Napa last day- Kapcsandy

WINE TALK
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I was able to schedule a visit at Kapcsandy for our last day. Our group could not have been more impressed with Lou and Kapcsandy. It is the cleanest winery I’ve ever seen and the cost and attention to detail are very apparent. The story of how the vineyard was replanted and the analysis that was done on the vineyard is fascinating. We moved into the tasting room and began to go through a progression of wines. We had a large group so I did not take detailed notes.

1995 Beringer State Lane Vineyard- this was a real treat. Wine is in very good shape and drinking well. Secondary flavors dominate but the fruit is holding up well and the tannins are integrated.

2009 Rose- wonderful complex dry Rose. Bought some on my order and for our picnic that day. Can be paired with a wide variety of food.

We then moved to the reds where the wines got progressivly better:

2003 State Lane Proprietary Red- was drinking well and a nice history lesson on how things started.

The 07 Endre and 08 are a great entry point to try Kapcsandy. Fruit driven, a bit of chocolate, balanced and approachable. The 08 was a little better, fuller and a touch more fruit but just as balanced. Very good.

The 06 and 07 Estate Cuvee- Black and red fruit, tobacco, sweet tannin and nice aciditity. The 07 was a step up . Just a touch more of everything. 06 very good. O7 very good to excellent.

We moved onto the Cabs and they just got better and better with each vintage. The complexity, balance and mouthfeel are stunning. Each one- 05, 06 ,07, and 08 are hands down the best Cabs I’ve had from each vintage. They are not over the top or too concentrated. Granted, I’ve not tasted most of the cults including some in my cellar yet but these really set the bar. The 07 and 08 are simply stunning and profound wines.

If that was not enough the 08 Roberta’s left us speechless. I could not believe how the wine rolled across your palate with riveting flavor and mouthfeel. The 3 08’s -Endre, Cabernet and Roberta’s should be a wake up call if you missed the 07’s.

The top 3 wines left us speechless and Lou’s generosity spoiled us for the rest of the day and was without a doubt the hit of our trip. We had very high hopes for the tasting and our visit exceeded all of them.

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Fred, thanks for posting. I am going to be visiting Kapcsandy on Friday afternoon next week. Every single review I’ve read on such visits has been absoutely stellar. I am very much looking forward to experiencing the Kapcsandy tour and tasting myself.

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Mike- you will not be disappointed and please report back your thoughts. The reports you read are all true.

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Kapcsandy has been and still is one of my top Napa wine’s and on my dwindling MUST BUY list every year.

Glad it was a great experience.

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Fred,

I visited Kapcsandy on Thursday and had the same exact experience. I could not believe how clean the winery was and how good there wines were. Also the 2007 Vino Del Sol which is their port wine was also very good.

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Someone who would know told me yesterday that the recently blended 09 Grand Vin is the best wine he has ever had from the estate. Sheesh!
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The port was very good. Picked up a bottle. What did you think of Lamborn ?

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Like you - I did the tour - the attention to detail is about as good as I have seen - it is clear to me the effort is there to make great wine.

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If the 2007 was 100 points, the 2008 as good or better - and the 2009 the best yet…must be truly amazing juice!!

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Just got email confirmation from Wendy that my 2006 Roberta’s Mags will be shipped today…part of their special summer release (incase anyone else ordered and has been waiting).

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Just back from my first trip to Napa in 15 years. We (my wife and two other couples) were fortunate to spend Wednesday morning with Lou at Kapcsandy. To say that we were impressed with Lou, his unbelieveably clean surroundings and his fantastic line-up of world-class wines would be the understatement of the year. We drank through the entire line-up and when we returned on Friday morning to pick-up our purchases we arrived just as the merlot harvest was being sorted and were able to view the entire selection process. It was absolutely amazing and thrilling to have such an up-close look at the proceedings. I will have a complete review on my blog with lots of pictures by the end of the week but I just wanted to re-iterate what others have said. You can NOT go to Napa without contacting Lou and arranging a visit.

Thak you, Lou, you helped make it a memorable trip! [cheers.gif]

Frank Nerney
South Jersey Wine & Dine
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Good to hear Frank and great write up on your blog. Our visit with Lou set the bar for us as well. I think the 08’s are going to go quickly based on the wines we tasted and other early reports.