2021 Realm Cellars, The Tempest, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)
Price On Request
98JD98DR97LP
Critic key
JD = Jeb DunnuckLP = Lisa Perrotti-BrownDR = Decanter
- Rating
- JD98/DR98/LP97
- Producer
- Realm
- Vintage
- 2021
- Region
- California
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Country
- United States
- Format
- Bottle
- Volume
- 750mL
- ABV
- 14.6
- Type
- Still
- Color
- Red
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Product Description
JD98 "The Merlot-dominated 2021 The Tempest is a ripe, powerful wine with gorgeous blackcurrants, ripe cherries, chocolate, and flowery incense aromas and flavors that just about jump out of the glass. It's rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, and while they've changed the fruit sources here (more focused on the southern part of the appellation), this is still a rich, powerful wine." JD Dec 2023
DR98 "Fresh, alluring, and highly approachable, this wine captivates with its pure red-fruited and eucalyptus-spiced aromatics. The enticing mid-palate richness, perfectly softened and creamy from the Merlot, carries through to a long, nuanced finish. Fashionably sweet and supple fruits of fleshy black cherry, black plum, and boysenberry are underscored by fine-grained tannins. Pops of brown sugar, intermixed with dark chocolate and mint, round out this dazzling and delicious red." JC for DR Feb 2023
LP97 "Made mainly from Merlot, the 2021 The Tempest was sourced from Farella Vineyard, Oak Knoll, and a bit from Houyi Vineyard. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with notes of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of rose oil, Chinese five spice, and cardamom. The full-bodied palate has seamless freshness and an alluring graininess to the texture, offsetting the juicy black and blue fruit, finishing with a burst of spices." LPB for TWI Sep 2024
Chris Kissack for The Wine Independent writes, “We wanted to keep the Merlot fresh and crunchy,” commented Benoit. “This 2021 is crisper and more chiseled. We brought fruit from Oak Knoll and Coombsville for this, and we eliminated Calistoga and Oakville.”
"We’re willing to pay more for good Merlot," said Scott. "It will be interesting to see the reaction to this departure." I love it. This new-styled 2021 Tempest is a shimmery, beautifully defined, and solidly built triumph from a region that often struggles to produce exciting Merlot.
With the 2021 vintage image change, Realm is presenting a bright, modern new label for The Tempest, created by the UK artist Richard Twose. This year’s blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec." Published: Sep 07, 2023
DR98 "Fresh, alluring, and highly approachable, this wine captivates with its pure red-fruited and eucalyptus-spiced aromatics. The enticing mid-palate richness, perfectly softened and creamy from the Merlot, carries through to a long, nuanced finish. Fashionably sweet and supple fruits of fleshy black cherry, black plum, and boysenberry are underscored by fine-grained tannins. Pops of brown sugar, intermixed with dark chocolate and mint, round out this dazzling and delicious red." JC for DR Feb 2023
LP97 "Made mainly from Merlot, the 2021 The Tempest was sourced from Farella Vineyard, Oak Knoll, and a bit from Houyi Vineyard. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with notes of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of rose oil, Chinese five spice, and cardamom. The full-bodied palate has seamless freshness and an alluring graininess to the texture, offsetting the juicy black and blue fruit, finishing with a burst of spices." LPB for TWI Sep 2024
Chris Kissack for The Wine Independent writes, “We wanted to keep the Merlot fresh and crunchy,” commented Benoit. “This 2021 is crisper and more chiseled. We brought fruit from Oak Knoll and Coombsville for this, and we eliminated Calistoga and Oakville.”
"We’re willing to pay more for good Merlot," said Scott. "It will be interesting to see the reaction to this departure." I love it. This new-styled 2021 Tempest is a shimmery, beautifully defined, and solidly built triumph from a region that often struggles to produce exciting Merlot.
With the 2021 vintage image change, Realm is presenting a bright, modern new label for The Tempest, created by the UK artist Richard Twose. This year’s blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec." Published: Sep 07, 2023