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Staff Favorites - Gary Westby
Gary Westby
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I started at K&L in February of 2000, after 4 years of working down the street for another retailer, and although I take care of the Champagne buying here at K&L, I love to drink wine from all over the world. I prize authenticity in wine, and love representative examples of many different styles, whether it is a spicy dry creek zinfandel or a mineral driven Manzanilla. I almost always drink my wine with food, and am drawn to food wines rather than the softer styles that are good for drinking on their own. My wife Cinnamon and I cook a lot of Italian & French food at home, and my list of wines reflects those food choices. I also love value, at every price point, and can't stand "prestige" labels that under deliver in the bottle. I love honest wines for the table. If you love good wine to go with your good cooking too, I think that by joining my personal Sommelier list you will be treated to a wide variety of wines that represent a strong value for money at what ever price range you feel comfortable with. Give it a try!
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Reviews
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Absolut Elyx Single Estate Vodka 1L
Review Date: 5-15-2013
The Absolut Elyx Single Estate impressed me with its effortless presence, it seemed to tease me with a hidden flavor or texture, and this hard to describe but easy to appreciate vodka changed the way that I think about the whole category. Since I tasted it yesterday with Mr. Driscoll I have not been able to stop thinking about it! Vodka is not an easy thing for a wine guy to get excited about. It is meant to be flavorless, which seems like a strange goal for something that goes in your mouth. If you have been drinking Grey Goose or Chopin and want to see what one of the world’s top producers of vodka can do when they really put their mind to it, this is bottle is a must.
Price: $49.99
1990 Mortlach 22 Year Old K&L Exclusive Chieftain's Single Sherry Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml
Review Date: 5-15-2013
I was blown away by this malt! Finding value in over 20 year old Speyside in first fill Sherry sounds like an impossible task in today’s market, but our two David's have really done it with this Mortlach 22 Year Old. It has a deep walnut color and a rich rancio nose full of both malty sweetness and nutty Oloroso complexity. On the palate this Chieftain's bottling is giant and powerful, but opens very nicely with a little water. The finish has the rare "peacocks tail" expansiveness that only the best well aged elixirs in the world have- it goes on forever. If you don't have room for one more bottle of scotch in your cabinet, it is time to finish one, because this is not to be missed!!!!
Price: $169.99
2012 Zudugarai "Amats" Getariako Txakolina
Review Date: 5-9-2013
This succulent wine made a big impression on me when I tasted it today. Something this refreshing, clean and easy to drink seems like it should come with a warning label that reads: "Caution this wine is easy to get carried away with"! I can imagine pairing it with tapas, or just with a warm summer day. It is fantastic and a great deal!
Top Value!
Price: $12.99
2002 Thienot "La Vigne aux Gamins" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 4-27-2013
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
2006 Thienot "Cuvee Garance" Blanc de Rouges Brut Champagne
Review Date: 4-27-2013
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
1999 Thienot "Cuvee Alain Thienot" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 4-27-2013
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
2005 Thienot "Cuvee Stanislas" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 4-27-2013
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
Thienot Brut Champagne
Review Date: 4-27-2013
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
2011 Te Mata "Cape Crest" Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay New Zealand
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2012 Te Mata Gamay Noir Hawkes Bay New Zealand
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2010 Fromm Winery "La Strada" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2009 Clos du Marquis, St-Julien
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2009 Cambon La Pelouse, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2011 Clos des Lune (Domaine de Chevalier) "Lune d'Argent" Blanc, Bordeaux
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
2009 La Lagune, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 4-23-2013
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
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