Realm Cellars
Moonracer 2018
Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Moonracer is from Realm’s estate vineyard on Wappo Hill in the Stags Leap District AVA. Winemaker Benoit Touquette has worked with the vineyard for years, and the site, with its multiple blocks, elevations, facings, and diverse soils, has character in spades. It is said this elevated site was important to the Wappo Native Americans as it provided the tribe with a central lookout from which to identify intruders. Jack London, who wrote about the curious inter-tribal races that took place during full moons, noted that the Wappos often won. Thus Moonracer, an oblique reference to the earliest inhabitants of the place Realm calls home. The wine is composed each year of the site’s finest lots, creating a Cabernet Sauvignon that is strong and powerful yet also elegant, with refined tannins and plenty of depth.
Vineyard
After three years of farming their estate vineyard, the viticultural practices have brought precision and focus to the 2018 Moonracer. With its south, east and southeast-facing slopes, this is a complex site that is reflected in the wine.
Winemaking
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot
Tasting Note
“With red, blue and black (cassis) fruit, this is an aromatic wine that hits at the edge of minerality with a distinct note of graphite/pencil shavings plus a hint of licorice. The wine hits both high and low notes, with brightness but also density. It sits on the palate not with heaviness but with depth. With its tannic structure, this Moonracer is not for the faint of heart; however, it goes beyond hedonism and heft into something more serious and intellectual.” – Realm Cellars
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Appellation
Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Alcohol
14.6%
Suggested Retail Price
$380
