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Staff Favorites

If you’re going to have Robert Parker or Stephen Tanzer over for dinner, selecting a wine they’ve rated highly will be a nice choice. However, when you’re buying wines for yourself, we’d love to see you find wines that match up your unique palate and pocketbook. We have a large staff of friendly and knowledgeable wine professionals that taste hundreds of wines each week. They can put you in touch with bottles that you are likely to love, often at a much lower cost than the highly-rated gems that often see a run-up in price and frequent availability issues. Like any great group of opinionated professionals, our staff has varied tastes themselves. Often our customers will find a particular staff member with a style that corresponds to their own. That concept works extremely well in our retail stores, and this section is our effort to bring you the same online. Don’t get us wrong, we love the highly rated wines from the press and will continue to offer them, but we think you’re missing out if you’re not augmenting those selections with picks from our excellent staff. Here are their favorites. (Click on a name to see their other selections - or to drop them a line.) Cheers!


Reviews

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2010 Alta Maria Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
 By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 5/2/2013 | Send Email
  I have a regular customer who is always looking for great values in California Pinot Noir in the $15 to $25 range. I sent her home with one bottle of the 2010 Alta Maria Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir and a week later she bought a case. Try it yourself and you will understand why. Intriguingly spicy nose with hints of nutmeg and allspice. Sweet black cherry and tart cranberry notes. Rich, ripe, and round, this is a generous but supremely balanced effort. Great wine. Great price. What's not to love?
Price: $23.99 Add To Cart W&S 90
2010 Domaine des Niales Rhedon-Marin Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes
 By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 5/2/2013 | Send Email
  The Mâconnais district is well known as a great source of value-priced white Burgundy, but the 2010 Domaine des Niales Rhedon-Marin Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes may very well be one of the best Chardonnays under $15 in the store right now regardless of region of origin. 2010 was a superb vintage for white wines in Burgundy, very classic, and this Mâcon-Villages does not disappoint. Wonderfully mineral in character with hints of wet stone and earth. Bright, fresh citrus notes. Round and smooth textured with surprising concentration and persistence. An extraordinary value at a mere $12.99.
Price: $12.99 Add To Cart
2011 Laetitia Estate Arroyo Grande Valley Pinot Noir
 By: Christie Cartwright | Review Date: 5/2/2013 | Send Email
  This 100% Estate Pinot Noir is nothing less than a pure expression of the cool central coast climate and near perfect growing conditions producing classic Pinot for an insanely good price! Bright ripe cherry fruit with a touch of spice on the nose with a supple and delicate texture on the mid palate, finishing strong with great acidity and structure making this wine both drinkable with or without food. This is my new crowd pleaser pinot!
Price: $22.99 Add To Cart
2010 Maison Jacques Bavard Auxey-Duresses "les Clous" --Returning Mid-June 2013
 By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
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  Basically Premier Cru Meursault at a fraction of the cost. Beautiful richness and length with out being overly extracted and ripe. White oak, spice, verve and life. Broad and decadent on the mid-palate but focused through the finish with wonderful acidity. The lack of batonage really helps this wine stay precise and linear. Excellent stuff!
Price: $26.99 Add To Cart
2010 Maison Jacques Bavard Auxey-Duresses Rouge
 By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
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  A beautiful expressive, elegant pinot from Bavard. Has some relationshp to his ever favorite Monthelie Rouge but is a little lighter in weight and I think more approachable as a very young wine. Red fruited with great spice, energy and brightness. Very food friendly with lighter grilled meats.
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart
2010 Alta Maria Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
 By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
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  Great Pinot from one of my favorite vineyards in CA, Bian Nacido. This wine has a great balance of rich fruit and concentration but has an element of restraint from its cooler climate origins. A touch of spicy oak rounds out the tannins and makes this wine a great early drinker.
Price: $23.99 Add To Cart W&S 90
Bruno Michel "Blanche" Brut Champagne
 By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
  I am just one in a long line of staff members at K&L to fall head over heels for this wine. It is the balance of mienral freshness with the pure and elegant fruit qualities that really set this wine apart. Great for the wine geek, and any sort of setting. Really delicious.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart
2012 Cibonne Tentations Côtes de Provence Rosé
 By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
  Clos Cibonne is perhaps one of the most prestigious and sought after rosés from Provence that we proudly have in stock (luckily, as there are only very few produced. The Tentations is as good as it gets in Provence. And for half the price of some other famous ones with funny shaped bottles...
Price: $18.99 Add To Cart
2010 Mount Eden "Wolff Vineyard" Edna Valley Chardonnay
 By: Jim Boyce | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
  Although we've brought in less cases than usual during the last couple vintages, this wine has been both a staff and customer favorite for some time. The 2010 makes a strong return with an outstanding wine. Green apple, citrus, and pear dominate the rounder, fruit forward palate that has just enough acid to really keep the fruit in check. This is a very well rounded chardonnay that easily please any wine crowd.
Price: $18.99 Add To Cart
2011 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir Cheviot Hills New Zealand
 By: Jim Boyce | Review Date: 4/30/2013 | Send Email
  This is a great new Pinot from an up and coming area in New Zealand! Bright raspberry, black cherry, and great wood spice and tanins. Absolutely delicious and drinking well right now. All for $20 makes this wine tough to pass up!
Top Value!
Price: $19.99 Add To Cart
2010 Saarloos & Sons "Hers" Santa Ynez Valley Grenache Blanc
 By: Jim Boyce | Review Date: 4/29/2013 | Send Email
  Visit Saarloos & Sons immediately, enough said! We had a great time with the Saarloos brothers as we learned some family history and drank some kick ass wines! Check out the website to watch the great videos from the vineyards and see a really fun side of winemaking. This Grenache Blanc was a great wine, round and fresh with pear and citrus and acidity lending great balance to the wine.
Top Value!
Price: $26.99 Add To Cart
James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml
 By: Mahon McGrath | Review Date: 4/29/2013 | Send Email
  Surprisingly sweet and round, with lemon, mandarin peel, and pine contrasting toasted almond, marshmallow, and vanilla, there is a solid depth of flavor here for a two year old rye. That being said, if you plan to make a Manhattan or some similar creation, go with a lighter sweet vermouth and be chary with it. I find this works best for my palate in cocktails with just a few small additions. As an aside, it is refreshing to see that the bottle's legend freely admits to the whiskey being from sourced barrels, while the label's own distillates are coming of age.
Price: $23.99 Add To Cart
Old Forester Bourbon 86 Proof 750ml
 By: Mahon McGrath | Review Date: 4/29/2013 | Send Email
  Not every whiskey needs to be pondered. Sometimes, you just want something enjoyable that you can splash liberally about. For under twenty dollars, this delivers. Robust without being heavy, this Bourbon ranges from dried fruit, crème anglais, pecan and nougat, through to cinnamon, allspice, and cedar. While you could nit-pick this or that aspect, overall, I find this quite easy to enjoy just on its own, straight up. Nicely done!
Price: $16.99 Add To Cart WE 92
2010 Hey Mambo "Sultry Red" Red Blend
 By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 4/29/2013 | Send Email
  A perfect kind of wine for those wanting to have a lot of fun!
Price: $9.99 Add To Cart
2009 La Lagune, Haut-Médoc
 By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | Review Date: 4/29/2013 | Send Email
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  The high proportion of Petit Verdot really lifts this wine. Tons of black licorice on the nose and palate. Lush wine, but it has good grip. Fresh and vibrant. I love this wine-it is so pure and seamless.
Price: $69.99 Add To Cart WS 93-  96 RP 95 ST 89-  92
2005 Guiborat Fils Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
 By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
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  This is a great new arrival that has the classic minerality and acidity of Blanc de Blanc Brut but, it also has interesting lemon curd nuance and a good dose of cream mid-palate. It will also age very well over the next 6+ years if you are so inclined. A great bubbly at a wroth-every-penny price.
Price: $59.99 Add To Cart
2002 Thienot "La Vigne aux Gamins" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
  Last night at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga we drank a full 1% of the entire production of the single vineyard Thienot La Vigne Aux Gamins Blanc De Blancs Brut Champagne. The packed room was thrilled to get a chance to enjoy such a rarity with Garance Thienot and I am glad that there is still a little bit of the California allocation left to sell! This spectacular Avize Chardonnay has the exotic fruit that only a very old, well exposed vineyard can give and depth of chalky grip that comes from purest of Belmnita soils. It was a profound pairing with the Alaskan halibut course and it was worth feeling a little less than bright eyed today to drink my share of this great Champagne! Get it while you can- it won't take many more nights like last night to drain all the bottles in the state!
Drink from 2013 to 2042
Price: $149.00 Add To Cart
2006 Thienot "Cuvee Garance" Blanc de Rouges Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
  Even a guy as lucky as me doesn't get the chance to drink a bottle of Champagne at dinner with the woman it was named after very often! Last night Garance Thienot hosted a spectacular dinner at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga, and poured her 2006 Thienot Cuvee Garance Blanc De Rouges. This is an exceptional all Pinot Champagne that has the full flavor that one would expect, but a level of elegance uncommon in even the lightest of blanc de blancs. This wine was spectacular with the Diamond T Quail with brioche and dried apricots and I can't wait to try it again with some pate!
Drink from 2013 to 2026
Price: $99.00 Add To Cart
1999 Thienot "Cuvee Alain Thienot" Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
  Maturity is a must for me in any wine that would be called great. If a wine hasn't had the time, it can only be potentially great! The 1999 Thienot Cuvee Alain Thienot has been given the time to develop, and last night at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga was a great moment to drink it. This Champagne had so much complexity and depth, but didn't become overwrought or heavy in any way. It was spectacular with the Berkshire pork belly with pickled red onion and spinach as the fatty richness of the pig brought out the mineral edge of this round wine. This is a great bottle for the most special of occasions!
Drink from 2013 to 2019
Price: $99.00 Add To Cart
2005 Thienot "Cuvee Stanislas" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
  This classic blanc de blancs is so full of chalky drive and kissed with lovely white flower perfume that I had a hard time putting the glass down last night at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga. I loved the pairing of this Champagne with lightly smoked trout and white sturgeon caviar that Chef Peter Armellino had prepared as it brought out the complexity and depth in this amazingly refreshing Champagne.
Drink from 2013 to 2025
Price: $99.00 Add To Cart
Thienot Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/27/2013 | Send Email
  Last night I was lucky enough to be invited by Garance Thienot to the Plumed Horse in Saratoga for an incredible Champagne dinner. I hadn't been to this restaurant in more than a decade and the story about it being the biggest fine dining remodel in all of Silicon Valley must be true- it was amazing inside. We started the dinner off with this rich, full bodied, toasty Champagne that still had the snap to make a great aperitif. What a tasty wine!
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart WS 91 ST 90
2006 Massolino Barolo
 By: Greg St. Clair | Review Date: 4/26/2013 | Send Email
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  Massolino produces classically styled Barolo from Serralunga, the most robust and brawny of the Barolo communes. This 2001 is perfectly balanced and from a tremendous vintage, however this wine is in its hibernation period, another 5 years in your cellar will launch it into the I'm ready to drink stage. Have patience the price is tremendous and it will be worth the wait!
Drink from 2018 to 2030
Price: $29.99 Add To Cart WS 92 RP 90
2011 La Gironda "La Lippa" Barbera d'Asti
 By: Chris Miller | Review Date: 4/26/2013 | Send Email
  I love this wine. Many of the Barberas these days are getting a little too serious; big, dark, extracted, overtly rich and a little to a lot of oak spice. This is what I think of when I think of Barbera however; sweet, bouncy cherry fruit, with hints of cola, sweet herbs and woodsy spice. It's so zesty and refreshing, it's hard not to gulp it. Lovely on it's own or with some lighter fare. When the temps start getting over the 90 mark, put this in the fridge for about a half hour before you pop it to accentuate it's snap. CM
Price: $14.99 Add To Cart
2008 Cantine Ascheri Barolo
 By: Chris Miller | Review Date: 4/26/2013 | Send Email
  I worked with the 2006 vintage of this wine and was just stunned by the price to quality ratio. I mean, gorgeous, complex, very traditonal leaning but still juicy and round, well structured but velvety Barolo for 30 dollars? I bought all I could when I got last call on it, enough that I missed out on the 2007 vintage. The importer assured me however that the 2008 was the best of the three vintages. Naturally, that's what all importers say about the current vintage. But I went ahead and took his word for it and brought in an initial five cases then popped a bottle to see if he was right. wow, Wow, WOW!!! Was he right indeed! Much like the 2006 but with even more sweet fruit and stuffing on the mid palate. Perfectly ripe tannins and lovely overall balance. I would be thoroughly impressed with this wine at double the price. An utter steal at $29.99. Drinking beautifully now but will benefit from another 5 to 10 years in the bottle, so stuff a bunch in both the front and back of your cellar. CM
Price: $29.99 Add To Cart JS 91 WS 89
2011 Tenuta La Pergola Monferrato Rosso
 By: Chris Miller | Review Date: 4/26/2013 | Send Email
  It would be hard to say Kermit Lynch doesn't have a Midas touch of sorts. After all, he's been importing some of the greatest wines France has ever produced for nearly 40 years now, and his continually expanding collection of Italian wines is one little gem after another. I knew this wine was going to be good before I tasted it. I mean, it's got his name featured prominently on the label. What I didn't know is how good, and how CHEAP! A blend of the usual Piemontese suspects (Barbera, Dolcetto, Bonarda, Freisa and Croatina) the wine bursts with bright cherry and raspberry fruit, with some light spice, a hint of earth, and a rusticity that makes it iresistable. Medium bodied with lovely, crunchy acidity that makes it perfect with a wide variety of cuisine or just sipping on it's own with a light chill. Can't say enough good things about this wine. Love it! CM
Price: $10.99 Add To Cart
2009 Saarloos & Sons "His" Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
 By: Jeff Garneau | Review Date: 4/25/2013 | Send Email
  When I walked into the Saarloos & Sons tasting room in Los Olivos a couple of months ago, I wasn't sure quite what to expect. Which, in hindsight, is just as well, since Keith and Brad Saarloos are pretty good at defying expectations, challenging preconceptions, and gleefully poking with a stick anything that smacks of convention and pretense. We tasted a lot of great wines, most of which I don’t remember well because Keith insisted I stop taking notes. At some point he also insisted I stop spitting, so tasting became drinking. So we drank and we talked. About wine, about grapes, about music, art, and life. It is worth noting at this point that Saarloos & Sons are farmers first and foremost. They grow grapes of exceptional quality, most of which they sell to other winemakers. A small amount they hold back every year to make their own wine. They sell exclusively direct to consumer, not through retail wine shops. But at the end of that evening they paid us the ultimate compliment. They offered us a couple of wines to make available to our K&L customers, the 2009 Saarloos & Sons "His" Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2010 Saarloos & Sons "Hers" Santa Ynez Valley Grenache Blanc. I absolutely recommend a visit to their tasting room in Los Olivos to taste their full selection, but until your next trip we are honored to share these two wines with you. I enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon at dinner the other night with my nephew. We grilled a 2 lb “Fred Steak” from Schaub’s in Palo Alto, serving it with roasted baby Yukon potatoes and fresh local asparagus. The Cab was a perfect companion to the spicy, smoky meaty deliciousness that is Fred steak. A hint of violets and new wood on the nose. On the palate the wine has a rich, silky texture with notes of blackberry jam and cassis. Imagine the blackberry jam your grandmother used to make, heading out before dawn to her secret spot to pick fresh wild blackberries, then spending the rest of the day canning blackberry preserves. There is a sweetness of fruit, a ripeness perfectly offset by a liveliness and a freshness that keeps the wine in perfect balance. The finish is framed by fine tannins that lie lightly on the tongue, caressing the palate like a finely woven cotton blanket on a cool summer night. If there is a perfect California Cabernet Sauvignon, this is it. Expertly crafted, and a pure joy to drink.
Price: $39.99 Add To Cart
2010 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan Pre-Arrival
 By: Melissa Smith | Review Date: 4/25/2013 | Send Email
  Such a stunning wine. I had the privilege of pouring this at the 2013 Wine Spectator Grand Tour, as well as tasting it back in January at the 2010 Vintage UGC tasting in San Francisco. The wine maker Fabian is truly a talented man that blew me away with his 2009 vintage, and took my breath away with the 2010. 64% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, are fermented in small oak vats before spending 18 months in barrels made at the estate's own cooperage; the attention to detail and respect for the grape are clearly evident in every bottle of Smith Haut Lafitte. After acquiring a case for my personal cellar I look forward to experiencing the evolution, as long as I can discipline myself to hold onto them.
Price: $149.99 Add To Cart RP 98 WE 96 WS 96
2008 Terra Valentine "Wurtele Vineyard" Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
 By: Christie Cartwright | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  Terra Valentine is a tiny boutique producer that's sits high on the steep hillsides of Spring Mountain. The wines are meticulously hand crafted and they spare no expense on the sorting table. This I know because I went to visit them during the harvest of 2012, and they put me to work on the sorting table for a few hours, and I couldn't believe all the fruit they tossed aside because it wasn't "perfect"! After that experience I swore I would never subject myself to the sorting table again, it is truly some of the most back-breaking work you can do, but it sure does help make the wine damn fine!
Price: $59.99 Add To Cart WE 90 WS 90
2004 Bodegas Fernandez "Escudo de Plata" Gran Reserva Jumilla
 By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  If you are a fan of old school, long aged Rioja, old school southern Rhone wines, old school, slightly more rustic 1990's era Spanish reds...then may I humbly suggest this 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre)? The Escudo de Plata is a delicious wine that offers an incredible balance of generous fruit, intensity of flavor without excessive heaviness,and nice developed complexity from long barrel and bottle ageing. This is true Monastrell, unmistakably Spanish and simply one of the better values in mature red wine we're likely to find this year. Don't miss out!
Price: $16.99 Add To Cart ST 90
2012 Te Whare Ra (TWR) Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Jim Chanteloup | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  The wines from Te Whare Ra have have really struck a chord with our staff and customers alike and we are pleased to present the new vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from Anna and Jason Flowerday.The fruit for this wine came mainly fron the sub-region of Awatere Valley with warmer days and cooler nights and known for a more restrained style. The 2012 vintage was problematic in terms of yield(many down 30%-50%)but have created some exceptional wines. The nose shows grapefruit, passion fruit,kumquat, a light red bell pepper note and tomatoe leaf. On the palate, the intensity and concentration of the vintage comes through with great mid-palate mouthfeel and complixity that lead to a long refreshing finish.
Price: $18.99 Add To Cart
2012 Te Mata Gamay Noir Hawkes Bay New Zealand
 By: Jim Chanteloup | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  New Zealand has become well known for world class Pinot Noir, so why not the other red grape of Burgundy, Gamay. This wine is made in the traditional style with 66% of the grapes starting fermentation with the technique of carbonic maceration to emphasize fruit and floral character. The bouquet shows dark plum, cranberry, earth, a floral lift and a hint of white pepper spice.On the palate the wine is fresh and vibrant with supple tannins and good length.
Price: $16.99 Add To Cart JS 90
2000 Daniel Ginsburg "Cuvée Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
 By: Kyle Kurani | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  This is decadent Champagne, powerful, rich, luscious, pick a synonym. The 2000 has the stuffing to stand up for those people are a fan of the richer big names, for people seeking those red fruits and power that Pinot Noir brings when combined with the texture gained from the barrel. Texturally assertive with a great mouth feel and fine bead, this Champagne freight trains through your palate in a heavenly way. One of my favorite Vintage wines Mr. Westby has brought in.
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart
2011 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi "Castiglioni" Chianti
 By: Adam Parry | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  What a bargain-a delicious chianti that drinks perfectly right now. Quite sweet and fruity-no harsh edges. Round and lush-perfect acid balance. Try tonight with a juicy hamburger
Price: $9.99 Add To Cart JS 90
2011 Te Mata "Cape Crest" Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay New Zealand
 By: Jim Chanteloup | Review Date: 4/24/2013 | Send Email
  If you're a fan of white Bordeaux, this is a must try for you. The Cape Crest is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Semillon and 4% Sauvignon Gris that is barrel fermented in new and seasoned French oak that matured in barrel for 8 months with a regular stirring of the lees before being bottled. The nose shows a light toast and nutty note with pear, lime blossom, lanolin, jasmine flower and a hint of tangerine peel. On the palate there is great texture with a creamy mid-palate supported by fine acidity and length. I don't usually talk about ageing Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, but this is an exception in the mold of an upscale white Bordeaux. Gorgeous.
Price: $19.99 Add To Cart JS 92 JR 17
2010 Fromm Winery "La Strada" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Jim Boyce | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  After selling a few bottles of the '08 over the last couple months, I was pleased to finally try the 2010. It did not disappoint! Black fruit, spice box, earthy and floral notes, and a solid, lingering finish makes for quite the drinking experience for $22. Do not miss out on these bottles!
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart JS 94-  95
2010 Terra Valentine "Estate" Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon
 By: Patrick Cu | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  There is a great, big nose of cedar, cassis, espresso, and mint to welcome California Cab drinkers to this tasty deal from Terra Valentine. The palate sings of blackberry and toasty oak that are framed by nice, firm tannins. The finish is fine and lingers pleasantly. For the price, this is a winner.
Price: $34.99 Add To Cart WE 94
2010 Fromm Winery "La Strada" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Jim Chanteloup | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  Wow! What a lovely wine. Many of you would have had the 2008 vintage of this wine that we sold a boat load of. Well, while brighter and more elegant, the wine actualy shows more concentration and purity of fruit with terrific definition, poise and balance. The bouquet is lifted with notes of raspberry,plum, strawberry and cherry along with hints of earth and spice. On the palate, there is good mid-palate fruit weight along with accents of mocha and graham craker crust. This is all framed by silky fine tannins supported by juicy acidity that leads to a long persistent finish. Organic and biodynamic in production, this is traditional winemaking in the modern world. Great now and will reward time in the celar. Bravo to winemakers Willi Hoare and Hatch Kalberer!
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart JS 94-  95
2011 Te Mata "Cape Crest" Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay New Zealand
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  This is serious stuff! The Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc is a big departure from the normal hot pepper style of New Zealand SB's. On the back label it says it has a "touch of Semillon and Sauvignon Gris" but to me this tastes like a full on white Bordeaux blend. This wine is full of lanolin and honey on the nose but is dry as can be on the palate, with a quite broad texture. It is an excellent wine that stretches the boundaries on NZ Sauvignon!
Price: $19.99 Add To Cart JS 92 JR 17
2010 Fromm Winery "La Strada" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Matthew Callahan | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  Dark cherry and spice are present in spades on the nose, with plenty of effusive fruit. I love this wine's purity but there is plenty of acid and structure to knit this wine together for the long haul. I'm buying some for the cellar now!
Top Value!
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart JS 94-  95
2012 Te Mata Gamay Noir Hawkes Bay New Zealand
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  What a surprise! Gamay is a notoriously reluctant traveler, and usually fails outside of Beaujolais, but the Te Mata is the exception that proves the rule. This gamay has an almost agave like nose of earth, spice and iron and a delicious light bodied, tangy palate impression. On the finish this feather weight wine comes on strong- there is more to this then just simple summer red! Try it out- it won't disappoint you.
Price: $16.99 Add To Cart JS 90
2010 Fromm Winery "La Strada" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  A great value in new world Pinot Noir like this does not come along every day. This wine has an expensive, catnip nose of high end cooperage and perfectly ripe black fruit. On the palate it becomes more serious with an excellent medium body and exceptional purity. This is a great bottle for drinking with your next roast chicken dinner!
Top Value! Drink from 2013 to 2020
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart JS 94-  95
2009 Clos du Marquis, St-Julien
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  The 2009 Clos Du Marquis has the power and authority of a great vintage of Léoville Las Cases and blew me away in last Saturdays tasting. The only thing this wine is missing is maturity- and it everything is in place for this to develop perfectly for many, many years. With a fabulous, cool Cabernet Sauvignon nose and the purest Bordeaux palate impression I can recall in any 2009, this is one of the greats of the vintage. Get some and bury it at the bottom of a stack in your cellar!
Drink from 2019 to 2049
Price: $64.99 Add To Cart WE 94 JS 93 RP 93
2009 Cambon La Pelouse, Haut-Médoc
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  What a great value! It is a shame that so much of this super quality Bordeaux will be drunk to young. The 2009 Cambon La Pelouse Haut Medoc has the charm to make it accessible for early drinking and a super fair price, but its best days are ahead of it. This wine is classic, curranty Haut Medoc with plenty of minerality to balance the richness of the vintage. Put some in the cellar- you will thank me for it!
Top Value! Drink from 2013 to 2029
Price: $21.99 Add To Cart RP 90 WS 89
2011 Clos des Lune (Domaine de Chevalier) "Lune d'Argent" Blanc, Bordeaux
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  The little wine from Domaine de Chevalier delivers! The 2011 Clos Des Lune Argent Blanc has a light straw color and a very nice grassy, generous nose. On the palate it is light and bracing- perfect for white fish. I found the finish very impressive for an under $20 white, with the length of a much more expensive wine.
Top Value!
Price: $16.99 Add To Cart
2009 Fromm "Brancott Valley" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
 By: Jim Chanteloup | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  This wine is much more brooding, dense, dark and concentrated than the La Strada. The nose offers aromas of dark plum, black cherry, earth, Asian spices, dried orange peel and bittersweet chocolate. On the palate there is great depth of flavor and intensity with a long layered finish that reminds me of the classic Burgundian description of the "peacocks tail" that unfolds to a technicolor fan of flavor and taste. If I were to draw a comparison to a commune in Burgundy, I'd lean towards Vosne-Romanée. Organic and biodynamic in production, this is traditional winemaking in the modern world. Bravo.
Price: $29.99 Add To Cart JS 95
2009 La Lagune, Haut-Médoc
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  If you are looking for great 2009 Bordeaux for your cellar, the 2009 La Lagune Haut Medoc should be at the top of your list. This property sits in the southern part of the Haut-Medoc and routinely out does its neighbors in Margaux with its generous, ethereal aromatics. This 2009 is concentrated, but the power is only part of the story. For me it is the overall balance and finesse of this classic claret that makes it so noteworthy- all it needs is time!
Drink from 2019 to 2049
Price: $69.99 Add To Cart WS 93-  96 RP 95 ST 89-  92
2009 Fleur Cardinale, St-Emilion
 By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  My pick as the best value under $50 from this great vintage. Black fruit aromas. Spicy, sexy, lively wine!
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart RP 94 JS 93 WS 93
2009 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
 By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
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  At UGC: Big and brooding, with tons of ripe tannins, blackberry fruit and fine acidity. Very dense. At property: Pencil lead and cedar aromas. Very spicy. 1989 and 2009 are two of the best from this property. Will age forever I would think.
Price: $219.99 Add To Cart RP 98 JS 97 WE 96
2009 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien
 By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc. Probably the best I’ve tasted from Anthony and I have been tasting his wines since 1973. Tons of fruit masks the high tannin levels-will age for a very long time. 95 points!
Price: $129.99 Add To Cart WE 98 JS 96 WS 95
2000 Daniel Ginsburg "Cuvée Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
 By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/23/2013 | Send Email
  A slab of pate, a loaf of bread, a bottle of 2000 Daniel Ginsburg Cuvee Sous Bois Brut Champagne is all that was needed to make a spectacular evening! This rich bottle has all the flavor to stand up to the most flavorful pate, and all of the snap to refresh after each decadent bite. So far, this is on my short list of top Champagne experiences for 2013... Don't miss it!
Top Value! Drink from 2013 to 2030
Price: $49.99 Add To Cart
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