Realm’s finest cuvee is the 2003 The Bard, a blend of 90% Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot and Merlot aged in Taransaud or Darnajou barrels. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of mountain fruit, blueberries, white flowers, espresso roast, and cassis. Full-bodied, rich, layered, and multidimensional, with an explosively rich, long finish, I love the winemaking style at Realm as they achieve sweet tannin and an accessible personality in their wines, yet they have the stuffing and structure to age for a decade or more. A new project of Juan Marcado, a former winemaker at Pax, and Mike Heiby, a former assistant winemaker at Behrens and Hitchcock, the Realm wines are produced at a winery on Spring Mountain. Classic Burgundian techniques are used to make these Bordeaux-styled offerings, including a 5-day pre-fermentation cold soak, extended maceration, some lees stirring, minimal racking, 20+ months in 100% new French oak, and no filtration at bottling. Some of the Realm production was stored in the Mare Island wine warehouse, which caught fire last October, but, hopefully, none of these cuvees were in that facility. P.S. Like most high quality newcomers to the California wine scene, this estate demonstrates little modesty with respect to their pricing policy. Distributed by Polaner Selections; Tel. (914) 244-0404