2018 Realm Cellars Estate Moonracer Napa Valley Red Wine California Red

2018 Realm Cellars Estate Moonracer Napa Valley Red Wine

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Featured Review

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. James Suckling

James Suckling | 100 JS

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.

Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JD

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.

Vinous Media | 97+ VM

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.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

Type of Wine	California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal	Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country	US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region	California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.