Kapcsándy
About Kapcsándy
The Kapcsándy family purchased the old Beringer estate in Yountville, “a town that is becoming the epicurean center for Napa Valley” according to the Wine Advocate, in 2000 and over the past decade, Kapcsándy Family Winery has risen to the highest echelons of the Napa Valley fine wine scene.
Lou Kapcsándy, of Hungarian descent, completely replanted the vineyards neighbouring the illustrious Screaming Eagle with the finest Bordeaux clones. Bringing in Bordelais legend and third generation winemaker from the mighty Château Latour, Denis Malbec, Lou left no stone unturned in his quest to make ultra-fine Napa wine.
“What the Kapcsandys have done with the fruit from that vineyard with assistance from their consultant, the Pauillac-born Denis Malbec, is nothing short of remarkable. Moreover, they have done it in less than a decade, which proves that fortunes can be made quickly, provided there are three ingredients – incredibly hard work, lots of talent, and a super terroir. These can indeed propel an estate to the stratosphere in less than a decade”
Robert M. Parker Jr.
Today, the estate makes world-class cuvées of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from a miniscule 20 acres. The production is absolutely tiny, but the quality is unrivalled making Kapcsándy one of the first names springing to mind when Napa lovers are asked which cult producer they’d love to own.
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California | 3 | 96 (VN) | $572.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)Bright medium ruby. Alluring aromas of dark berries, licorice, lavender and violet. Wonderfully dense, spicy wine with an exhilarating sugar/acid balance giving definition to its dark berry, mineral and floral flavors. Offers outstanding thickness and depth of texture without any undue weight. Really echoes and rises on the long back end, with the noble tannins thoroughly integrated with the wine's fruit. This makes the Roberta's seem a bit ungiving, but I suspect that that wine will yet gain in pliancy. One of the handful of superstars of its vintage, from fruit picked between October 14 and 17, or almost a full month later than the Roberta's Merlot (September 18). (14.5% alcohol; 98% new French and 2% new Hungarian oak) |
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California | 1 | 98+ (VN) | $1,370.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is a real stunner. Despite an overall impression of femininity and understatement, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is simply dazzling. Sweet, floral and open-knit, the 2012 is nevertheless holding quite a bit back in potential. When I visited Kapcsándy during the 2012 harvest the enthusiasm was very high. This wine shows why. The blend is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot. |
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California | 2 | 98+ (VN) | $1,895.00 | |||||
Vinous (98+)The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is a real stunner. Despite an overall impression of femininity and understatement, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is simply dazzling. Sweet, floral and open-knit, the 2012 is nevertheless holding quite a bit back in potential. When I visited Kapcsándy during the 2012 harvest the enthusiasm was very high. This wine shows why. The blend is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot. |
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California | 4 | 100 (WA) | $1,775.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Little can be added to the greatness of the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine (600 cases) is truly stunning in its dense, crème de cassis and blackberry-scented nose with a hint of barbecue smoke and forest floor. Tasting like a ripe vintage of Château Latour from Pauillac, the wine has amazing richness and a savory, expansive mouthfeel, but tiptoes across the palate like a ballerina. A wine of magnificent richness and intensity, but vibrancy, purity and overall equilibrium, this is a staggeringly great wine and another tribute to the Kapcsándy family’s extraordinary professionalism and meticulous attention to detail in their vineyard. |
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California | 1 | 99 (VN (AG)) | $192.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)Kapcsándy's 2014 Grand Vin is everything I had hoped it would be. Fresh and complex in the glass, the 2014 dazzles with a stunning range of Cabernet Sauvignon aromas and flavors that race across the palate. The long, vibrant finish is breathtaking in its beauty and dimension. I can’t help thinking this is probably the sort of wine Lou Kapcsándy dreamed of making. Readers will find a Cabernet Sauvignon of total gravitas. A dollop of Merlot rounds out the blend. |
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California | 1 | 99 (VN (AG)) | $572.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)Kapcsándy's 2014 Grand Vin is everything I had hoped it would be. Fresh and complex in the glass, the 2014 dazzles with a stunning range of Cabernet Sauvignon aromas and flavors that race across the palate. The long, vibrant finish is breathtaking in its beauty and dimension. I can’t help thinking this is probably the sort of wine Lou Kapcsándy dreamed of making. Readers will find a Cabernet Sauvignon of total gravitas. A dollop of Merlot rounds out the blend. |
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California | 16 | 100 (JD) | $676.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is pure perfection and undeniably one of the greatest wines in this terrific vintage. With a Château Latour like stature and depth, full-bodied richness, and incredible notes of blue fruits, crushed violets, tobacco, forest floor, and huge minerality, this tight, backward, concentrated 2015 is for those with patience and cold cellar, but it’s a legendary wine in the making. Bravo! |
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California | 4 | 100 (WA) | $789.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc aged in 90% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is deep garnet-purple colored with a lovely crème de cassis core backed-up by the most amazing perfume of lilacs, oolong tea, camphor and dark chocolate plus gentle wafts of aniseed and red currants. Medium-bodied with fantastic vibrancy and intensity, the palate practically rings with spine-tingling energy. It slowly builds in the mouth to reveal layers of red and black fruits supported by a very finely grained frame and seamless freshness, leading to a drop dead gorgeous, perfumed lift on the long finish. Sex in a glass. 425 cases produced. |
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California | 1 | 100 (JD) | $1,650.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Only the second time it's been 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin sports a deep purple color as well as a Latour-like bouquet of crème de cassis, scorched earth, violets, graphite, camphor, and lead pencil. Rich, powerful and concentrated, with incredible elegance and purity as well as building structure, this magical effort needs 7-8 years of bottle age and will live for 50 years or more. |
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California | 1 | 100 (WA) | $1,490.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Deep purple-black, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard rockets out of the glass with intense notes of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves and blueberry pie, plus hints of Chinese five spice, dusty soil, menthol, tar and black truffles, with a waft of roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise, delivering layer upon layer of vibrant black and blue fruits with a rock-solid backbone of super ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and just plain delicious. Pure, seemingly effortless, seamless perfection. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 80% new French oak, the alcohol is a relatively modest 14.3%. 300 cases were made. |
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California | 10 | 97 (JD) | $242.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97)Moving to the 2015s, the 2015 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard is the Margaux of the lineup with its perfumed floral, spice-box, black cherry and currant-driven aromas and flavors. It has an understated elegance, full-bodied richness, a beautiful sweetness of fruit, and a supple, sexy texture that makes it already impossible to resist. Showing a kiss of oak on the finish, give bottle 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. |
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California | 5 | 95 (JD) | $414.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (95)The 2016 Estate Cuvee checks in as a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Merlot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. This deeply colored beauty has impressive black cherries, currants, scorched earth, graphite, and subtle background oak, with ample richness and depth. It's rich, layered, has beautiful tannins, and an elegant style on the palate, yet it certainly has plenty of concentration. It will be better with a year or two of bottle age and is going to evolve gracefully. |
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California | 1 | 98 (JD) | $3,440.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)Reminding me of a great Graves with its smoky, darker style (especially with extended aeration), the 2014 Rapszodia is based on 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot brought up in mostly new barrels. Still youthful but clearly in its prime drinking window, it offers a ruby hue with no signs of bricking and a beautiful nose of ripe currants, leafy herbs, cedar pencil, darker cherries, and sappy flowers. I love its overall complexity, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with terrific concentration, a layered, voluptuous mouthfeel, and a heavenly finish. It needs an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon and has another decade or two of overall longevity. It's absolutely stunning. |
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California | 1 | 98 (JS) | $1,165.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This is a superb merlot with black olive, blueberry, iodine, and oyster shell. Full body, tight tannins. Chocolate, walnut, and bramble berry. Superb finish. A beauty. Try now but give it four to five years of bottle age. |
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California | 1 | 100 (VN) | $1,470.00 | |||||
Vinous (100)The 2013 Roberta's Reserve is just as compelling it has always been. Dark, powerful and exotic, the 2013 Roberta's tastes like it has barely budged since I tasted it last year. Intense dark fruit, chocolate, smoke, licorice and tobacco are front and center. Exceptionally polished and towering in its structure, the 2013 will drink well for many, many years. The tannins soften a bit with time in the glass, but the 2013 remains a young wine in need of cellaring. |
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California | 5 | 96 (VN (AG)) | $237.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)The 2014 Roberta’s Reserve is a total delight. Now at the beginning of its first plateau of maturity, the 2014 is showing beautifully. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, mint, dried cherry and coffee open in the super-expressive bouquet. Truffle, dried flowers, mint and mocha appear later to play off a core of dark Merlot fruit. A touch of Cabernet Franc completes the blend. At ten years of age, this is still a youngster. |
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California | 1 | 99 (JD) | $796.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)Another wine that flirts with perfection is the 100% Merlot 2016 Roberta's Reserve, which was harvested at the end of September and spent 20 months in 70% new barrels. I finished my note on this wine with "Best Merlot in the New World," and I can't think of another wine that comes close to the layered, balanced, majestic style of this beauty. Offering up a kaleidoscope of black cherries, damp earth, chocolate, cedarwood, and spring flowers, it's full-bodied and rich, yet just glides over the palate with a seamless, elegant, pure style that needs to be tasted to be believed. As with all the Kapcsandy wines, it has the purity and balance to offer pleasure in its youth yet is going to evolve beautifully. |
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