Is Anyone Buying/Following Kapcsandy?

I still get offers from Kapcsandy Family Wines but have mostly stopped buying as the prices escalated. The 2016s sound pretty tempting aside from the price, although the Estate Cuvee is still somewhat reasonable considering the overall Napa pricing of Cab blends. Is anyone still buying any of these, and if so, which ones?

I bought several years ago but stopped due to the pricing. The Cuvee I’ve seen can be purchased retail cheaper than from the winery.

I dropped due to price and their buying requirements.

I popped a 2004 state lane recently and it was quite tasty. There was an elegance but the fruit was still fruit. Sweet spot stylistically.

Nope. I am usually pretty forgiving of price increases, but theirs were really extreme.

“Really extreme” as in how much?

I can recall a time here when they were all the rage. I bought the State Lane in 2011. They made you buy other things in order to buy the SL.
Several years ago, I heard him in a video say retarded. After that they were off my list.

?

Same. My buddy owns a wine store near me and he asked me if I knew about this winery as one of their reps came by to taste through everything.

I remember they were super hot

I was / am a one-time buyer when I was offered a deal on a 3-pack containing 2 x 2013 Estate Cuvee and 1 x 2013 Roberta’s Reserve. I haven’t opened one, but the pricing is what keeps me from buying again. I must say that, to me, it’s a head-turner when you read wine critics praising the Roberta’s Reserve as one of the best Merlots in the New World.

Have had the 11’ Roberta’s and it wasn’t anything to write home about. I know, not a good Napa Cab vintage but much better for Merlot. Not much structure or freshness to it.

As to the “retarded” comment, he’s an older Hungarian (immigrant I assume) dude so not really surprising. As a group, they’re an ascerbic bunch that don’t adhere to the social norms of the USA.

I’ve got a 100 bottles in cellar & and my stage in life, and total bottles in cellars , I have skipped the '17’s and only bought one case of the '16’s.

I just bought one lot contains 11 at the heritage auction. 4 were grand vin 2006, 2008 and 2009) and the rest were assorted 2005-2009 estate cuvée. Paid an average of $100/ bottle and 36% are grand vin.

Here’s what I got. More then I need so happy to share some if you send me a message:
Kapcsandy
2008 Grand Vin, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (1)
2009 Grand Vin, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (2)
2006 State Lane Vineyard Bottle (1)
2005 Estate Cuvee, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (1)
2006 Estate Cuvee, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (1)
2007 Estate Cuvee, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (1)
2008 Estate Cuvee, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (2)
2009 Estate Cuvee, State Lane Vineyard Bottle (2)

Talk about a winery that has ridden the roller coaster. They navigated past the first vintage fiasco, became well known for decent Napa value and awesome visits. Raised prices through the roof and now you don’t hear a peep. Maybe we just aren’t the target market anymore?

That seems like a hell of a deal Brent

I bought for a number of years and have a case or two in the cellar. Like others pricing has kept me away. I actually opened a 2012 Estate Cuvée last night and it was a very pretty wine. Beautiful cab nose, lots of flavor and density on the long palate, definitely a head turner. On the Cal Cab spectrum I’d put it in the middle. Definitely not old school but absolutely balanced and charming.

There are a number of Napa producers who have clearly raised prices past the market like Kapcsandy. I’m not saying they don’t or can’t sell out - these are small wineries with devoted followings. But they can often be found at auction far below release pricing.

So interesting to read the comments. I remember back in the day hearing glowing accounts of tasting with Lou - pricey but worth it according to most accounts.

Cheers

“Back in the day…” is one thing, but paying $325 and $400 per bottle for the top wines is another. I mean, they’re charging $130 per bottle for declassified juice. It ain’t Screagle Second Flight, but that’s going to price out a lot of people, even those who once made those “glowing” reviews.

Brandon,

True . . . just an interesting observation and it amazes me how a winery that seemingly is still producing ‘wanted’ stuff has seen their shining star fade . . .

Cheers!

2016 was my last vintage. Cellartracker tells me that I have 5 cases or so. I first tasted here back around 2007/8 and it was a great experience. I tasted with Lou’s son and he kept going to their personal cellar and bringing out bottles from all over the world. They didn’t have much of their own wine to taste at that time. As I recall they may have had a 2005 and 2006 that had been made by Helen Turley. The wines really blossomed under Denis Malbec.

By many accounts Lou Sr. was wonderful and generous to taste with. I never found that to be the case and stopped visiting the winery, but continued to buy until recently. They offer significant discounts to their golden circle (or some such designation) members. This made the wine somewhat affordable until a year or so ago. At one point, all it took to be in the club was the purchase of 12 bottles in a year. Now its like you have to spend $5000, which sadly is closing in on the aforementioned 12.

Their wines are excellent for what they are, restrained, high quality Napa fruit, made in a Bordeaux-ish style. I would love to have bunch more, they never disappoint, but they also never wow me. And at current pricing, I need to be wow-ed.

Pure speculation but with so many people on here saying they used to purchase, and few/none saying they still do… how much inventory are they sitting on at that price? I suppose it’s possible but I refuse to believe but a handful of these California wineries are selling through at this price.