Kapcsandy

State Lane Vineyard Rapszodia

Yountville

2017

Vintage

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV

14.2%

Peak 2023-2040

Where it is, November 2026

At Peak: inside the peak window (2023-2040), within the full drinking arc.

By 2026, this bottle sits well inside its peak window, which opened in 2023 and runs through 2040. At nine years old, the bright varietal aromatics should be fully open rather than still coiled, and the sweet herb, tobacco, and cedar notes that develop with bottle age are likely dominant alongside the red plum and mocha. There's no rush to drink through remaining bottles; the window stays open for well over another decade before any hard decline sets in around 2047.

The ‘17 State Lane Vineyard Rapszodia.

Kapcsandy's Rapszodia, 100% Cabernet Franc from State Lane Vineyard aged 20 months in new French oak, is at full peak in 2026 on a site that once supplied Beringer's Private Reserve Cabernet program.

Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) drinking timeline

Full drinking arcYou are here · at peak, 2026

Storage and bottle condition can shift the experience.

Full drinking arc 2021-2047Peak window 2023-2040

The peak window sits inside the broader full drinking arc.

Tasting note

Sight: a bright, still-vivid ruby-purple that hasn't yet shown much age at the rim. Nose: varietal Cabernet Franc aromatics jump from the glass, sweet herbs and tobacco leading over cedar, a brighter and more perfumed profile than a Cabernet Sauvignon-led wine would show. Palate: red plum and mocha carry the mid-palate, with the wine dazzling through a long, nuanced arc from first sip to finish rather than front-loading its fruit. Finish: the tobacco and cedar notes linger longest, a signature of the 20 months this wine spends in entirely new French oak before release.

The 2017 vintage

Wine Spectator scored the 2017 Napa Cabernet vintage 92 points, Outstanding, calling it "Napa's most difficult season in recent memory." A good growing season turned wickedly hot in early September with no cooling-off period, and the early-October North Bay wildfires that followed raised the risk of smoke exposure across the valley. That risk applied to every Yountville red block still on the vine that October, State Lane's Cabernet Franc included; no smoke-taint testing data for this specific wine is on file, so this account states the risk rather than resolving it either way.

About Kapcsandy

Lou Kapcsandy and his family bought State Lane Vineyard in Yountville in 2000, a site that had long supplied fruit for Beringer's Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon program before the family took it over. They replanted under the direction of Helen Turley and Jon Wetlaufer, the husband-and-wife team behind Sonoma's Marcassin Vineyard, who came on as consultants for the project. Rapszodia, Hungarian for "rhapsody," is the estate's Cabernet Franc-led wine within that program, made from 100% Cabernet Franc and aged 20 months in entirely new French oak, distinct from the winery's Cabernet Sauvignon-driven Grand Vin.

Pairing suggestions

Cellared suggestions based on the wine and dish descriptions.

Applewood-smoked duck breast

The wine's tobacco and cedar notes echo a smoke-finished preparation, and its red plum fruit balances duck's richness without a heavy sauce.

Herb-crusted rack of lamb

Sweet herb aromatics in the wine mirror an herb crust directly, while its bright varietal character keeps the lamb from tasting heavy.

Mushroom and cedar-plank flatbread

Mocha and cedar in the finish pair naturally with earthy mushroom and the dish's own cedar element without competing with the wine's structure.

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Frequently Asked

Why does the label say Cabernet Sauvignon in some listings but the wine is 100% Cabernet Franc?

Rapszodia is Kapcsandy's dedicated Cabernet Franc bottling, separate from the estate's Cabernet Sauvignon-driven Grand Vin.

How long should I decant a 2017 Rapszodia at this point in its life?

An hour is a reasonable target. At full peak and nine years old, the tannins have already integrated, so decanting here is mostly about letting the tobacco and cedar notes fully open rather than softening any remaining grip, unlike a younger vintage that would need a longer, more aggressive decant.

Is Rapszodia meant to age as long as Kapcsandy's flagship Grand Vin?

Not quite as long. The stored window here runs to a 2047 hard decline, and Cabernet Franc-led wines typically hold peak structure for a shorter stretch than Cabernet Sauvignon-based flagship bottlings. That's consistent with Rapszodia's role in the lineup: a brighter, more aromatic wine meant to be enjoyed a bit earlier in its life than the estate's most tannic bottling.

What pairing works best with this wine now that it's at peak rather than young?

Lean into the tobacco and cedar notes with something smoke-adjacent; a cedar-plank salmon won't work with a red this structured, but a dish finished over applewood, like a smoked pork chop, complements those notes better than a straightforward grilled preparation would at this stage of the wine's life.