"As I wrote last year, this is a fabulous success story, and one
of the reasons why the wine world can be so exciting...they seem to
combine the best of French savoir faire (thanks to Denis Malbec and the
proprietor’s love of French wine) with the extraordinary ripe, pure
fruit grown in well-tended Napa Valley vineyards." -Robert
Parker
Dear Oenophile,
I'm in a feisty mood today and throwing down the gauntlet a little and
saying that Kapcsandy Winery is one of Napa Valley's GREATEST Cabernet
Sauvignons. It's also one of its greatest unabashedly Bordeaux-styled
wines (think Haut Brion). When I drink a young, top Bordeaux like
Latour, or HB, or Leoville Las Cases, I never cease to be amazed at the
sheer intensity and tightly-wound flavors...the complexity and depth
that is hidden, waiting to be unleased. Kapcsandy wines are just like
that.
For those not in the know, Lou Kapcsandy bought the legendary State
Lane Vineyard, once a great source for Beringer Private Reserve.
He hired Helen Turley to replant the vineyard and make the first
vintage. He has thrown everything at this project to make it one of
Napa's greatest wines, and he is in my mind succeeding brilliantly
(100 points from Parker ain't shabby, either). The winemaker
is Denis Malbec, former winemaker at Chateau Latour (as was
his father).
This
is the initial release from the tremendous 2007 vintage. It is destined
for greatness!
2007 KAPCSANDY ESTATE CUVEE State Lane Vineyard $134.99 RP96
Buy 6 or more, take 5% off, pay $128.25!
Very limited, only 36 bottles to sell!
RP96: "The 2007 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard (a
750-case blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, and the rest
Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) boasts an inky/plum/purple color as
well as a complex bouquet of melted licorice, chocolate, creme de
cassis, mocha, and sweet forest floor aromas. Full-bodied and layered
with exquisite purity, texture, and length, this large-scaled offering
reveals a supple texture along with 20-25 years of drinkability. It is a
seductive yet extraordinarily complex wine that should prove to be a
future super-star."
Small Collection of Beringer and Mondavi
2002 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Marston Vineyard 1 x 750mL -- $65 WA90
1984 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 1 x 750mL -- $85 WS94
1992 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 7 x 750mL -- $89 WA96, WS95
1998 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon State Lane Vineyard 1 x 750mL -- $49 WA88
1976 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1 x 750mL -- $65 (vts,
bsl)
1978 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1 x 750mL -- $65 (ltl,
bsl)
1992 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 12 x 750mL -- $49 WA92, WS91
(bn)
1977 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 8 x 750mL -- $109 (bn)
1982 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 8 x 750mL -- $89 WS95 (cc)
1983 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 10 x 750mL -- $65 WS91 (bn,
scc)
1984 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 6 x 750mL -- $59 (bn, scc)
1985 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 4 x 750mL -- $79 WS95 (bn,
scc)
1988 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 11 x 750mL -- $59 WS91 (bn)
1992 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 12 x 750mL -- $79 WA92, WS91
2001 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 10 x 750mL -- $89 WA94, ST94,
WS94
1999 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Stag`s Leap District 4 x 750mL -- $42
WS92
2001 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Stag`s Leap District 2 x 750mL -- $49
WA92, ST92
2001 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard 1 x 750mL -- $109
ST95
1993 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered Napa Valley 1 x 750mL --
$29
