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Wine Scores
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
- Allen Meadows - Burghound
- Connoisseurs Guide
- Gambero Rosso
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
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Staff Favorites - Susan Thornett
Susan Thornett
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I’ve been with K&L since summer 2007, moving to retail from a restaurant background. I love coming up with fun food and wine pairings! I tend to enjoy and review wines that convey something interesting about their region of origin, and I usually prefer subtle, savoury wines. That said, dessert wines are always a particular weakness of mine! Often my reviewed wines- aperitif, main course or pudding- will be from France, Germany, or Austria. You will also see me recommending heaps of beers- so if you always dreamed of having a personal beer sommelier you can sign up for that. My ideal beer is a crispy English session ale but I enjoy exploring many different styles, from Californian double IPAs to sour Belgian Gueuzes. I’m not a beer expert by any means but we have a great selection here at K&L and I’m having a great time working my way through - hope you can join me!
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Reviews
2004 Bodegas Casa Juan Señor de Lesmos Rioja Crianza
Review Date: 11-18-2009
A vibrant, traditionally inclined Rioja with beautiful cherry fruit, a little nutmeg spice and gorgeous layered texture.
Price: $15.99
2006 Hanzell Sonoma Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 11-16-2009
Totally unctuous, delicious wine, this is buttery but not greasy, very dry and wholly satisfying.
Price: $54.99
2006 Handley Anderson Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 11-10-2009
Handley's always a great choice for California chardonnay. The cool Anderson valley climate helps the grapes retain their wonderful balancing acidity. Packed with fragrant ripe fruit and with a gentle oakishness this wine will pair very well with holiday meals.
Price: $16.99
2006 Lugagnac, Bordeaux Superieur
Review Date: 11-10-2009
Lively yet dainty young wine whose palate expresses very nicely how sweet, salt, tangy and bitter can all play a part in a wine's harmony. Full of charm and a really great buy.
Price: $12.99
2007 Shenandoah Vineyards "Special Reserve" Amador Zinfandel
Review Date: 10-13-2009
This wine has been a customer and staff favorite for years. A great all-rounder that packs heaps of pepper, spice and crunchy blackcurrant flavor into a medium bodied, moderate alcohol zin, the Shenandoah has a great price too.
Price: $9.99
2006 Raventós i Blanc "L'Hereu Reserva" Brut Cava Penedes
Review Date: 10-5-2009
Joe poured this last Saturday for the Spanish tasting. By the time I tasted it it was already warm but it still showed incredibly well. Real wild-apple, lemon notes are complemented by creamy, mushroomy flavors and the whole really sings the way vintage champagne can.
Price: $19.99
2008 Tessier Cheverny Rosé
Review Date: 10-5-2009
This delicious rose is more of a white-drinker's rose than a red drinker's, with its lovely core of minerality and crisp, light body. Beautiful pairing for charcuterie or cheese, elegant salads like Nicoise or lightly spiced foods. Also drinks great straight out of the fridge, on its own!
Price: $12.99
2005 Conde de San Cristobal Ribera del Duero (was $23.99)
Review Date: 10-4-2009
There was a lot of Oooohing and Aaaahing at a recent staff tasting when we tried the 05 Cristobal. Although the wine has been in stock for a little while, this was the first re-tasting for many of us in several months, and wow! What a great bottle, really coming into its stride now. This is a very sumptuous, velvety version of tempranillo with a flattering touch of autumnal spice.
Price: $19.99
2007 Alpen Cellars Trinity County Pinot Noir
Review Date: 9-20-2009
This is a brightly fruity pinot noir with very good balance. Open and easy to drink, it would be a lovely pairing for duck or for a pork dish. Trinity County pinot noir flies right under the raidar and you get a very good price for this quality of wine.
Price: $16.99
Reisetbauer Apfel Cuvee Sparkling Apple Wine
Review Date: 9-20-2009
Dry, light and foamy, this sparkling apple wine is very refreshing with a very slight "wild" note (like a Saison) and champagne quality bubbles.
Price: $18.99
2007 La Fortuna "Fortunello"
Review Date: 9-18-2009
A dark, smooth red with rich dark chocolate tones, plum-cake spice and black cherry jam on the finish. This is lively sangiovese with a good dollop of round merlot and is a great wine for lovers of Tuscan wine, and also those starting out their discovery of these gorgeous food-friendly reds.
Price: $14.99
2008 Franck Millet Sancerre Rosé
Review Date: 8-28-2009
A staff favorite here. Rose of pinot noir is always so beautifully silky and when the grapes are grown on chalky soil the resulting wine is textured, crisp and lively. This is also the best price you will see on a quality rose Sancerre- snap it up!
Price: $15.99
2008 Domaine des Nembrets Denis Barraud Mâcon "Source de Plaisirs"
Review Date: 8-21-2009
This was a favorite last vintage, under the name of Macon-Vergisson (Vergisson indicates the limestone rich soil in the region around the village). Another wine for lovers of crisp, pure chardonnay! The nose is a little richer with some tropical fruit and broader than the last year, more ripe tangerine than lemon sharpness; on the palate there is lovely wet-stone minerality, good crisp acidity and a lingering finish and maybe a tiny kiss of sweet oak barrel. Very good value French chardonnay- heaps of wine for the money!
Price: $12.99
Plaisir des Princes Gamay
Review Date: 8-21-2009
Even if you're not a massive gamay fan (like me) you should definitely give this crunchy, dark red a try. Brambly and smoky on the nose, this is quite dry with licorice spice and dark cherry fruit and a nice blackberry-pip grip to the finish.
Price: $8.99
2007 Bernard Baudry "Les Grezeaux" Chinon
Review Date: 8-17-2009
One of my top wines so far this year. The most aromatic, richly scented cabernet franc I have tasted, the fragrance on this wine was totally enchanting. There is a base layer of gravelly minerality with a piney, rose tinged sweet earthiness. Lovely to drink too-- light to medium bodied with a little plum-skin acidity and ripe fruit.
Price: $21.99
2005 Ducluzeau, Listrac
Review Date: 8-17-2009
Wow, this wine is becoming very, very pretty! There is good depth and substance to this merlot / cab, which is clean, linear and medium bodied. The fruit is really shining through right now-- vibrant and juicy cassis, raspberry and blackberry leaping about the glass. Very good length and absolutely charming.
Price: $18.99
2006 Eric Morgat "L'Enclos" Savennieres
Review Date: 8-14-2009
Quite a moody wine that changes an awful lot as it opens up in a glass or decanter. The oak is quite prominent at this point although the rich, tropical chenin fruit holds it well and the dark mineral notes of Savennieres shine through. Very interesting wine which could be showcased effectively with a roasted pheasant or pork dish.
Price: $23.99
2007 Vigneau-Chevreau "Cuvee Silex" Vouvray Sec
Review Date: 8-14-2009
This dry chenin blanc has a winning way about it. Not so extreme in its acidity, honey or chenin 'funk' as some Vouvrays, it does display neatly some of all of these characteristics and is marvellously well balanced. Really a delight to drink, dry and silky-light with concentration and length.
Price: $19.99
2008 Cascina Gilli Malvasia Nera di Castelnuovo Don Bosco
Review Date: 8-2-2009
I love a wine like this that can brighten up your day the moment you taste it! This is a lightly sparkling, very fruity dark pink wine, tastes of ripe red cherries and juicy grapes and is the perfect low alcohol pick-me-up!
Price: $14.99
1979 Cuvée Amedee Rivesaltes
Review Date: 8-2-2009
Realy gorgeous after-dinner wine. Several of the staff got to taste this and I think everyone agreed it was quite lovely! The color is a translucent tawny brown and there is a lot of complexity to savour on the nose, from sappy maple, currant and spiced orange through to toffee and licorice. Very clean and focused on the palate with very little sweetness and well integrated alcohol.
Price: $49.99
2007 Domaine des Niales, Rhedon-Marin Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 8-2-2009
This is my house white as long as it stays in stock. Long, pure crisp chardonnay with a good chalky streak and nice concentration. The wine has plenty of life and speaks nicely about its terroir, and is very well priced for its quality!
Price: $12.99
2007 Friedrich Becker Estate Pinot Noir
Review Date: 8-2-2009
Earth and brambly fruit on the nose. Still quite reticent on the palate although there is clearly heaps going on- nice orange zest spice, cranberry and redcurrant fruit all tightly wound. Long finish with a sweet smoke note. Great wine and more attactively priced than many other German pinots of this quality.
Price: $16.99
Antech "Emotion" Cremant de Limoux Rosé
Review Date: 7-28-2009
Another staff favorite is back. Pale pink color, dry but fruity and 12% abv. Delicious by the chilled glass, and an outstanding bubbly for the famous aperol cocktail.
Price: $14.99
Domaine De La Taille Aux Loops (Jacky Blot) "Triple Zero" Montlouis Pétillant
Review Date: 7-27-2009
The secret to this sparkling wine is its fully ripe chenin fruit from low yielding vines. The resulting juice is rich and flavorful with quince, golden apple and honeysuckle notes and needs no addition of sugar (sometimes practiced in sparkling wine-making). The wine does not form a frothy mousse, but has a persistent lively bead and is just delicious.
Price: $19.99
2007 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly
Review Date: 7-26-2009
Tasted from decanter which showed off the wine's beautiful, bright straw gold color. Sweetly pungent on the nose with notes of cardamom, white pepper and onion marmalade. The wine is immediate and focused on the palate-- richly salty with bright citrus juice alive and dancing. Very tightly wound right now but incredibly good, packed with flavor, at just 11.5%. If you are lucky enough to own any of this wine, hide it away for the next few years and enjoy 2015 and on.
Price: $64.99
2008 Domaine de Guillemarine Picpoul de Pinet
Review Date: 7-25-2009
This is a first choice wine for oysters and will work exceptionally well with richer fish like mackerel and sardines too. Snappy and fresh, this is a light - medium bodied white with young honeydew melon and green apple liveliness.
Price: $8.99
2006 Clos La Madeleine, St-Emilion
Review Date: 7-21-2009
Very small property producing enchantingly beautiful wine. This red is full of very pretty fruit, sugar plum and ripe cherries. Soft and charming with a long, bright finish.
Price: $29.99
Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Tinto
Review Date: 7-20-2009
Such a great wine for summer time.. you grab a chilled bottle, pour a glass and immediately you are revived by its tingly texture, light, snappy acidity and salty sanguinous flavor. If this was a white wine, you wouldn't think twice! This opaque red wine will keep you and your guests refreshed and delighted on hot summer days.
Price: $8.99
2007 Gentilini Robola
Review Date: 7-20-2009
Robola is a grape unique to the Greek island of Cephalonia/Kefalonia. The medium bodied, mineral rich and slightly floral character of the wine calls to mind a Friulian white. Along with juicy green apples on the palate is a creamy milk and honey note, and a rich, salty minerality. Touch of truffle honey on the finish.
Price: $21.99
2007 Xavier Frissant "Les Roses du Clos" Sauvignon (Fié Gris) Touraine
Review Date: 7-20-2009
Once upon a time, the vineyards of the Loire valley were planted to many different varieties- local grapes which flourished in their own corner of terroir. Over the years and generation these vines gave fruit to unique expressions of the soil and one such was the rosy skinned, white fleshed grape fié gris.
This spicy, zippy grape was all but lost after the region was struck with phylloxera and the vast majority of replanting went to its AOC approved distant cousin sauvignon blanc.
However fié ("fee-yay") is seeing something of a renaissance, and this bottling from Xavier Frissant in the Touraine shows why- appley, gingery fruit with racy acidity, grip and a slightly wild gueuze fragrance, lightly tempered by 6 months spent in old oak.
It is rumored that Loire fié juice was used by producers of Bordeaux blanc at one time, to add richness and flavor to their blend. It is certainly a characterful wine and one that we are lucky to have available at such an accessible price.
Also available in Magnum!!
Price: $14.99
2007 Xavier Frissant "Les Roses du Clos" Sauvignon (Fié Gris) Touraine 1.5L
Review Date: 7-20-2009
Once upon a time, the vineyards of the Loire valley were planted to many different varieties- local grapes which flourished in their own corner of terroir. Over the years and generation these vines gave fruit to unique expressions of the soil and one such was the rosy skinned, white fleshed grape fié gris.
This spicy, zippy grape was all but lost after the region was struck with phylloxera and the vast majority of replanting went to its AOC approved distant cousin sauvignon blanc.
However fié ("fee-yay") is seeing something of a renaissance, and this bottling from Xavier Frissant in the Touraine shows why- appley, gingery fruit with racy acidity, grip and a slightly wild gueuze fragrance, lightly tempered by 6 months spent in old oak.
It is rumored that Loire fié juice was used by producers of Bordeaux blanc at one time, to add richness and flavor to their blend. It is certainly a characterful wine and one that we are lucky to have available at such an accessible price.
Price: $31.99
2006 Carbonnieux Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 7-18-2009
Long, shapely wine with fragrant, sweet earth and currants on the nose, palate of mouth filling cassis and fresh gingery tang to the finish. A medium bodied red with good aging potential and plenty going on.
Price: $29.99
2006 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien (was $69.99)
Review Date: 7-18-2009
Another delicious 2006 Bordeaux. Tasted after the bottle had been opened several hours, and really appealing with rich fruitcake and cassis aromas leaping right out of the glass. On the palate plenty of fruity yet dry juice, relatively open-knit although there is quite a tight core to this which will take several more years to really express itself fully. Good medium plus body and a long, bright finish.
Price: $49.99
2007 Amity Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc
Review Date: 7-14-2009
With a rather rich, waxy texture cut through with a touch of spritz and sweetness, this was satisfying with layers of tropical and stone fruit.
Price: $15.99
2008 Barber Cellars "Lazarie" Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Review Date: 7-14-2009
Here is a wonderfully light, clean sauvignon from Mike Barber. Elegant apple blossom and grapefruit on the nose, melon and lime on the palate and fantastically refreshing, yum!
Price: $14.99
2008 Chateau Soucherie Rosé de Loire
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Like the Soucherie Savennieres, this is an achingly crisp and dry wine. Very pretty white blossoms and young peaches on the nose, refreshingly dainty on the palate with a long, pure finish.
Price: $13.99
2008 Couly Dutheil Chinon Rosé
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Couly Dutheil have made a lovely, distinctively cab franc rose here. The wine really impressed at a recent staff tasting. Rose petal and pepper notes featured on the nose, and the palate was quite smooth with sweet and sour cherry fruit.
Price: $14.99
1998 Lopez de Heredia "Viña Tondonia" Gran Reserva Rosado Rioja
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Very beautiful wine, shimmering gold color and the texture of half and half. This rose was served at a cool room temperature rather than chilled and it showed all its delicate complexity of aroma and flavor very well. Must try for lovers of subtle and harmonious wines!
Price: $24.99
2007 Blason Franconia (was $11.99)
Review Date: 7-5-2009
Franconia (the same as Austrian blaufrankisch) is a wonderful red variety for the summer. You can chill it down a touch and enjoy its cherry and cassis flavors as an apero, or as a perfect pairing for grilled chicken or veggies.
Price: $9.99
2007 Foxglove Paso Robles Zinfandel
Review Date: 7-5-2009
Well balanced zinfandel and one of our best sellers at the Redwood City store. Brambly fruit, wild strawberry notes and a touch of exotic spice which keep bringing people back for another bottle.
Price: $11.99
2006 Giscours, Margaux
Review Date: 6-22-2009
This wine is just lovely, sumptuous and rich. I got to try a couple of glasses after the bottle had been open for more than a day, and I think a good deal of time in a decanter really helps to show the '06 Giscours' silky fruit, crushed rose petal aromatics and long elegant finish. Good bitter chocolate notes and red currant flavors marked out this tasty Margaux.
Price: $39.99
2006 l'Avocat Blanc, Graves
Review Date: 6-22-2009
Last year's L'Avocat Blanc was one of my staff picks- this new 2006 vintage is even better I think. A shade richer and with good texture, this is a dry white Bordeaux with a touch of ripe kiwi fruit and just the wine for summer drinking. This seems like it has the structure to age well for a few more summers too.
Price: $16.99
1993 Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 500ml
Review Date: 6-15-2009
Very good balance and complexity to this sweet wine. Deep, roasted fruit notes are complemented by lively fresh apricot and quince and the wine is at once luscious yet sprightly with a beautiful blossomy scent. Can't think of a better pairing for a creamy blue cheese - what a match!
Price: $59.99
Hook Norton Brewery Co. "Hooky Bitter" Bitter Ale, England 500ml
Review Date: 6-8-2009
This beer makes me happy. Golden and malty, light bodied, beautiful bittering hops that flower late on the finish. A real session bitter (under 4%) this is totally charming and delicious. YUM!
Price: $5.49
2008 Pomelo California Sauvignon Blanc
Review Date: 6-8-2009
Here's a wine that really does what it says on the label! Heaps of juicy sweet grapefruit and tangerine fruit, refreshingly crisp and made in a straightforwardly un-oaked California style.
Price: $8.99
2007 Boeckel Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 5-26-2009
Boeckel have been making sylvaner from the finest vineyards of Alsace for hundreds of years, and the style is very un-fussy, dry aromatic white wine. Beautiful texture of rough silk, almond skin and rose-petal, with a solid juicy core of fruit.
Price: $14.99
Henney's Frome Valley Dry Cider, England 500ml
Review Date: 5-25-2009
Henney's dry cider is quite delicious but very hard to find- because it gets snapped up immediately! If you want to get your bottle sign up to the waiting list for it. This is a real crispy one, totally refreshing and dangerously easy to drink.
Price: $6.99
2008 Sineann Oregon Pinot Gris
Review Date: 5-25-2009
Very pretty aromatic pinot gris from cool Mt Hood in Oregon. Totally dry, with a lovely silky layered texture.
Price: $17.99
Prunier Liqueur d'Orange 750ml
Review Date: 4-25-2009
More intensley orangey than Grand Marnier, this is ideal for making Cosmos and Margaritas. Just experiment to find your personal orange flavor preference! For me, just a few drops swirled in the glass works the best. Cosmopolitan: Swirl 1/2 ounce Prunier liqueur d'Orange in a martini glass. Gently stir 1.5 oz HangarOne Fraser River Raspberry Vodka, 2 oz Rain Organic Vodka, and an ounce of cranberry juice with ice, and strain into the glass. Garnish with citrus peel.
Price: $24.99
Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 year old Rum 750ml
Review Date: 4-21-2009
A very tasty drink, this golden-colored rum. Loaded with the flavor of brown sugar, vanilla and English toffee. On its own the Ron Zacapa is something to really savour slowly - or spike it with fresh lime and ginger beer, for a richly satisfying Dark & Stormy served over ice.
Price: $39.99
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur 750ml
Review Date: 4-21-2009
Although this crisp, floral cordial is made in France, the taste of it always reminds me of an English garden on a warm spring evening. Delicious with a splash of soda, or muddled with fresh lime, ice and two parts Plymouth gin (or your favorite vodka) for a refreshing elderflower gimlett.
Price: $31.99
Lillet Blanc 750ml
Review Date: 4-20-2009
With the weather warming up, my thoughts turn to this classic restorative drink, Lillet Blanc. Served simply from the fridge over ice it is just the thing to start the evening on the right note! I am definitely thinking about its slightly sweet, citrus taste when I am sitting in traffic going home. For a special preparation, we serve this shaken with 2 parts Ciroc vodka, strained and served up with an orange twist.
Price: $14.99
Cropton Brewery "Monkman's Slaughter," England 500ml (Was $5.99)
Review Date: 3-29-2009
Very tangy, for a bitter. On the nose this was marmite-y, meaty, rich and malted. Good medium body, refreshing, and flavorsome, although the marmite might not be to everyone's taste. A touch metallic on the finish.
Price: $4.49
2004 Eric Lecours "Sweeney Canyon Vineyard" Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay
Review Date: 3-16-2009
I was totally fooled by this wine when tasted blind - trying to decide if it was Meursault or Chassagne-Montrachet from a rich vintage. It is something about how much unctuous umami goodness the Burgundians squeeze from the Chardonnay grape into a bottle, without turning out syrupy or unbalanced wine. Eric Lecours' Sweeney Canyon has that rich yumminess that tastes great with mushroom or truffle dishes, braised leeks, seared foie - your everyday fare - or a nice grilled Gruyere on toast.
Price: $14.99
2007 Cailbourdin "Les Cris" Pouilly-Fumé
Review Date: 3-9-2009
This is a must-try for all lovers of high quality Loire wines. "Les Cris" is a local term for the little limestone pebbles found in the vineyard here, and with south-facing vines the site produces a gorgeously concentrated, golden and luscious Sauvignon. The long finish is suitably refreshing and the wine a lovely match for springtime salads, chevre and sunny days!
Price: $21.99
2005 Dubourg, St-Emilion
Review Date: 2-1-2009
I likes this one a lot. Touch of truffle and milk chocolate on the nose, the wine has terrific acidity, nice fresh red fruits and is a little salty even on the palate. Drinking really well right now, the tannins kick in quite late on the finish.
Price: $17.99
2007 Tenbrink Suisun Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 1-20-2009
Great to find a big buttery chard that is also really engaging and unique! Coming from the warm Suisun valley this wine brings to mind bouquets of yellow flowers, salt caramel and tangy kumquat. Quite unusual but a very satisfying drink.
Price: $29.99
1997 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien
Review Date: 12-27-2008
Like a lot of my co-workers here, I went with a '97 Bordeaux to drink with my Christmas meal, and found it showed off the vintage very well, opening with dense fruit-cake and cedar notes and plump cassis fruit. We still had half an open bottle the next day, and it had shaken off some of its heaviness and revealed a beautiful, clean cranberry brightness with wonderful sweet mineral concentration. Just delicious with leftover turkey and ham toasted sandwiches!
Price: $39.99
2005 Bad Boy Bordeaux
Review Date: 8-19-2008
This Bad Boy really flew off the shelves after the Bordeaux tasting on the 16th. The immediate appeal in this '05 merlot-based Right Bank wine is its take-me-home and drink-me-now nature! Lots of plummy fruit and earthy forest-floor character. This is ready to drink with dinner tonight! A perfect accompaniment for a cheeseburger or a rare steak.
Price: $19.99
Bruno Michel Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut
Review Date: 8-19-2008
At my first Champagne staff tasting at K&L, Bruno Michel’s wines really stood out for me. I loved this blanc de blancs; crisp and vibrantly citrus-y up front, with sweet brioche and golden apple tones coming through and a dry finish. This would be a great seafood accompaniment... like a drizzle of lemon butter with poached lobster or Dungeness crab!
Price: $44.99
