A full-bodied, structured red with blackcurrant, violet, dark-chocolate and burnt-orange aromas. Walnut husk, too. Such precision and elegance. Firm, smooth tannins and a long finish. Really complex at the end. A stunning wine from Stags Leap District. Drink from 2023.

Score: 100 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, January 2021

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer emerges from Realm’s estate vineyard in Stags Leap. Inky, opulent and full-throttle, the Moonracer captures the personality of this site and vintage so well. Crème de cassis, licorice, spice, menthol, new French oak and lavender all flesh out as this sumptuous, exotic Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its racy curves. The 2018 needs a bit of time to fully come together, but it was only bottled this past June, which is to say later than most of the wines in Realm’s September 2020 release. Patience will be rewarded. For those who can’t wait, the 2018 starts to become approachable about 12 hours after opening. When the remainder of the 2018s are released in early 2021 readers will see a new, small bottling from the very top of the estate made from blocks planted with one of the most important legacy Cabernet Sauvignon clones in Napa Valley. But back to Moonracer. It is a wine that captures so much of what makes the Realm wines special and unique. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.

Score: 97+ Antonio Galloni (AG), Vinous Media (VM), January 2021

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon The Estate-Moonracer is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. It comes exclusively from Realm’s Stags Leap estate. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose opens with pure, vibrant cassis, ripe blackberries and black plums followed by touches of bouquet garni, pencil lead, redcurrant jelly and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and a lively line of freshness supporting the bright, crunchy black and red fruits, finishing with great length and an invigorating lift. Tightly knit and a little restrained right now, I suspect this will warrant a higher score with 3-4 years of bottle age.

The team at Realm seemed to have played it ultra-cautious in 2017. In spite of all the challenges caused by the Labor Day heat wave followed by the October fires that year, they have produced a strong lineup of very impressive wines. Fans should note that no Falstaff, Farella Vineyard or Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc labels were produced in 2017, due to the situation that fruit was still hanging in these key vineyards during the fires. "In 2018, we had a lot of time to pick. We had a lot of time to make the wines," winemaker Benoit Touquette informed me. "Not to get greedy with Mother Nature was the challenge. We didn’t have the huge crops that some people had. We could pick at our leisure. If you did the right viticulture, it was an easy vintage." Indeed, the Realm 2018s have an effortless, carefree purity about them, with all the bright, energetic, crunchy fruit that is a characteristic of this cooler vintage. This is not to say that that these wines do not possess that decadent personality fans have come to love. On the contrary, there is a lot of impactful intensity with these 2018s. Yet they seem to bear a cheery skip in their step, which is going to make you fall in love with this winery all over again.

Score: 94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown (LPB), The Wine Advocate (WA), October 2020

From the estate property around the new winery in Stags Leap, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Moonracer (there are normally small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend) offers a glorious Napa Cabernet nose of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, dried flowers, and chocolate that develops beautifully with time in the glass. It doesn´t lose a beat on the palate either and is full-bodied, with a layered, focused texture, building structure, and a great, great finish. It´s a serious, age-worthy wine that needs 4-5 years of bottle age yet will evolve like a First Growth from Bordeaux.

Score: 98+ Jeb Dunnuck (JD), JebDunnuck.com (JD), August 2020