Realm Cellars Fall Release

First time through the Realm release. What is the going rate for the wines (Tempest, Falstaff, Bard, Absurd) in that release?

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If I remember correctly, the Fall 2018 release prices were:

2016 Tempest - $95
2016 Bard - $110
2016 Falstaff - $150
2015 Absurd - $425 (not 100% sure on this one since I didn’t end up buying)

I think someone posted on here that they didn’t make a Falstaff this year.

Correct. Benoit said no 2017 Falstaff because of the fires.

I look forward to this. However, I would be shocked if they prices aren’t higher. I expect to pay more than last year.

I’ll definitely pick-up some Bard, but might be priced out on Absurd this year. This Napaflation is getting OOC.

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I could never get there on the absurd. Hopefully bard hasn’t gone up by more than $5-10 per bottle. I believe they’ve significantly increased its production.

Has anyone tasted the 2017s yet? I recently had a 2016 Bard that was killer. I’m hoping the 17s are in the same league.

2017’s in the same league as 2016’s? I rather doubt it!

And why was fruit still hanging when the fires :fire: erupted?

I’ll take all the absurd you guys pass on. Please and god bless.

I got a splash of the 2017 Dr. Crane a couple months ago from barrel, it was ridiculously good and no signs of faults. I took some “new-to-wine” friends with me and they too thought it was incredible. What was hilarious was the perplexed look on some of their faces when told they couldn’t purchase it and there was no telling when new mailing list members could get an offer, lol. Btw, we also tried the 2016 Bard and the Dr. Crane was on another level (maybe two).

Chris, are you saying their 2017s may have a smoke issue?

I went to the dreamer tour, and tasted all of the '17s. To Kalon, Dr. Crane and Bard were amazing. I kept going back to To Kalon and Dr. Crane, honestly will be buying anything I can get my hands on. I don’t know who is spreading any rumors the wines have smoke taint needs to go and taste them.

I also attended the dreamer tour and found the the '17 Tempest and '17 Moonracer approachable and very enjoyable now … appreciated the others, but kept going back to those two. No doubt the others will be excellent given more time.

If you don’t mind me asking, how was the 2016 Absurd showing at the tour?

Any fruit that was still on the vine wouldn’t have been used to make wine. I’ve tasted multiple 17 Napa cabs now and there’s no smoke taint. A couple wineries have said no 17’ vintages will be made from specific vineyards that still had fruit hanging.

I hope the wineries address the fires with their release notes so people know when the fruit was picked and there is no controversy. The 17s I’ve tasted have been good and I will be purchasing.

Here is some info from Realm:

We are pleased to announce our Fall Offering will commence on Thursday, September 5 at 10:00AM Pacific Standard Time. This offer will include the 2017 vintage of our Proprietary Blend wines and 2016 The Absurd.

You will receive an email on the morning of September 5 with a link to your personal allocation. Your allocation will be guaranteed for a period of nine days. You will have until Friday, September 13 at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time to place your order. Allocations are based on production volumes as well as your tenure and purchase history. For some wines, you will have the possibility to wish for additional quantities beyond your allocated amount. We will do our very best to grant as many wishes as possible. We will confirm the status of granted wishes by Friday, September 20.

We encourage you to update your account information with current shipping and billing information in advance of the offering.


You must learn to be still in the midst of activity. And to be vibrantly alive in repose.
– INDIRA GANDHI


The crucible of the 2017 harvest made it difficult at times to know when to be still and when to be vibrantly alive. The fires added chaos and uncertainty to an already challenging harvest. And yet, we seem to thrive in these circumstances. Benoit would tell you one of the most challenging but also rewarding weeks we’ve had at Realm was the week we slept on the floor at the winery, operated on generator power, ate leftover frozen food, took turns on night watch to make sure the fire didn’t cross the Silverado Trail, worked on fermentations and punch downs and pump overs without any interns, navigated around roadblocks to pick and deliver fruit…in short, we tried to be at our best when Mother Nature was at her worst.

The fires unfortunately impacted many people throughout Napa and Sonoma but thankfully they did not impact our wines. Fruit harvested post-fire was ultimately declassified so none of it was used in our final wines. Therefore, we did not bottle a few wines in 2017 – Falstaff, Farella Vineyard, Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc.

The wines we did bottle showcase a purity and freshness of fruit that seems to be a hallmark of the vintage. The wines have nerve and vibrancy which is highlighted in both The Tempest and The Bard. We were particularly focused on gentle extractions and cooler fermentations in response to the heat spell over Labor Day. There’s no denying the difficulty of 2017 and yet we think we’ve produced some of our best wines yet. Don’t be surprised if you enjoy some of these wines more than others in recent vintages!

We hope you find these wines as vibrantly alive as we were during the harvest of 2017. Thanks as always for being a part of this journey with us!

Based on previous purchases and tasting the 2017s (and 2016 Absurd) at the Practical Dreamers event, I will be buying again (Tempest and Bard), but will need to think long and hard about the Absurd, which I started buying with the 2005 vintage.

I agree with others who have tasted the 2017s that the wines are drinking well now, and for me, probably early drinkers for this vintage.

@Frank, for me the 2016 Absurd was just too early to drink and I don’t have any reference points, as I have never drank an Absurd this young. It definitely is a big wine though, guessing similar to what other Absurds may have tasted early.

Trying this again (didn’t seem to post)…also attended “dream” tour in NYC
The Tempest and Moonracer were most approachable and both quite enjoyable. The Dr. Crane was really impressive and seemed like it would turn out to be the best wine from 2017. Unlike others, did not enjoy the To Kalon (finish just kind of died).

The 2016 Absurd didn’t do it for me. Maybe just tight and in a dumb phase.

Oh, someone will make wine out of the fruit that is smoke tainted, bet on it. Probably sold off to make lesser wines

This offering is only for the blends (including Absurd), so people still have some time to decide on the SVDs offered in February.

Dr. Crane is a yearly buy for me. Such a fantastic wine, and even though the price is creeping up, I still think the “value” is there among the high-end CA cabs.