98 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The Merlot-dominated 2021 The Tempest is a ripe, powerful wine with gorgeous blackcurrants, ripe cherries, chocolate, and flowery incense aromas and flavors that just about jump out of the glass. It's rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, and while they've changed the fruit sources here (more focused on the southern part of the appellation), this is still a rich, powerful wine. Drink: 2023-2038. (12/26/23)"
98 points Jonathan Cristaldi (Decanter): "Fresh, alluring, and highly approachable, this wine captivates with its pure red-fruited and eucalyptus-spiced aromatics. The enticing mid-palate richness, perfectly softened and creamy from the Merlot, carries through to a long, nuanced finish. Fashionably sweet and supple fruits of fleshy black cherry, black plum, and boysenberry are underscored by fine-grained tannins. Pops of brown sugar, intermixed with dark chocolate and mint, round out this dazzling and delicious red. Drinking Window: 2024-2040. (12/8/23)"
97 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "Made mainly from Merlot, the 2021 The Tempest was sourced from Farella Vineyard, Oak Knoll, and a bit from Houyi Vineyard. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with notes of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of rose oil, Chinese five spice, and cardamom. The full-bodied palate has seamless freshness and an alluring graininess to the texture, offsetting the juicy black and blue fruit, finishing with a burst of spices. Alcohol 14.6%. Drink: 2024-2044. (9/12/24)"
96 points James Suckling: "A full yet tensioned red with blackcurrants and black berries with a gorgeous center palate that is framed beautifully with lovely tannin tension that is integrated into the wine. Weightless richness. 75% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 5% malbec. Delicious already but can age beautifully. (11/14/23)"
93 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2021 The Tempest is dark, plush and super-expressive. Soft contours make this a fine choice for drinking now and over the next decade. A shift in vineyard sourcing to Farella for the Merlot gives the Tempest more floral and savory depth than in the past. Dried herbs, lavender, fresh blueberry, spice and menthol linger on the fresh, mid-weight finish. This is an especially delicate style for Realm. Drink: 2023-2031. (Dec 2023)"
98 points Jonathan Cristaldi (Decanter): "Fresh, alluring, and highly approachable, this wine captivates with its pure red-fruited and eucalyptus-spiced aromatics. The enticing mid-palate richness, perfectly softened and creamy from the Merlot, carries through to a long, nuanced finish. Fashionably sweet and supple fruits of fleshy black cherry, black plum, and boysenberry are underscored by fine-grained tannins. Pops of brown sugar, intermixed with dark chocolate and mint, round out this dazzling and delicious red. Drinking Window: 2024-2040. (12/8/23)"
97 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "Made mainly from Merlot, the 2021 The Tempest was sourced from Farella Vineyard, Oak Knoll, and a bit from Houyi Vineyard. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with notes of plum preserves, blueberry pie, and Morello cherries, leading to hints of rose oil, Chinese five spice, and cardamom. The full-bodied palate has seamless freshness and an alluring graininess to the texture, offsetting the juicy black and blue fruit, finishing with a burst of spices. Alcohol 14.6%. Drink: 2024-2044. (9/12/24)"
96 points James Suckling: "A full yet tensioned red with blackcurrants and black berries with a gorgeous center palate that is framed beautifully with lovely tannin tension that is integrated into the wine. Weightless richness. 75% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 5% malbec. Delicious already but can age beautifully. (11/14/23)"
93 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2021 The Tempest is dark, plush and super-expressive. Soft contours make this a fine choice for drinking now and over the next decade. A shift in vineyard sourcing to Farella for the Merlot gives the Tempest more floral and savory depth than in the past. Dried herbs, lavender, fresh blueberry, spice and menthol linger on the fresh, mid-weight finish. This is an especially delicate style for Realm. Drink: 2023-2031. (Dec 2023)"
| Product SKU | 355548 |
| Producer | Realm |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| SubRegion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Blend | 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec |
| Ships To |
