The 2009 Roberta’s Reserve shows quite a bit more intensity, length and focus than the 2008 I tasted alongside it. Dark red fruit, flowers, licorice and new leather are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. The 2009 boasts incredible depth and centeredness from start to finish. There is a crystalline purity and richness in the 2009 that is hugely appealing. The 2009 is 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc that spent 20 months in French oak, 80% new. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. (Not yet released)Inspired by the great classic Napa Valley Cabernets of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Lou Kapcsandy set out to recapture that glory when he and his family purchased the State Lane Vineyard in Yountville in 2000. State Lane had previously been a source of fruit for Beringer’s State Lane and Private Reserve Cabernet bottlings. The vineyard was destroyed by phylloxera in 1999 and replanted in 2001 by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer. Kapcsandy is a family affair, with Lou’s son Louis and wife Bobbi both deeply involved in the day to day running of the winery. Denis Malbec is the consulting oenologist.Tel. (707) 948-3100