100 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:"Another perfect wine (identical to the 2007) is the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard. Composed of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (430 cases produced), this is an exquisite wine of great precision and profound concentration and complexity. It possesses an inky/purple color in addition to an ethereal nose of cassis, chocolate, burning embers, espresso and forest floor. Sweet tannins, a multidimensional mouthfeel, full-bodied power and good structure as well as freshness make for a prodigious example of wine that will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring, but will keep for 25-30 years. This is an awesome effort, particularly after what the Kapcsandy family achieved in 2007."
As I have written many times over the last several years, the Kapcsandy estate, which is essentially the old Beringer State Lane Vineyard in Yountville resurrected under the perfectionist philosophy of Lou Kapcsandy, his son, Louis, and wife, Bobbi, is about as good a news story as one can find in Napa Valley. The vineyard, planted with very tight spacing and a north/south exposition by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, is impressive in its own right. Yet what the Kapcsandys have done with the fruit from that vineyard with assistance from their consultant, the Pauillac-born Denis Malbec, is nothing short of remarkable. Moreover, they have done it in less than a decade, which proves that fortunes can be made quickly, provided there are three ingredients – incredibly hard work, lots of talent, and a super terroir. These can indeed propel an estate to the stratosphere in less than a decade. The basic second wine of lots culled out from their three top cuvees is called Endre. This is a very good effort as the two most recent vintages suggest. There are three cuvees made from Kapcsandy’s State Lane Vineyard. The Estate Cuvee is generally composed of equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blended with tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The Roberta’s Reserve, which is named after Lou Kapcsandy’s wife, Bobbi, is their Pomerol-styled Merlot-based wine that usually contains at least 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is a northern Medoc-styled offering usually containing 85% or more Cabernet Sauvignon blended with tiny portions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This estate has duplicated their extraordinary success with the 2007s with very great 2008s. The 2009s from the Kapcsandy’s 15.5-acre State Lane Vineyard are the result of a slightly cooler, larger yielding year. - Robert Parker (Dec 2010)
94+ Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:"Bright
medium ruby. Crushed cassis, blackberry, bitter chocolate and menthol
on the nose, along with a pronounced rocky minerality. Densely packed
and energetic, with powerful dark berry, crushed stone and saline
flavors enlivened by a lavender element. Finishes very long and firm.
This uncompromisingly dry wine shut down in the glass and gives every
sign of needing a good eight to ten years of cellaring." - Stephen
Tanzer (May/June '11)
94 Points - James Suckling:"Notes of blueberry and cassis on the nose and palate. This is chewy and rich, a full bodied with hints of minerals, mint, and spices. Don't touch this for five or six years. This could match up with the 2007. Will be released February 2011. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot. 430 cases."
93 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:"Complex and well-structured, with sour cherry, wild berry, cedar, lead pencil and tobacco, Bordeaux-like in its structure, balance and mix of flavors, with a nice aftertaste. Needs time. Best from 2013 through 2023. 430 cases made." –JL (Nov 15, 2011)
92 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine:"Dense, dry and ripe, this is a Cabernet to lay down. It’s really tough and gritty in tannins, but solid in wild blackberry, cherry and herb flavors. A powerful young Cabernet that needs 6–8 years to come around." — S.H. (6/1/2011)
