I love the aromas of crush grapes with flowers and graphite. Moss and bark. Ink quill. Full bodied with chewy tannins that are velvety and dense but it still remains agile and energetic. Lead pencil at the end. Very cabernet. 2% merlot. Drink in 2026.

Score: 97 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, February 2022

Moonracer comes exclusively from Realm’s Stags Leap estate vineyard, completely farmed by the Realm team. The blend this year is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer needs a little swirling to begin to reveal a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, boysenberries and blueberry pie with wafts of red and black currant jelly, spice cake and camphor, plus a touch of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has captivating elegance and expression with plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory.

“2019 was a great vintage, following 2018,” said Realm’s winemaker, Benoit Touquette. “A bit like 2012 and 2013. 2019 is more fleshy and expressive at this stage than 2018. It has the flesh and the body of 2013, with nice ripe phenolics. I love the acidity and texture, matched by the aromatics. Also, 2019 was a consistent crop—straightforward to work with. We racked a lot less this year, to keep that energy and freshness,” he explained “Tempest and Bard are our gateway to new consumers,” proprietor Scott Becker added. “The Bard accounts for nearly half of our entire production volume. With The Tempest, we really want to promote Merlot. You really need the Merlot mindset, to be focused on how to make great Merlot.” 2019 is clearly a vintage that plays to Realm’s vineyard and visionary strengths. This is a strong lineup of new releases with a lineup of wines that are sure to excite loyal fans and will likely turn a few new heads along the way. 2020 is, however, another story. 2020 was the year of not just one but two significant fire episodes, rendering most Napa Valley grapes potentially smoke tainted. After considerable monitoring and careful consideration, Realm took the difficult decision not to bottle any 2020 wines for public release except a rosé—La Fe—produced from an early harvest of Merlot coming from Farella vineyard in Coombsville.

Score: 97+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown (LPB), The Wine Advocate (WA), September 2021

From the Realm Estate in Stags Leap, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer is an elegant, sophisticated Cabernet that shows the nuanced side of Stags Leap in its red-toned fruit profile, floral aromatics and mid-weight structure. I would give the 2019 at least a few years in the bottle. There is a certain approachability to the 2019, but ultimately I think that might be a bit deceptive relative to the wine´s ultimate potential.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni (AG), The Wine Advocate (WA), January 2021

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Moonracer comes from south-facing blocks on the estate in Stags Leap and is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. The tannins here are a step up, and this beauty boasts a gorgeous nose of red and black fruits, tobacco leaf, violets, and spice. It’s a more elegant, medium to full-bodied, seamless wine, accurately described as an iron fist in a velvet glove by winemaker Benoit Touquette. The balance is spot on, and it has plenty of up-front appeal, yet it’s going to evolve gracefully for 20-25 years with no issues.

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