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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.
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- Malt Advocate
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
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- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
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Staff Favorites - Gary Westby
Gary Westby
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Subscribe to My Sommelier Service
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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Francois Peyrot Heritage Grande Champagne Cognac 750ml
Review Date: 2-20-2013
If you want a bottle of flat out great Cognac, but don't need a fancy decanter bottle, the Francois Peyrot Heritage should be at the top of your list. I have been very fortunate to taste all of the big names in Cognac over the last year, and this has been my favorite. It has a deep mahogany color and a great rancio nose of sweet leather and sweet fruit. The Cognac is expansive and rich in the mouth without feeling heavy or reduced. The peacock tail finish goes on forever!
Price: $184.99
1996 Longmorn 16 Year Duncan Taylor Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml
Review Date: 2-20-2013
If you are looking for a great single malt to give as a gift, you have found it. This very hard to find producer rarely makes it to the USA, and this cask strength 16 year old bottling is a great example of what Longmorn is capable of. The whisky is not influenced by peat or by sherry wood and has a very pure flavor profile of sweet malt. I tasted this blind and my first words in my notebook were "expensive smelling, classy oak- very well balanced and round in the mouth" and I think you will agree. This is a great dram!
Price: $99.99
Glenlivet 15 year old French Oak Reserve Single Malt Whisky 750ml
Review Date: 2-20-2013
David Driscoll treated us to three flights of blind whisky in our last staff tasting. This was my favorite of the under $50 flight, and I was surprised to see it was the Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve that I had liked the best of the big producers. Nothing beats putting a brown bag over some bottles to make one more objective! The whisky had a light gold color, and a bright nose of lively malt and sweet vanilla. On the palate it was delicate, well balanced and super easy to drink. Don't count this out without trying it!
Top Value!
Price: $37.99
2002 Lanson Gold Label Vintage Brut Champagne
Review Date: 2-19-2013
This is serious vintage Champagne from one of historic houses in Reims. Lanson never allows their wines to go through malolactic fermentation, and this exceptionally young and fresh wine shows what a good call that can be when you have the patience to cellar your Champagne. The nose is full of high quality candied cherry from the top notch Pinot Noir that makes up half the blend and palate is full of Meyer lemon zing from the top notch Chardonnay that makes up the other. The finish is very long and chalky- I can't recommend this highly enough!
Drink from
2013
to
2022
Price: $74.99
2010 Poujeaux, Moulis Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-19-2013
Bordeaux insiders usually snap up our allocation of Chateau Poujeaux before it touches the shelf. It is a property that makes serious wine every year and is a great property to collect a vertical from. The 2010 Poujeaux, Moulis is true to form, and a great cellar candidate. It is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Verdot. When I first tasted this wine in Bordeaux during the enpremieur campaign in 2011, I found it very elegant and laid back next to its peers. Tasting it again among 2009’s showed me just how much structure these 2010’s have- it is a powerhouse! It has an opaque, black-purple color and strong currant and cola Cabernet flavor wrapped tightly to its high acid and high tannin spine. If you have room in your cellar, this is a spectacular deal. If you are looking for something to drink in the next couple of years, keep looking!
Price: $34.99
2009 Montviel, Pomerol
Review Date: 2-19-2013
This flashy right bank wine is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Montviel is a dark wine with a toasty oak nose and plenty of dried plum fruit on the palate. While modern, big and tannic, it still has Pomerol soul and no residual sugar to ruin it for the table. I am sure the extroverted oak will win over lots of folks who like a big wine.
Price: $39.99
2010 Petit Guiraud, Sauternes (375ml)
Review Date: 2-19-2013
No Bordeaux tasting should end on a tannic note, and luckily Clyde and Ralph had the 2010 Petit Guiraud, Sauternes (375ml) ($14.99) to finish out the afternoon last Saturday. This very open knit Sauterne is composed of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. I loved the honey and white flower that were present both on the nose and the palate. While this is not concentrated or profound, it tastes great and has the balance for current drinking. Like all good dessert wine, the Petit Guiraud is sweet without being cloying.
Price: $13.99
2010 Poujeaux, Moulis (1.5L)
Review Date: 2-19-2013
Bordeaux insiders usually snap up our allocation of Chateau Poujeaux before it touches the shelf. It is a property that makes serious wine every year and is a great property to collect a vertical from. The 2010 Poujeaux, Moulis is true to form, and a great cellar candidate. It is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petite Verdot. When I first tasted this wine in Bordeaux during the enpremieur campaign in 2011, I found it very elegant and laid back next to its peers. Tasting it again among 2009’s showed me just how much structure these 2010’s have- it is a powerhouse! It has an opaque, black-purple color and strong currant and cola Cabernet flavor wrapped tightly to its high acid and high tannin spine. If you have room in your cellar, this is a spectacular deal. If you are looking for something to drink in the next couple of years, keep looking!
Drink from
2020
to
2040
Price: $74.99
2009 Grand-Puy-Lacoste, Pauillac (1.5L)
Review Date: 2-19-2013
If you have children born in 2009 that you want to lay down wine for, these magnums are for you. This blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc is brooding, backward Pauillac for the long haul. The nose is extraordinary; lead pencil, black currant and high class gravelly earth are all in harmony. On the palate the wine is tense, packed and unyielding. The finish is powerfully tannic but also powerfully complex, hinting at the bright future that this wine has. This wine is from the old school, and is not a 2009 to open early, but the patient will be rewarded, as this Grand-Puy-Lacoste has the structure to unfold like the 1982 has. I am happy to see that wines like this are still being made in Bordeaux.
Drink from
2024
to
2059
Price: $199.99
2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 2-19-2013
We have a few house favorites when it comes to Bordeaux here at K&L, and the 2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc confirms why we love this property. For the Haut-Medoc, this wine has a huge proportion of Merlot at 85% and just a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon at 15%. The wine has a big, ripe, plumy nose, but is very elegant in the mouth. It reminded me very much of old fashioned Pomerol; medium bodied, pure, racy Merlot without the extraneous sugar and oak. At the price, too much of this wine will be consumed to young, but the patient will be rewarded with a great experience at a very small price. If you want to see how they age, we also have the 2003 in stock!
Drink from
2015
to
2029
Price: $24.99
2009 Gigault "Cuvée Viva" Premières Côtes de Blaye
Review Date: 2-19-2013
It is a rare treat to have the owner of a Chateau in Bordeaux pouring his wines for you in Redwood City, and we enjoyed every minute of our time with Mr. Christophe Rebaul at last Saturdays tasting and every sip of his 2009 Gigault "Cuvée Viva" Premières Côtes de Blaye. This cheerful, easy to drink blend of 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon was plump and full of cinnamon and carob flavors. Rich, sweet fruited wines like this are fantastic to drink now and blow the notion of all Bordeaux being expensive out of the water.
Price: $19.99
2009 l'Avocat Rouge, Graves
Review Date: 2-19-2013
I love the Graves region for value priced Bordeaux and the 2009 l'Avocat Rouge is a great example. Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc it has classic proportions for this area. The powerful nose is full of plum fruit backed up by gravelly earth. In the mouth it has a full, rich texture and a hint of chocolate on the palate. This is a great 2009 to drink while you are waiting for your classified growths to mature. That being said, I think this wine has plenty of stuffing to develop nicely for at least 10 years.
Drink from
2013
to
2019
Price: $17.99
2009 de Birot, Côtes de Bordeaux
Review Date: 2-19-2013
Most collectors will clamor for the top wines in this vintage, but the real excitement for me with a vintage like 2009 comes from the everyday priced wines like this. Composed of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, this dark wine has lots of herbal intrigue on the nose and excellent, grain free texture. If you are looking for good, dry red for the table that won’t knock you out with too much alcohol, try out the Birot!
Drink from
2013
to
2019
Price: $14.99
2011 l'Avocat Blanc, Graves
Review Date: 2-19-2013
This wine is composed of 50% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Sauvignon Gris. The l'Avocat has one of the most unique noses that I have encountered tasting white Bordeaux. The racy Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine a smoky aroma that reminded me of Islay peat! On the palate this wine is very bright and light, and would make a great aperitif or partner for goat cheese crostini.
Price: $14.99
J. Dumangin Ratafia de Champagne 375ml
Review Date: 2-16-2013
The Dumangin Ratafia De Champagne is the perfect way to end a meal paired with Champagne. One of the greatest treats to enjoy in the region is a dessert of a halved Charentais melon filled with a glass of ratafia. This is exactly what you need after a big cheese course! Try it out with your favorite small melon... Yum!
Price: $29.99
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