Realm Cellars 2024 Wines Review: Tasting Moonracer, Farella and Houyi

Realm Cellars sent us the 2024 Moonracer, Farella and Houyi. These are the three estate Cabernets in the fall release, from the Stags Leap District, Coombsville and Pritchard Hill.

The wines come from Realm's three Napa estates. Moonracer is on Wappo Hill in the Stags Leap District. Farella is in the Vaca foothills of Coombsville. Houyi is on Pritchard Hill, above the fog line. For the visit, the architecture and the membership, read our separate Realm Cellars review.

The estates behind the Realm 2024 wines

Juan Mercado and Wendell Laidley started Realm in 2002 as a virtual winery, buying fruit and making wine in rented space. Scott Becker led the 2012 restart, with Benoit Touquette shaping the wines. The three estates now cover about 75 acres. Becker is CEO. Chris Cooney is chief of winegrowing, Kelly Fields is winemaker, and Touquette is consulting winemaker.

The 2024 season was warm. Rainfall ran about 10 percent ahead of the previous season, budbreak arrived near historical norms, and bloom settled in around Mother's Day. Napa accumulated about 13 percent more growing degree days than in 2023. The hardest heat ran from June 30 through July 6, and again from July 10 to 12, with a reading of 114°F in Calistoga. August was milder.

Early October then brought the hottest seven-day stretch of the year. Harvest work that often takes four weeks was compressed into about two. Realm picked all of Houyi in a few days when that late-season heat arrived. At Moonracer, misting systems installed over the past decade helped the vines through the spikes.

Realm 2024 wines at a glance

Use these decanting times and drinking windows as a starting point. Taste a small pour before decanting and follow the wine as it opens. For cellaring, the right moment depends on storage and whether you prefer youthful fruit or more mature flavors.

2024 Moonracer: dark first, graphite later

Moonracer opened with baking spice and currant on the nose. Vanilla, cigar, dark cherry and chocolate followed on the palate, with chocolate leading the first impression. The finish was long. Fruit was there, but it was not the center of the wine.

It is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, from Wappo Hill, the former Hartwell property Realm bought in late 2015. Wappo Hill is the highest point on the Stags Leap District valley floor. More than 15 acres run across different elevations and exposures, with older east- and south-facing blocks and replanting still underway. Fragmented sandstone and volcanic soils run through the site.

Realm's line for the wine is an "iron fist in a velvet glove": power and fine-grained tannin, with a dried-herb line and enough density to age. Our first pour sat on the power side of that. With air, the fruit moved forward, graphite and mineral notes separated, and the texture smoothed. Dark cherry became easier to find, and the long finish held. Moonracer is the bottle easiest to misread on the first pour.

We would decant it for three to four hours if serving it now. With one bottle, we would wait until about 2030, then drink it through the mid-2040s. A cold, stable cellar can take it further.

2024 Farella: the rounder Coombsville wine

Farella was slightly fruitier than Moonracer on the nose, with a slight funk. It was still a heavy wine, but softer and rounder. An herbal, slightly vegetal line ran through it, and the fruit read as underripe strawberry rather than Moonracer's black cherry.

That shape fits the site. Farella sits in the Vaca foothills in Coombsville, one of Napa's cooler districts. Frank Farella planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon there in 1979. Realm has made a Farella Cabernet since 2003 and has farmed the vineyard since 2018. On July 17, 2026, Realm bought the property, a winery and 60 acres of land. Tom Farella still owns the Farella label and leases the winery.

The vines cover 25 acres between 300 and 500 feet, on volcanic tufa, decomposed red rock and ash from old landslides. The Cabernet comes from the stony rockpile block. Estate Merlot, in the wine since 2019, sits lower, on diatomaceous earth.

Air broadened the fruit and brought pepper and baking spice forward. The rounder frame stayed the contrast with Moonracer.

We would give Farella two to three hours in a carafe. It is the earliest of the three to open, from about 2028, and it should keep developing into the early 2040s.

2024 Houyi: our favorite

The Houyi label is Air Water Earth by Luchita Hurtado. Houyi was the fruitiest of the flight. Compared with Moonracer and Farella, Houyi's fruit-forward aromatic lift was the easiest to read right away. The finish stayed aromatic, and it was the wine we liked best.

The vineyard is 22 acres at nearly 1,300 feet on Pritchard Hill, with southeast exposure and fractured volcanic rock, above the fog line. The Chang family developed the site as Nine Suns. Realm has bottled a Houyi Cabernet since 2013, took over farming at the start of 2022, and closed on the vineyard and winery on June 10, 2022. From the 2022 vintage on, Houyi has been estate-grown.

Give it about two hours of air, tasting a small pour first. We would start opening bottles in 2029 and expect them to hold through the mid-2040s.

How to serve and buy the Realm 2024 wines

What air changed

Moonracer moved the furthest. Chocolate, cigar and dark cherry gave way to clearer fruit, graphite and a smoother texture. Farella moved less: the fruit broadened, pepper and baking spice came up, and the rounder Coombsville shape stayed. Houyi held its line. The cherry and plum stayed forward, with the blueberry still subtle, and the finish remained aromatic. It was still the wine we liked best.

For a dinner of all three, open them well before the first course. Moonracer gets the longest decant, then Farella, then Houyi. Keep a small glass of each before it goes into the carafe. Taste Farella first, Houyi second and Moonracer last. Farella shows the cooler, savory side of the year. Houyi brings cherry and plum, with a little blueberry. Moonracer closes on the darkest profile.

Prices and which bottle to buy

In Realm's 2026 fall release, the 2024 Moonracer is $295, Farella is $225 and Houyi is $295. The wines go to Realm's member list. Allocations were guaranteed through September 15, 2026.

Buying one bottle, we would take Houyi. It was the fruitiest of the flight, cherry and plum with a little blueberry, softer tannins and an aromatic finish, and it was our favorite in the glass. Moonracer is the bottle to follow over the next decade, because chocolate, cigar and dark cherry opened into fruit, graphite and a smoother texture. Farella is the rounder, herbal contrast, and the earliest to open.

Three young wines from a warm year still tasted like three places. Houyi won the flight. Moonracer changed the with air. Farella held the cooler, savory side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Realm 2024 wine was the favorite?

Houyi was our favorite of the Realm 2024 wines. It was the fruitiest of the flight: cherry and plum, with a little blueberry, softer tannins, and an aromatic finish.

Which Realm 2024 wine needs the air?

Moonracer needs the air. It opened on chocolate, cigar and dark cherry, then showed fruit, graphite and a smoother texture. We would decant it for three to four hours.

How do Moonracer, Farella and Houyi differ?

Moonracer, from Wappo Hill in the Stags Leap District, is the darkest of the Realm 2024 wines and the one that changes most with air. Farella, from Coombsville, is rounder, with an herbal edge and underripe strawberry. Houyi, from Pritchard Hill, was the fruitiest of the flight: cherry and plum, with a little blueberry, softer tannins and an aromatic finish, and it was our favorite.

When should you open the Realm 2024 wines?

We would start with Farella around 2028, Houyi around 2029 and Moonracer around 2030. These are suggested starting points: open sooner for youthful fruit, or give the wines more time in a cool, stable cellar for mature flavors to develop.

How much do the Realm 2024 wines cost?

In the 2026 fall release, Moonracer is $295, Farella is $225 and Houyi is $295. They go to Realm's member list, with allocations guaranteed through September 15, 2026. What is still offered is on Realm's acquisition page.