Realm Cellars: Napa’s upstart

The overarching vision at Realm Cellars is to polish itself into the crown jewel of Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District.

Through a ‘passing of the baton’ from Hartwell Estate, this AVA is the place that Realm Cellars now calls home, after 15 years without a winery or vineyards of their own. Despite being the first AVA to be elevated to that status solely due to its myriad soil complexities, it hasn’t garnered attention to the same degree that Oakville or Rutherford have, for example.

Scroll down for Matthew’s tasting notes & scores

It’s no accident that a major moment in the history of winemaking in Napa had a wine from this place at its very core: the gold-medal wine at the Judgment of Paris, Stags’ Leap Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 1973.

A long road

Founded in 2002 by ex-Army medic Juan Mercado, Realm Cellars has faced one trial after another, including losing an entire vintage in a warehouse fire – not to mention the financial logistics of running an upstart winery in the Napa Valley.

The course straightened out in 2011, when Bordeaux-trained Benoit Touquette joined as the new winemaker, and Bill Harlan-protégé Scott Becker took the visionary reins as managing partner. Benoit can claim both Michel Rolland and Andy Erickson as mentors and was instrumental in setting things up for Realm to acquire the keys from Hartwell, where he had made their wine since 2004. Both Scott and Benoit had no shortage of other opportunities, all of which were declined in favour of pouring themselves into something that would truly be their own.

The newly acquired property sits with unique expositions, sandwiched at the base of Wappo Hill right against the Silverado Trail. It looks like the valley floor on a map, but as you stand in front of the winery facing south, three separate exposures surround you: south, north and east-facing – all perfectly situated for cool bay breezes to regulate daytime temperatures.

The resulting wines are ripe and modern in style but stop just shy of going over the top. Realm Cellars ages its wines for 16 months before bottling and is experimenting with a mixture of 225l Bordeaux barrels, 228l Burgundy barrels, and a small percentage of cement tanks.

The mid-14% alcohol levels help maintain a freshness and precision that will reward cellaring, although the wines are certainly enjoyable and generous upon release.

The team at Realm has a lot of balls in the air at the moment. Besides updating their branding and business model, they are running a functioning winery out of what is also currently a construction site, presenting unique challenges.

Their reimagining of a classic property is well underway. Vineyards are being replanted, new cellars excavated and hospitality areas redesigned. While still paying homage to the history of their next-door neighbour and predecessor Hartwell, clearly evident is a forward-thinking nature that strives to move the narrative of the entire Stags Leap District forward.

Realm Cellars: Factbox

Founded 2002 by Juan Mercado

Winemaker Benoit Touquette since 2011

Managing partner Scott Becker since 2011

Annual production Approximately 10,000 cases across 11 wines.

Estate vineyards include:

8ha of Moonracer Estate, Stags Leap District

12ha of Farella Vineyard, Coombsville

7.2ha of Upper Range, Napa Valley

1.2ha of Levensohn, St-Helena

Tasting Realm Cellars’ wines:

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