2017 Kapcsandy 'Roberta's Reserve State Lane Vineyard' Napa Valley
Merlot doesn’t get much better than this. 95% Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc makes for a deeply intriguing wine with savory, aromatic intensity. 75% new French oak adds its own layer of interest in this elegant, expressive gem with incredible finesse and purity. This builds with time in the glass and promises a beautiful evolution in the cellar.
Lou Kapcsándy has seen it all in his 80 years. He was a freedom fighter in the Hungarian revolution of 1956, a refugee from the Soviets, served proudly in the US Army, and had a highly successful career as a chemical engineer before starting his own Bordeaux import company with his son Louis Jr. in 1999. Lou first came to the Napa Valley in the early 1960s, so when in 2000 Yountville’s State Lane Vineyard—the core of so many great Beringer Private Reserve wines—became available, he pounced. He replanted the vineyard to tighter spacing, hired the late Denis Malbec of Château Latour as a consultant, and one of the great wines of the Napa Valley was born.
Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc brought up in plenty of new barrels, the 2017 Roberta's Reserve has classic notes of black cherries, spring flowers, spicy incense, and dried earth. Seamless, elegant, with incredible finesse and purity, it has plenty of ripe tannins, notable structure, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's another wine that builds with time in the glass and is going to evolve beautifully.
Vinous
The 2017 Roberta's Reserve is a deeply intriguing wine, as it is quite marked by the 5% Cabernet Franc that is in the blend, and that adds savory aromatic intensity. The 2017 is persistent and also quite powerful today. It is also likely to require at least a few years in bottle to be at its most expressive and rewarding. Time in the glass brings out the Merlot on the mid-palate as well as the wine's inner sweetness.