🏷️ Lot Overview
Region: Napa Valley (50% Atlas Peak, 50% Atlas Bench with splash of Amador)
Vintage: 2023
Blend: 45% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 20% Petite Verdot, 4% Syrah, 1% Tempranillo
ChatGPT Original Source Guess: Realm Cellars
Wine Berserkers Guess: Krupp Brothers Water Witch
Alcohol: 15.0%
Oak Aging: ~70% New French Oak
Cam Price: $16.58 ($199/case)
Retail Estimate: $90–$125
Drink Window: Late 2025–2035+
🍷 Cameron’s Release Notes
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Funny thing, I started writing up this release earlier today from my notes and it occurred to me that a dog metaphor might be useful in framing this wine. To be honest, I was originally thinking of a Bulldog named Veronica with a pink bow around her neck. Then I grabbed a fresh bottle, pulled the cork, and started to play around with it… suddenly, it dawned on me the perfect dog metaphor was snoring away on the floor beside me. Hence, Lot 13: An Ode to Albert.
Thick, meaty and barrel-chested yet surprisingly agile, this BDX-based blend combines fruit from a well-known high-elevation vineyard on Atlas Peak and fruit from the Atlas Bench. Quite frankly, this is a great, approachable option to have around while you wait for your 2023 Napa Cabernets to unwind in the bottle.
With about 75% new French oak and a well over $90+/bottle price tag, this is a dynamite deal at only $199/case DELIVERED.
Plush on entry with hedonistic purple and black fruit wrapped around a beautifully integrated, sexy, open-knit structure. Voluptuous and muscular on the palate, with gobs of ripe fruit beautifully framed by savory coffee and vanilla bean over velvety, mineral-laced tannins in a long, resounding finish that is, as I said, pure magic carpet ride.
Only 200 cases produced—grab it while you can!
Tasting Notes
The 2023 vintage was long and moderate with lots of hangtime, resulting in Cabernet-based wines that are built like Bullmastiffs. Lot 13, on the other hand, is more like a chunky Black Lab with an otter tail—round-yet-powerfully structured and far more approachable.
Sourced from the same winery as Lot 10, Lot 13 features a blend of mostly Bordeaux varietals with a splash of Syrah and Tempranillo. Half the fruit comes from the “vineyard that must not be named” that straddles Atlas Peak and Pritchard Hill, while the other half comes from an estate vineyard on the Atlas Bench.
Opaque in the glass with a dark, meaty bouquet that’s immediately expressive: black cherry and crème de mûre framed by smoky brown sugar, cocoa nibs, anise, and leather. Huckleberry jam emerges with air.
Plush on entry with purple and black fruit layered into a sexy, open-knit structure. Hedonistic yet elegant, with savory coffee and vanilla bean notes over velvety, mineral-laced tannins. The finish? Long, resounding, and a total magic carpet ride.
100% Napa Valley (plus splash from Amador)
45% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 20% Petite Verdot, 4% Syrah, 1% Tempranillo
~70% new French oak
15.0% alc.
~200 cases
Bottled July 2025
🧠ChatGPT says:
🔍 Source Guess: Realm Cellars
🎯 Rationale:
Cam says Lot 13 comes from the same producer as Lot 10, which we’ve identified as Realm Cellars. That connection alone is the strongest clue — and everything else fits the Realm profile.
The blend is unusual and complex — 45% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 20% Petite Verdot, 4% Syrah, 1% Tempranillo — suggesting an experimental or non-flagship bottling, possibly a second-label or custom project Realm created but didn’t ultimately release.
Sourcing includes 50% fruit from “the vineyard that must not be named” (i.e., Stagecoach) and 50% from an estate vineyard on the Atlas Bench, which matches Realm’s vineyard footprint — they farm or source from both zones.
Cam says it was bottled just weeks ago and is already drinking well, unlike Lot 10 which was built for the long haul — suggesting Lot 13 was meant to be a more approachable, hedonistic offering.
The $90+ retail pricing, ~75% new French oak, and language like “hedonistic,” “magic carpet ride,” and “meaty and barrel-chested” also align with Realm’s plush-yet-structured style.
Final note: the quirky naming (“Ode to Albert”), approachable nature, and unusual blend make this feel like a side project or short-run bottling that didn’t fit Realm’s main label lineup — but still reflects their winemaking quality and vineyard access.
⏳ Drink Window
- Early Enjoyment: From late 2025 once bottle shock clears — this blend is plush and open-knit enough to drink young.
- Peak Drinking: 2027–2032 when the fruit and oak knit fully together.
- Hold Potential: Could run to 2035+ thanks to structure from Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Atlas Peak tannin backbone.
⏳ Drink window: 2025–2035+ (peak 2027–2032)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑🍷 Wine Berserkers Guess: Krupp Brothers Water Witch