2018 realm cellars, moonracer, napa valley
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Why We're Buying
Realm Cellars walks a fine line between science and art, practicality and ambition, and intellect and instinct. Perhaps no wine embodies that versatility like Moonracer, an estate-grown blend of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and merlot. The name is a tribute to the Wappo tribe that once settled Stags Leap and held Moon Races. Currently, Moonracer retails for more than $350 per bottle.
Critics Scores
Jeb Dunnuck
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. Rating: 98+
James Suckling
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.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon The Estate-Moonracer is a blend of 85 Cabernet Sauvignon, 6 Cabernet Franc, 6 Merlot and 3 Petit Verdot. It comes exclusively from Realm’s Stags Leap estate. Deep garnet-purple colored, it strides confidently out of the glass with a profound nose of blackberry pie, boysenberries, crème de cassis and exotic spices plus lots of earthy undertones and a suggestions of iron ore. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with black fruit preserves and minerally sparks, supported by firm, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and savory. There's quite a lot of structure here and a lot of muscular fruit—it should easily cellar for 25 years or more.