Mike

9.5

Also know as “The Bard” #damntasty luscious blackberry and tobacco tones. Perfect for Saturday afternoon. #SKOL — 6 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.4

2014-2016 flight. The 2014 is the most classic cab style (less fruit, more structure) and the tannins have mellowed a lot over the last couple years. Drinking great. The 2015 is the most boisterous in terms of big sweet fruit, acid, tannins. It's a little rough around the edges right now but so good. 2016 is a blend of the two. It's refined but shows the generosity of fruit in the 2016 vintage (loving this vintage!). Reminds me of the bard with a little bubble gum action on opening. Drinks well above its price point. It's lush and dark and has all the components. Superb. Glad we got this. 94+. Pushing 95 — 6 years ago

Bill Bender

9.4

@David L going John Wall superstar style with his 4 Mag contribution of this dense, vivid beauty. After we consumed about 2 gallons of wine each we hit up the patio fire pit for some s’mores and he ordered up 2 bottles of ‘10 Realm Bard. He’s a beast. — 7 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.1

Nice rocky minerality. Nice acidity. Slight copper on the hue and rust all around. Fairly astringent tannins but the acidity balances nicely. Latour's third wine. Green vine. Wet slate and steel. Just not sure this is earns the $115 price point. I love Bordeaux, but Dir that price I want more fruit - this is all vine and gravel. For same price I'd go with Realm's Bard! — 7 years ago

Ryan Johnson

9.3

1998 - this is nice and lean and aging well. There is a pleasant mint thing going on here. — 7 years ago

Jenni Stewart

9.0

Taste testing for the bard — 8 years ago

V M

9.4

This a big boy no holds bard Syrah dominated blend from JS. What blows me away about this very talented young super star winemaker is he truly adapts his wine making style to the vintage. Each year is unique with its own optimized signature. This wine is a big brooding effort in which dark cherry, black plum and sweet tobacco dominate. There are cloves and cinnamon on the long drawn out finish. The tannins are formidable and this will benefit from another couple years in the bottle. Give it at least an hour in the decanter if u drink it now. This wine continues to evolve in my glass. Such a talented wine maker, I'm sorry I just discovered this producer only recently. His 2007 James berry vineyard is the only wine I have ever tasted that I consider perfection. — 10 years ago

Paul T HB

9.5

I’m liking this better than last time, probably because I held it a bit longer.
Do you recall the price @Jason Oliver ? $125.00 or $175.00, with club discount.
Parker 96
Better than the 14 Bard imo — 6 years ago

Paul T HB

9.6

Right up there with Bard & Ontogeny for $100.00 — 6 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.4

First time having a rivers marie wine. Lot more fruit than I had been anticipating (atleast from other reviews). It's got a really thick mid palate. So approachable. Reminds me of the 2015 bard flavor wise. 94-95 — 7 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.5

The '12 was good but this is great. More fruit than the '12 but not the low acid fruitiness that the bard was last night. — 7 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

Gobs of blue fruit on the nose, leather, and smoke. The palate brings a decent dose of tongue-drying tannins at this stage. Blue fruit has a strong presence on the palate and for being Cab Franc dominate, the wine lacks any olive/pepper/savory profile. Medium bodied. I think with a few years nap, this wine will shine. But I still prefer the Bard over this and the Tempest. — 7 years ago

Sarah Gosnell

9.2

$13 dry rose. Found while at Bard — 9 years ago

Paul T HB

9.7

I think I skipped the 15 because I was still sitting on a few 14’s, but this 16 is great, reminds me of the 2012. It was a Bard beater for 14 so curious how it compares to the 16 Bard, — 6 years ago

Roman Sukley

10

2005 Sine Qua Non "The 17th Nail in My Cranium" Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
Buckle your chinstraps folks because tonight we’re headed to the wine world equivalent of the summit of Mt. Everest. The absolute pinnacle in the Universe of wine for yours truly. The “it just don’t get any better than this” moment as far as grapes are concerned. Let me begin first with the name of this magic elixir. If memory serves, it was derived from a combination of the fact that this was the 17th Syrah produced in the Garage d’Or otherwise known as Sine Qua Non, and, in that same year, Manfred was felled by a rogue barrel requiring several staples to close the gash to his cranium, hence... "The 17th Nail in My Cranium"
The wine is a blend of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier which was aged 38+ months prior to bottling. % alcohol. 4 hour decant at cellar temperature. Achromatic Raven black motor oil in my Zalto. Undoubtedly, the wines I find most compelling are of the “swirl, sniff and contemplate” variety, and this one might just set the benchmark. Explosive aromatic potpourri of blackberry jam, roasted coffee, fresh ground black pepper, graphite and spice with a faint floral arrangement lurking somewhere in the background. On the palate, sweet cherry compote and black currant with undertones of roasted game and black olives. A big, full bodied wine that’s light on its feet. A tightrope walker. A powerhouse with impeccable manners. Elegant and lithesome. A ballet dancer. Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov in his prime. Complex, with layers of flavors in beautiful, perfect harmony. Crosby, Stills & Nash singing “Suite Judy Blue Eyes.” The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations.” Perfect balance. Pure, silky mouth feel. Immeasurable finish. And I mean that literally, as in it just continues on and on. Just utter perfection. A wine that is in fact so entirely perfect as to eliminate the need for a search for an alternative. The last word. To paraphrase The Bard, this wine “might (just) be the be-all and the end-all.”

— 6 years ago

Holli Greenfield

9.6

2013 Realm Bard 2012 Brand Cabernet!
Beautiful Birthday Combo!
— 7 years ago

with Howard

Paul T HB

9.6

Bard beater, at least for 2014.
🍟🍟🍟
Personally I think this was rated too low,
Leave the Bard take the Ontongeny
I think thats the exact line from the God Father, — 7 years ago

Phil Bard

9.4

This one won't show up in the listings. Made by some newbie up in Orygun.... Not bad
— 10 years ago