Realm

Realm Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s newer stars, founded in 2002. But the estate’s reputation for top-notch Cabernet and serious blends quickly made it a must-try name.

History
The story starts in 2002, when Juan Mercado, a former army medic, and his friend Wendell Laidley launched Realm after working in Napa wine shops and wineries. They didn’t own vineyards at first, but instead built their own “realm” by sourcing grapes from some of Napa’s most sought-after sites.

In the early days, all their wines were made at other people’s places, including Sherwin Family Vineyards and Chateau Boswell. A huge warehouse fire that destroyed the entire 2003 vintage nearly ended the project, but Mercado and crew kept going on, buying fruit from famous vineyards like Beckstoffer’s To Kalon and Dr. Crane. In 2012, two big names joined: Scott Becker (Harlan Estate) and winemaker Benoit Touquette (mentored by Michel Rolland). Their serie of great releases put Realm into the very top of Napa wineries.​

The Vineyards
Realm today owns and farms several vineyards across Napa’s top locations, including estates in the Stags Leap District, Coombsville, and on Pritchard Hill. They also buy grapes from high quality locations like To Kalon and Dr. Crane, working closely with vineyard owners to ensure Realm-level care. Their own vines stretch across 40 acres, and the team’s hands-on approach means every block gets personal attention. Some of the blocks, like the Farella vineyard in Coombsville, have vines planted as far back as 1979, and this old by Napa standards.​

The Terroir
Napa Valley’s terroir is remarkably diverse, so Realm’s wines are an expression of different soils and climates. Stags Leap District gives wines its famous softness and signature, while Coombsville, cooler but not chilly, brings savory notes. To Kalon, with its deep, gravelly soils and warm climate, produces Cabernet with beautiful fruit and real power. By sourcing from up and down the valley, hillsides and valley floor, Realm builds complex blends with great complexity​

Way of Winemaking
Realm is all about control and minimal intervention. Benoit Touquette, the winemaker, uses a mix of traditional and modern techniques. It means fermenting with native yeast, aging in French oak, and blending blocks only when they’re ready. Fruit is picked for balance, not just ripeness, and every batch gets careful monitoring. Small production lots let Realm dial things in to the exact taste and style they want, whether it’s a single vineyard Cabernet or a blend. .​

3 Fun Facts
The Bard, Realm’s flagship wine, is named after Shakespeare. The bottle’s label includes a quote from Richard II: “This blessed plot, this earth, this realm…”: a not-so-hidden wink to Napa and the estate’s ambitions.​

Realm survived a warehouse fire that wiped out its entire 2003 vintage, but recovered to become one of Napa’s most collectible brands.​

The estate’s wines are so sought after that even small batches get direct-to-consumer releases, making a bottle something fans often wait for.​