2007 Kapcsàndy Merlot State Lane Vineyard Roberta's Reserve
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Tasting notes
Healthy medium ruby. Scented aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice, graphite and violet; in contrast to the '07 Grand Vin, this wine is beginning to unclench on the nose. Dense, suave, pliant and utterly seamless, with its remarkably deep dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors communicating a distinctly primary character. Beautifully integrated acidity and a repeating floral quality contribute verve to the middle palate. Spreads out horizontally to saturate the entire palate and front teeth on the building finish. A great showing today--in fact, this is really the first wine of the tasting that I would not hesitate to drink now, but I'd still give the bottle a bit of aeration first. (14.6% alcohol; 100% new French oak)
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Composed of 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc aged 18 months in 100% new French oak, the 2007 Roberta's Reserve State Lane Vineyard is very deep garnet with hint of brick. It has an incredible Christmas pudding, dusty soil and stewed plums nose with a core of incense, Black Forest cake and cigar box with wafts of potpourri and cardamom. The palate is full-bodied, rich and plush, with a pleasant herbal lift to the long spicy finish. 100 cases were made.
Medium ruby. Aromas of crushed blackberry and blueberry show a slightly liqueur-like quality. Then remarkably suave, energetic and light on its feet; more open-knit than the Grand Vin Cabernet yet still with outstanding detail and definition. The small Cabernet Franc component adds a hint of floral lift to the middle palate. Very sappy but utterly edge-free. Substantial, rather powerful tannins emerge late and saturate the mouth and teeth. This extremely long wine still needs time to fully harmonize.
(merlot with 8% cabernet franc; just 100 cases made) Good deep red-ruby. Compelling nose combines cassis, blackberry, licorice, tropical dark chocolate, orange peel and violet. Then broad, round and sweet in the way of a top Pomerol but with terrific inner-palate lift and minerality. This wonderfully fine-grained and utterly palate-saturating wine finishes with outstanding breadth and rising persistence. A great Napa Valley merlot, but there are just 100 cases of this elixir, the lowest quantity to date, due to strict selection of the merlot in 2007.