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The March 2019 Internet-Only Auction Part 2

Auction # 544 | View Auction Schedule and Details
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Auction Ends: 3/14/2019 6:00:00 PM PDT

Lot #353. Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard 2012

Description: Consists of 1 Bottle, 0.75L
Score: 96+ RP.
"The single-vineyard 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Farella Vineyard comes from a hillside, cool-climate site in the Coombsville AVA in the eastern Vaca Mountains. In the past, much of this fruit went into early vintages of Opus One. This is a tannic, opulent, backward, primary effort displaying an inky/purple color along with notes of incense, camphor, toast and abundant black fruits. Full-bodied, dramatic, slightly tannic and structured, this masculine-styled 2012 will benefit from several years in the cellar, and should drink well for two decades. A true first-growth vineyard is the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, which is located in the heart of St. Helena just off Route 29. The vineyard is planted primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon and two small parcels of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. For whatever reason, anyone who gets fruit off this vineyard tends to make wines that hit every sweet spot on the palate. ealm Cellars boasts an impressive team of highly motivated men and women led by Juan Mercado and winemaker Benoit Touquette. The consulting winemaker is Michel Rolland. Realm accesses some outstanding vineyard sources, particularly those owned by the omnipresent, bigger-than-life force of Napa Valley, Andy Beckstoffer. Fate was not kind to Realm in the beginning with their first vintage, 2003, completely destroyed by a fire in a Vallejo warehouse where it was being stored. But Juan Mercado, a former medic in the first Gulf war, and someone who learned his trade from the likes of Thomas Rivers Brown, Michel Rolland, John Kongsgaard and Les Behrens, stuck with it, and is now producing incredible wines. These 2012s represent the finest efforts Realm has produced to date. The heart of the Realm philosophy is to access some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards and put together either single-vineyard bottlings or creative proprietary blends. All of these 2012s were outrageously delicious, and I can’t recommend them highly enough." Wine Advocate #215, Oct 2014
Provenance: The Huître Cellar
Lot Location: Orange County
Estimate: $200

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