2019 | Realm Cellars | Hartwell XX

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX has an irresistibly fragrant nose, opening out to reveal notes of lilacs, Indian spices and fragrant soil over a core of blackcurrant jelly, boysenberries and licorice with a hint of beef drippings. The palate is a big, rich, full-bodied behemoth, with the most gorgeous velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and opulent.

Reviews:

• Vinous: The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX emerges from two blocks on the original Hartwell property planted with the famous Grace clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. A dazzling wine, the XX may very well be the single most moving, expressive Cabernet I have ever tasted from Realm. In the glass, the XX is seamless, with layers of fruit that build effortlessly over time. The 2019 is not a big or opulent wine, but rather a Cabernet of total finesse. I loved it.

• Jeb Dunnuck: The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX is another Stags Leap estate release coming from a slightly higher elevation block and older, heritage clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. Built for the long haul, it boasts pure blue fruits, cassis, gravelly earth, and violet nuances, and comes across as a classic Saint-Julien from a great vintage. Deep, concentrated, flawlessly balanced, and as seamless as they come, give it 3-4 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades or more.

Producer Information

Realm Cellars is a Napa Valley producer with a winery and estate vineyards in Stags Leap District. The operation is known for its powerful Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from premium vineyards, and is quickly becoming one of Napa's cult producers. There is a devoted mailing list following, and much of the wine is sold directly to members, or to restaurants. The business was founded in 2002 by Juan Mercado and Wendell Laidley as a virtual winery, using five tons of fruit from each of Beckstoffer To Kalon and Dominus Estate's Napanook vineyards. Other vineyards such as Beckstoffer Dr Crane and Farella were added as sources in following years. The wines were initially made at Sherwin Family Vineyards on Spring Mountain. Vinification later moved to Chateau Boswell near St Helena. Current majority owner Scott Becker is a US Air Force veteran and Harvard MBA, who previously worked at Cakebread Cellars (Jack Cakebread also had ties to the Air Force) and Harlan Estate. Becker took over in 2011 with Bordeaux-trained winemaker and part-owner Benoit Touquette, saving the estate from bankruptcy. Winemaking from the 2012 vintage placed extra emphasis on longer-term aging potential and freshness over fruit-forward characters. The wines continue to garner higher acclaim and are hard to find on retail shelves. Realm now also owns its own vineyard, after acquiring Hartwell Estate Vineyards in Stags Leap District in late 2015. From the 2016 vintage, the wines have been made at the former Hartwell winery. Today, half the production is evenly split between single-vineyard wines and propietary blends from sites all over Napa. An important expansion to the vineyard portfolio came in 2018 via a partnership with the Farella family in Coombsville. Realm took over the management of the 30-acre (12-hectare) Farella vineyard in 2018, retaining some fruit for their own wines, some for Tom Farella's family label, and selling some to other wineries. Then in 2020 Realm added a further two adjacent parcels to their estate holding. These extra 5 acres (2ha) had been part of the original Hartwell property, and are earmarked for a future "Hartwell Vineyard" bottling. The estate-grown wine is called Moonracer, and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Its name is a tribute to the Wappo Indian tribe, who held a series of nocturnal Moon Races, and whose legends gave Stags Leap its name. The first vintage of this wine was the 2014, released in 2017. More generally, wines at Realm follow a Shakespearean theme and every bottle features this quote from King Richard II: "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm…" While the Beckstoffer To Kalon and Dr Crane Cabernets are still key offerings, "The Bard" is the highest production wine – a pan-Napa Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend. "The Absurd" is a selection of the best barrels from across the portfolio, and only amounts to a few hundred cases.

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