I agree with you 100 percent. Despite my first love in wine being the Cali cab; I learned quickly that for my palate, I preferred the elegance of Bordeaux over the fruit of Napa. The ratio of Bdx to Cali cabs in my cellar is now 90/10 (90 = BDX) and Kapcsandy is a big portion of the Cali. I find them to be elegant, well balanced and just plain delicious. To me, they are the first growth of Napa (without the long term track record). I enjoy the Grand Vin and Robertas just as much, if not more than any Bordeaux, including first growth (I’ve never had Petrus). I’m a fan of Lou, Luis and Wendy and I’m just as big of a fan of their wines. Days of buying the 04 Kapcsandy at $85 are long gone, but the Grand Vin is still a better deal than most high end BDX hitting the market today.
I tried to explain the differences in our wines in my post #6 below.
Let me try again.
In 2000 we purchased the vineyard in Yountville, CA in the heart of Napa Valley that was the home for the Beringer Estate Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. It was known as the State Lane Vineyard.
We kept the name State Lane Vineyard and we currently offer the following Kapcsandy Family wines, all with the State Lane Vineyard designation. All of our wines are estate grown and bottled. The wines are hand crafted to lower alcohol levels than most Napa Valley red wines (14.5% or less). The Vino del Sol is a Port style desert wine and is fortified with grape brandy to 17.6% alcohol.
2008 State Lane Vineyard Endre (51% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot – 16% Cabernet Franc – 8% Petit Verdot) Classical Napa Valley style from the 1960-1970’s crafted with modern techniques.
2008 State Lane Vineyard Estate Cuvee (68% Cabernet Sauvignon – 22% Merlot – 5% Cabernet Franc – 5% Petit Verdot) Robert Parker compared this more to a Graves/Pessac-Leognan style, wine like a Ch. Haut-Brion and Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion.
2008 State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon-Grand Vin (87% Cabernet Sauvignon - 5% Merlot – 5% Cabernet Franc - 3% Petit Verdot) Robert Parker said that this drinks more like a First Growth from Pauillac, like Ch. Latour.
2008 State Lane Vineyard Roberta’s Reserve (96% Merlot – 4% Cabernet Franc) Pomerol style wine like Ch. Petrus and Ch. Le Pin. Robert Parker called this the best Merlot based wine produced in the new world.
2008 State Lane Vineyard Vino del Sol (47% Cabernet Sauvignon – 34% Merlot – 16% Cabernet Franc – 3% Petit Verdot) Port style dessert wine fortified with grape brandy with lots of fruit and freshness.
2009 State Lane Vineyard Rosé (63% Cabernet Sauvignon – 25% Merlot – 8% Cabernet Franc – 4% Petit Verdot) Saignée style full-bodied completely dry Bordeaux wine with complexity, freshness and a long finish.
FWIW, here’s my tasting note on my first Kapcsandy experience
“opened on Thursday, tasted (yikes, this is young!) and re-corked for Saturday’s Christmas dinner. Let me begin by saying this is the finest North American wine I’ve ever had, and I’ve had lots. Shafer, not even close. Araujo, whatever. Abreu, Colgin, etc., nah. This wine is like one of the first dates you ever had, with the girl you just knew was for you; when you knew in your heart that the feelings would run deep, and the experience was one you’d never forget. A medium-weight entry gives way to a full-bodied, sophisticated and regal mouthfeel. It’s as if this wine weighs nothing and is as dense as a star, all in the same moment. The structure and blend (they nailed it) is fit not for kings or gods, but for the purest of the pure. The chosen. Loving, caressing, layered in purity and focus. This is worth every penny, and then some. Highly recommended. Drink thru 2030, approx $135, 14,1% abv (2844 views)”
I’ll be out there in a month, so I think this is a good time to schedule a visit with Lou and see the vineyards.
I have 3 left (2007 Cuvèe) that I dream about. Often.
We had this wine in 750 the night our adopted son arrived. It was such a harried and surreal day, for more reasons than simply the arrival of our 19 m/o Solomon, that I felt scrutinizing the wine would be a fool’s errand. We loved the wine for its structure and mouthfeel but both Melinda and I felt like we might have over-decanted the bottle at 5 hours. I can’t wait to have one with 10-12 years of bottle age on the wine.