2018 Levensohn Vineyard - Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Levensohn Vineyard, a new wine in this range, is enticing. It is sourced from a small vineyard in St. Helena Realm took over a few years ago. Bright red berry fruit, rose petal, spice, pomegranate and blood orange infuse the 2018 with tons of St. Helena character. Elegant and lithe, the 2018 is a very pretty Cabernet, with bright acids and plenty of raciness. Stylistically, the Levensohn offers a bit less depth than is typical at Realm. Among other things, that gives the wine quite a bit of immediacy and overall appeal. There will be two vintages of the Levensohn for Realm - 2018 and 2019. The 2020 was lost to fire, and then the vineyard was sold.

- Antonio Galloni (01/2021)

This single-vineyard wine wine is new to Realm from this 2018 vintage, although they began farming it in 2017. It is located next to Beckstoffer's Bourn vineyard, to the west of St. Helena, but produces a very different style of wine "because of the veins of gravel and rock in this region." This is a particularly rocky vineyard, requiring extra water and canopy management attention. Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Levensohn Vineyard reveals a deep garnet-purple color and quite a broody/earthy nose to begin, opening out to a core of warm blackcurrants, plum preserves and mulberries, plus nuances of tar, new leather and wild thyme. The full-bodied, taut, sturdy palate is chock-full of earth-laced fruit, framed by grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing savory and just a little chewy.

- Lisa Perrotti-Brown (10/2020)