Realm - Hartwell XX Estate Napa Valley 2021 (750ml)
Price: $650.00
Sale Price: $475.00
| Producer | Realm |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 6589 |
| Size | 750ml |
Jeb Dunnuck: 100 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX is another perfect wine in this lineup. From vines around the estate in Stags Leap, its saturated purple hue is followed by a deep, majestic, massively concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon offering incredible purity and depth in its blackcurrant, Griotte cherry, loamy earth, and dried flower-like aromas and flavors. With full-bodied richness, loads of glycerin, sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a blockbuster of a finish, this killer effort should drink well for 25-30 years
Wine Advocate: 99 Points
The one-acre parcel that goes into the Hartwell XX bottling was planted to Bosché-selection Cabernet that came from Grace Family. The near-perfect 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX is almost floral on the nose adding ripe cherries plus hints of mocha and pencil shavings while the full-bodied palate is richly concentrated and velvety with a long harmonious finish. This wine somehow manages to harness awesome power into a smooth seductive Stags Leap District ride. After numerous near misses my travel schedule and that of Realm Managing Partner Scott Becker finally aligned and I was able to visit with him on a Sunday morning which then stretched into early afternoon given the numerous wines to taste. Realm's history predates Becker's involvement extending back to the debut 2002 vintage when it was formed as a partnership between Juan Mercado and Wendell Laidley. Mike Hirby was the winemaker through 2010. Becker grew up in family of dairy farmers in Wisconsin attended the Air Force Academy and subsequently went to business school. He interned with Jack Cakebread worked at a Napa financial advisory firm then joined Bill Harlan at Promontory for a couple of years. After meeting Mercado and Laidley over lunch to pick their brains about starting his own winery he subsequently purchased Realm in July 2012 largely by assuming the debt the previous partners had amassed. "2012 was the first vintage of Realm 2.0" said Becker. Benoit Touquette was the winemaker and also a partner. From the beginning the project has made Cabernet Sauvignon from top sites in Napa?Realm has been purchasing To Kalon fruit since 2002?with the increasing expense and difficulty in sourcing grapes inevitably leading to vineyard purchases. "The focus over the years has been teasing out the differences and being able to articulate the differences of the various sites and how that changes and evolves over time" said Becker. In 2015 Realm purchased Hartwell in the Stags Leap District rechristening it Moonracer. Touquette had been making those wines so there was a familiarity with the site despite knowing the vineyard needed to be replanted. Prior to the acquisition the Realm wines had been made at Chateau Boswell but production was now moved into the new facility. Next up Realm took over farming the Farella property in Coombsville in 2018. "I had a connection with Frank Farella going back to my financial days" said Becker. Realm then purchased Nine Suns and the Houyi Vineyard on Pritchard Hill in 2022?they had previously been purchasing fruit from that site. "We've kept a connection to the original names in every case" said Becker. In 2024 Realm leased a property in Calistoga. Realm North as Becker calls it is a production and tasting facility dedicated to The Bard Realm's largest blended bottling. Touquette has recently transitioned into (just) ownership and consulting but Chris Cooney from Dana Estate has joined as head winemaker with Kelly Fields (ex-Phelps then Tench) as assistant. According to Becker the Realm winemaking philosophy has been to push phenolic ripeness in the vineyard aiming to produce wines that are big but light on their feet. "The wines we make today are still rich but we've been working on the freshness" he said. Fermentations are performed in stainless steel with temperatures in the mid-80 degrees Fahrenheit. "We aim for clean fast and inoculated" said Becker. Over time the team has gravitated toward slightly cooler temperatures and less extraction. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Oak averages 75% new with roughly 70% of the wood being from Taransaud. Some concrete eggs made an appearance in 2022. Merlot typically sees 14 months in oak while most of the reds get 18 months. The Bard is blended last so it sees up to 20 months in oak. It and The Tempest are also the only wines to be filtered. As for the top wine The Absurd Realm doesn't disclose vineyard sources or blend?it's strictly a barrel selection and blending exercise. "It's probably the more opulent and hedonistic of the wines we make because of what stands out" said Becker. "We have a debt of gratitude to Bob [Parker] because he took a chance on us" said Becker. "And we feel we have to live up to the expectations he created for us." Published: Jun 12 2025
Vinous: 98 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX emerges from a small two-acre parcel at the top of the hill planted with Grace clone. Inky dark fruit menthol licorice plum crème de cassis and a touch of new oak fill out the layers. This deep virile Cabernet has a ton of potential. Here too the tannins are admirably polished. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2023 Realm is without question the most ambitious winery in Napa Valley today. Realizing the perils of depending solely on purchased fruit principals Scott Becker and Benoit Touquette have put together an enviable collection of estate vineyards starting with Hartwell in Stags Leap then Farella in Coombsville and most recently Houyi ensuring that Realm will always have a dependable supply of estate fruit. It?s a bold move that has been matched by very few other players in Napa Valley and only one on a large scale that I can think of. I tasted the 2021s at Houyi a spectacular site on Pritchard Hill that also affords striking views of the area. The wines are seriously impressive and also show a gradual move towards a style that favors a bit more vibrancy than in the past. "It was a year with very small berries and high tannins" Touquette explained. "We had to be careful to not extract too much."
jdVinous Media: 98 Points
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hartwell XX emerges from a small two-acre parcel at the top of the hill planted with Grace clone. Inky dark fruit, menthol, licorice, plum, crème de cassis and a touch of new oak fill out the layers. This deep, virile Cabernet has a ton of potential. Here, too, the tannins are admirably polished.
The Wine Independent: 98+ Points
The jewel sitting atop of the Moonracer Vineyard is the 1.5-acre estate owned Hartwell Vineyard. Only 150 cases were made of the 2021 Hartwell XX Cabernet Sauvignon. This the former Hartwell property purchased by Realm in 2020 constituting the highest blocks above their Stags Leap District vineyard. The vines originate from budwood acquired by Bob Hartwell from Dick Grace of Grace Family Vineyards in the 1980s. ?This is the first year of us getting out hands around the farming? commented owner Scott Becker. Deep garnet-purple colored it sashays out with flamboyant notions of roses clove oil and juicy plums leading to a core of warm cassis cedar chest and fragrant earth plus a waft of camphor. Full-bodied the palate bursts with expressive blackberry and baking spices flavors supported by super-fine silt-like tannins and seamless freshness finishing long and minerally.
