96pts James Suckling

Very focused, pure and well balanced, showing great poise and freshness for a full-bodied Napa red. This cabernet sauvignon-dominant blend is bold and packed with dark fruit, toasted oak and dark spices. Black cherries, dried blueberries, blackberries, black pepper and chocolate mint. Well concentrated and delicious. 

95pts Decanter

A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Petite Sirah, and 1% Charbono, sourced from top vineyard sites, including Bourn for Petite Sirah, Tofanelli for Charbono, and selections from Upper Range, Moon Racer, Blair (Calistoga), and Farella. This wine delivers Realm's rich, dark fruit signature, with excellent density and concentration, building on the full-bodied palate. Suave, well-integrated tannins frame notes of tobacco and liquid graphite, driving a long, mineral-laced finish. Crunchy dark berry fruit and wild sweet herbs add complexity, promising further refinement with age — a cellar-worthy wine in this vintage.

95pts Jeb Dunnuck

One of the valley's great, great values, the 2022 The Bard is based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Franc, and the rest a mix of varieties. It has a killer nose of bright red and blue fruits intermixed with spring flowers, graphite, baking spices, and incense. This carries to a beautifully balanced, full-bodied red that has a lively, elegant mouthfeel and fine tannins. It competes with wines at 2-3 times its going rate, especially in a vintage like 2022.

94pts Vinous

The 2022 The Bard is packed with dark cherry, plum, mocha, new leather and incense. Medium in body and vibrant. It shows the riper side of the year yet retains terrific balance. There's plenty of immediacy and appeal. This is the largest production wine at Realm, so it naturally includes fruit harvested before, during and after the heat.

Winemaker Notes

Winery Notes

Realm Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most electrifying wine brands with estate vineyards in Stags Leap District, Pritchard Hill and Coombsville. In 2012, owner Scott Becker and his partner, winemaker Benoit Touquette teamed up to revive a nearly bankrupt brand. Since then, Realm has been transformed into one of the most collected wineries in Napa Valley, with a vineyard portfolio that today exemplifies the beauty and longevity of Napa Valley. Making wine at the very highest level is at the core of Realm Cellars. Since 2012, the wines have been awarded more 100-point scores from internationally recognized wine critics than any other producer in Napa Valley.

Formerly the Hartwell Estate, Realm acquired the property in 2015 and began initial construction and development phases of an endeavor that will take decades to realize. In 2022, Realm acquired Nine Suns and Houyi Vineyard in Napa Valley’s famed area, Pritchard Hill. Realm’s portfolio of wines includes estate, single vineyard wines and proprietary blends, unified by a “style” best described as a creative tension between richness and precision, density and finesse, purity of fruit and nuance. In addition to its estate vineyard sites, Realm partners with Napa Valley’s most prestigious and iconic wine growers and vineyard sites, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Beckstoffer To Kalon.