SWIRL WINE BROKERS® Kapcsandy Family Winery Estate Cuvee 2014 (Yountville, Napa Valley, California) – [JD 97] [JS 96] [AG 95+] [RP 93] – 6046277763231

---

Notes from the Winemaker:
Louis Kapcsandy Sr. has led a remarkable life. Arriving in the U.S. as an Hungarian refuge in the 1960s, he is a self-made American success story, as well as a retired Professional NFL player. His chemical engineering background was the foundation upon which he built a very successful construction company, but also continues to play a significant role in his vast knowledge of soil analysis, vine health and vinification. In 2001, his lifelong passion for wine turned into reality with the purchase and replanting of the famed Berringer State Lane Vineyard in Yountville. Along with his wife and son, and consulting winemaker Denis Malbec (Chateau Latour) they are making modern Cabernets with an old world finesse, and leading the charge towards producing legendary wines with lower alcohols and a nod to the wines of decades past.

This wine is a Bordeaux-style blend that is energetic and harmonious with silky smooth tannins.

Barrel Age: :Aged 20 months in 80% new French oak, 15% second fill French, and 5% new Hungarian oak.
Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 13.8%

---

97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck:
“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.” (Dec 2017)

96 Points – James Suckling:
“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.” (May 2017)

95+ Points – Antonio Galloni:
“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.” – Antonio Galloni (Dec 2016)

93 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate:
“The 2014s were also harvested early at Kapcsándy, largely finished before the end of September, much like 2015. The one difference is that 2015 was a tiny crop, with significantly less production than 2014, which was generous as well as early. The 2014 Estate Cuvée State Lane Vineyard is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 9% Petit Verdot aged in 80% new French oak. It is soft, round, juicy, front-end loaded, sexy and lush. The wine’s gentle tannins and overall plush, forward style with chocolate and blackcurrants in abundance, as well as a touch of oak, make for a sensual wine to drink over the next 15 or more years. To give an example of how big 2014 was compared to 2015, there are 450 cases of this cuvée made in 2015 and 730 in 2014.” – Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Oct 2016)