A full-bodied red with pronounced aromas and flavors of stewed black cherries, plums, blueberries and cassis, as well as cloves, violets and a hint of burnt bark. Dark chocolate and mocha, too. Firm, smooth tannins and rich yet balanced layers of dark fruit and chocolate. Ultra fine tannins. A little dusty. Drink from 2024 and onwards.

Score: 98 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, January 2021

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard is a huge, massive wine. Powerful tannins wrap around a core of blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, spice, licorice and dark spice. This is the most potent, structured wine in this range from Realm. Readers have to be patient. This full-throttle, opulent Cabernet Sauvignon has plenty to offer, but it needs time in bottle to truly shine.

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

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from five different blocks, and was harvested "in multiple picks, at a leisurely pace." Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls sensuously out of the glass with decadent scents of boysenberries, black cherries, redcurrant jelly and blackcurrant pastilles with hints of bouquet garni, black soil and iron ore. Full-bodied, the taut, tightly knit black and red fruit has a firm structure of ripe, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing very long with loads of earth and mineral nuances coming through.

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

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon is beautiful, offering a more backward, reserved expression of this vineyard than usual, although no less impressive. Beautiful crème de cassis, graphite, white chocolate, and floral notes emerge from the glass, and it’s deep, full-bodied, and concentrated, with ample tannins and mid-palate depth. Tight, backward, and closed, yet with incredible purity, hide bottles for 4-5 years and it should keep for 20-30 years. It’s incredibly well done, and I’d be thrilled to have bottles in the cellar.

Score: 98+ Jeb Dunnuck (JD), JebDunnuck.com (JD), January 2021