2017 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

AppellationYountville, Napa Valley
Barrel Age20 months in 55% new French oak – 9% new Hungarian oak - 36% second fill French oak
Blend89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot
Alcohol14.2%

96+ points - Jeb Dunnuck - January 2020 

“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée is deeply colored and has a Bordeaux-like bouquet of blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and spring flowers that has both richness and complexity. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it stays firmly in the elegant style of the vintage with plenty silky tannins, good acidity, and a great finish.”

94 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous - January 2020

"The 2017 Estate Cuvée has turned out beautifully... the 2017 will, uncharacteristically, drink well pretty much upon release. In 2017, the Estate is a bit broader and richer than it usually is, but all of the elements are in the right place. To be sure, the natural richness of 2017 is evident, but at the same time Lou and Louis Kapcsándy have done a terrific job in avoiding the hard tannins that are found in so many wines. Tobacco, cedar, leather, smoke, licorice and incense add to a feeling of gravitas and pure power. This is an impressive showing."

93  points - Robert Parker's Wine  Advocate - Lisa Perrotti-Brown - October 2020

"The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée...has a deep garnet-purple color, it strolls nonchalantly out of the glass with forward notes of baked black cherries, mulberries and warm cassis plus wafts of lilacs, cinnamon stick, cedar chest and clove oil. Medium  to full-bodied, the palate rolls easily over the tongue with gregarious black and blue fruits plus a fragrant, floral edge and plush tannins, finishing with plenty of freshness and spicy kick."

2015 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

97
POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck, December 2017

The 2015 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard is the Margaux of the lineup with its perfumed floral, spice-box, black cherry and currant-driven aromas and flavors. It has an understated elegance, full-bodied richness, a beautiful sweetness of fruit, and a supple, sexy texture that makes it already impossible to resist. Showing a kiss of oak on the finish, give bottle 3-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

2015 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

95
POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Parker's Wine Advocate - December 2017

A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is scented of fresh black currants, cherries and mulberries with touches of Provence herbs, lavender, wild blueberries, anise and cedar chest. Medium-bodied, finely crafted, very elegant and fresh, the palate offers vivacious red and black fruits with a savory undercurrent and supple texture, finishing on a spicy note.

2014 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

97
POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck - December 2017

From a vintage loved by the estate (they consider 2015 more California in style and 2014 more Bordeaux-like), the 2014 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard is another beautiful wine from Kapcsandy. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot brought up in 80% new French oak, it offers an elegant, seamless style as well as classic Cabernet note of blackcurrants, spice-box, dried earth-like minerality and background oak. With full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges and a beautiful sweetness to its fruit, enjoy this beauty anytime over the coming 20 years.

 

2014 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

96
POINTS

James Suckling - May 2017

Very fresh aromas of violets, stones and sweet tobacco follow through to a medium body, fine and integrated tannins and a beautiful finish. Undertones of walnuts. A super 2014. Elegant yet structured. Drink or hold.

2014 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

95+
POINTS

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - December 2016

The 2014 Estate Cuvée is vibrant, intense and beautifully delineated. Super-expressive aromatics and finessed tannins give the 2014 its exceptional balance. Tasted next to the 2013, the 2014 feels like it has more freshness, brighter acidity and a bit more energy as well, which may be partly attributable to the slightly higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and a touch less new oak as well. That is of course splitting hairs, as both wines are superb, but I find the energy, tension and vibrancy here absolutely compelling.

2013 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

97
POINTS

Robert Parker, Jr.  – October 2016

A classic, almost Médoc-like blend offers up notes of forest floor, blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, a touch of barrique, a saturated purple color, and, once past the gorgeous aromatics, a wine of phenomenal intensity, spectacular texture, length and overall balance. Look for it to evolve for 30 or more years. 

 

2013 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

96
POINTS

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - October 2015

The 2013 Estate Cuvée is dark, powerful and explosive, but also super-refined. Floral and spice notes appear first, followed by a host of balsamic-inflected overtones. Beams of tannin and acidity give the wine much of its energy, but the Estate Cuvée is, above all else, a wine of exquisite purity and finesse. I will not be surprised to see the 2013 show even better in another few years. With time in the glass, the 2013 fleshes out a touch, but the best is yet to come. The blend is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

 

2017 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

96+
POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck - January 2020

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée is deeply colored and has a Bordeaux-like bouquet of blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and spring flowers that has both richness and complexity. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it stays firmly in the elegant style of the vintage with plenty silky tannins, good acidity, and a great finish.

2017 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

94
POINTS

Antonio Galloni , Vinous - January 2020

The 2017 Estate Cuvée has turned out beautifully. Rich, smoky and inviting, the 2017 will, uncharacteristically, drink well pretty much upon release. In 2017, the Estate is a bit broader and richer than it usually is, but all of the elements are in the right place. To be sure, the natural richness of 2017 is evident, but at the same time Lou and Louis Kapcsándy have done a terrific job in avoiding the hard tannins that are found in so many wines. Tobacco, cedar, leather, smoke, licorice and incense add to a feeling of gravitas and pure power. This is an impressive showing.

2012 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

96
POINTS

Robert Parker, Jr. - October 2015

The 2012 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard, which is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot aged in a combination of mostly new French oak, but some Hungarian oak as well, represents 1,190 cases, or 50% of the production from their estate vineyard. This wine shows beautiful floral notes along with hints of earth, chocolate, espresso, licorice and blackcurrants. It is elegant, medium to full-bodied, with impressive purity, texture and length. The wine shows relatively sweet tannin, but then so do most of the top 2012s. It should drink nicely for 15-20 more years. 

2007 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

96
POINTS

Robert Parker, Jr. - October 2009

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.

2016 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

95
POINTS

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - December 2018

“The 2016 Estate Cuvée has turned out beautifully. Pliant, supple and inviting, the 2016 Estate Cuvée is one of the most refined wines I have tasted from Kapcsándy. Silky tannins and lifted, savory aromatics add to an impression of polish. The Cabernet Sauvignon savory notes are quite prominent, while the addition of 16% Roberta's Merlot helps fill out the mid-palate beautifully. This is such a pretty wine.”

2016 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

95
POINTS

JebDunnuck.com - January 2019

“The 2016 Estate Cuvee checks in as a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Merlot brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. This deeply colored beauty has impressive black cherries, currants, scorched earth, graphite, and subtle background oak, with ample richness and depth. It's rich, layered, has beautiful tannins, and an elegant style on the palate, yet it certainly has plenty of concentration. It will be better with a year or two of bottle age and is going to evolve gracefully.”

2016 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

94
POINTS

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate - October 2018 

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée is deep garnet-purple colored with a wonderfully spicy nose giving up notes of Chinese five spice, eucalyptus and dark chocolate with a core of crème de cassis, mincemeat pie and Christmas cake plus a waft of potpourri. Medium-bodied with lovely velvety tannins and great freshness supporting the generous fruit, it finishes long and exotic. Delicious now but will cellar!”

2011 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

95+
POINTS

Antonio Galloni, Vinous - November 2013

The 2011 Estate Cuvee is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Sweet tobacco, wild flowers, mint, licorice, fennel and mint all meld together in a perfumed, gracious wine graced with stunning elegance and refinement. The 2011 is less obvious than either the 2010 or 2012, but it is more fragrant and perfumed. Clean, saline notes support the striking finish. The blend is 56% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

 

2006 Estate Cuvée - Cabernet Sauvignon

93+
POINTS

Robert Parker, Jr. - October 2009

The 2006 Estate Cuvee State Lane Vineyard (a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc) possesses a dark plum/purple color as well as notes of roasted coffee, cocoa, chocolate, black currants, sweet cherries, and subtle oak. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, layered, intense, pure, and long, it is approachable now, but promises to drink well for two decades or more.

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