the same realm as the 2015 and 2016, both magical wines. This cuvee reveals a deep purple color followed by a beautiful perfume of creme de cassis, blackberries, roasted coffee, spring flowers, and violets. With incredible richness, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish, this incredible wine offers serious opulence with no sensation of heaviness or weight. It's beautifully done and already complex and nuanced. It will evolve for at least 15+ years. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 2% each of Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. | 98 points, Jeb Dunnuck for jebdunnuck.com