It’s a rare occasion to taste every vintage of The Bard we have ever produced. Recently, we gathered together our new winegrowing “dream team” to begin a series of tastings that will cover just about every wine we have produced since 2012. These tastings bring together the two additions to our winegrowing leadership team – Chris Cooney and Kelly Fields – alongside Scott and Benoit to discuss our winemaking philosophy, history and evolution. By sharing the dialogue and tasting notes, we invite you to join us in this exploration. Perhaps you will also be inspired to pop a few corks!

A wine of beautiful contradictions

The Bard has always been a wine of beautiful contradictions. It's our most approachable wine, yet simultaneously the most challenging to craft. We approach this wine with the same intention for quality as we do with all the wines in the portfolio. Our goal is to create the best Napa Valley blend that reflects each vintage. Cabernet Sauvignon is always the base, and we complete the picture (and the flavors and textures) with other components such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and even Charbono from time to time. Over the years, the sourcing for The Bard has grown to encompass great vineyards from Coombsville to Calistoga, from valley floor to the hillsides of Napa Valley – painting a complete picture of each vintage in this region.

Reflecting the Realm journey

At Realm Cellars, we've always believed that wine is a living, breathing narrative – and The Bard is perhaps the most eloquent storyteller of the Realm journey. Our recent vertical tasting from 2012 to 2022 was not just a tasting, but an exploration of our winemaking philosophy and the incredible journey we've undertaken over the last decade.

Each vintage tells a unique story of its year, reflecting both the growing season in Napa Valley as well as the evolution of Realm Cellars. In the early years, the backbone of The Bard was from the Blair Vineyard in Calistoga, complemented by fruit from Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Larkmead and other great sites. In 2013, Houyi was added to the blend and Farella was included beginning 2014, well before these become estate vineyards. During this era, the wines made at Chateau Boswell, a shared facility with other wineries.

2015 was a big turning point for Realm Cellars with the acquisition of our first estate vineyard Moonracer. This was the first year fruit from Moonracer became a part of The Bard. Starting in 2016, the wines were made at our own winery where we had much more control over every detail, and it showed in the increasing precision of these wines. As our estate vineyard holdings grew from 2015 to now, we continued to focus on quality in the vineyards so that we can set the bar higher for each vintage. These wines have always had great density and concentration. Over time, we built on this “house style” and worked on adding more precision and freshness. We have always believed, and still believe today, that the best is yet to come.

Drinking guidance

You’ve heard this from us before - when you should enjoy these wines depends greatly on your personal palate. Even all of us around the table didn’t agree on the drinking window for each wine. We aim to make wines that are delicious when they are young and will also age gracefully. All the wines in this lineup still have plenty of fruit left, with only the earliest vintages beginning to show some signs of aging. If that sounds like the right zone for you, we suggest drinking the 2015 first, followed by 2012, 2013, and 2014. Hold on to the rest if you have the patience or open them if you enjoy young wines.

Tasting date: March 25, 2025

2012: Delicious Now
There is still plenty of pleasure in The Bard 2012. Delicious red and black fruit overlaid with notes of baking spices, this wine remains dense and concentrated over a decade later despite showing some signs of aging. It’s delicious now but could hold for another 5+ years.

2013: Concentration and Freshness
This vintage produced a bigger, more concentrated wine, balanced by more freshness than the 2012. We get notes of cherry cola, vanilla, dried herbs and a bit of umami. Structurally this wine feels similar to the 2018 and 2019 vintages. Delicious now but could hold for another decade or more.

2014: Bursting with Energy
Fresh, precise and more chiseled than the 2013. This wine is bursting with bright fruit with great energy on the palate. The finish is just seamless. Delicious now and will continue aging for the foreseeable future. This was the first year we included Farella Vineyard in the blend, which brought freshness in spades.

2015: Pure Decadence
This solar vintage shows itself clearly in the generous and decadent fruit character of this wine. We believe that in a solar vintage where the fruit is the primary driver, the pleasure is in its first decade. So why wait? Enjoy the beauty now.

2016: Simply Stunning
This wine is in a stunning spot. It’s got all the components - gorgeous fruit, density and concentration, balance and structure – all seamlessly integrated. This wine has a notable vibrancy and the polish is next level. Stunning now and will continue to age gracefully for a long time. If drinking now, a little decanting will help to show this wine at its best. This is the first vintage made at our own winery.

2017: Balanced and Bright
This is a lighter-bodied wine but very well balanced. It has a creamy pleasurable entry with bright fruit. Slightly reminiscent of 2015 but with more freshness. This wine will continue to get better with time.

2018: Beautifully Complex
This is a beautiful complex wine with notes of blackberry, plum, and black olive. It is easygoing and enjoyable now but will get even better with time.

2019: The Yum Factor
Super extroverted, this wine has plenty of yum factor. It has something for everyone - dark fruit, fresh herbs, richness and freshness. This wine will age for a long time but it’s hard not to enjoy a bottle now.

2020 Vintage
We did not produce any red wines in 2020.

2021: Explodes on the Palate
This wine comes out swinging. Explosive aromas, bright red fruit and everything in balance, this wine is super extroverted and ready to go. The 2021 vintage gave us a wine with precision and freshness that will age beautifully.

2022: A Study in Harmony
This is a slightly lighter wine that is well proportioned and harmonious with fresh bright red fruit, intriguing hints of floral and exotic spices. It has a long way to go.

To learn more about the label artwork, visit The Bard: Behind the Label, click here.