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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
- James Halliday
- James Suckling
- Malt Advocate
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
Reviewers
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Staff Favorites - Doug Burress
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Doug Burress
After many years of shopping at K & L, I finally decided to spend even more time at my favorite store! I first came on board at "the shop" a little over a year ago working Friday nights and Saturdays. Now, as a full time member of the Redwood City staff, my wine education continues five days a week! My favorite wines in the world include the awesome grower-producer champagnes we carry, earthy pinot noir from the Burgundy region of France, as well as the excellent pinots from Oregon and California. I dream of one day having my own land on the Dundee Hills of Oregon and producing terrior driven pinot noirs! Most recently I have dedicated more time to tasting and studying wines from Italy. It is a complicated wine country with many grape varietals, regions, and laws, but one that produces some of the best wines in the world! This education is most certainly worth the effort! I have always been a big fan of beer and the large selection of beers we carry from all over the world is yet another reason I am excited to be working here and helping you choose from our super selection of brews! I look forward to tasting and learning more about our wonderful world of wines and helping you find the right wine, at the right price, for any occasion. From a Sunday barbeque with family and friends, to that special bottle for a birthday, anniversary, or other occasion, we can help you find it here at the shop!
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1999 Bodegas Puelles Gran Reserva Rioja
Review Date: 6-18-2013
This ia a lovely example of aged Rioja from a good vintage that is drinking absolutely perfectly right now. It shows excellent integration and a range of complexity that you rarely encounter in the under $20 category. Mixed berries mingle with earth spice and notes of vanilla and savory herbs. Framed by fine tannins and supported by balanced acidity, this really over-delivers in elegance for the price.
2012 Zudugarai "Amats" Getariako Txakolina
Review Date: 6-18-2013
I've consumed enough of this wine already, it's high time to write a review. How awesome is it that we have not just one but two Direct Import Txakolis? (this and its delicious rose counterpart) From a very cool site, the 2012 Amats is a perfect example of Txakoli - very dry, crisp, and with razor-like acidity. It's zippy and fresh, with tangy green apple and citrus aromas and flavors accented by saline notes and hints of green herbs, not to mention incredible mineral drive from start to finish. So refreshing and easy to drink - excellent with fresh oysters or other fruits of the sea. I love the naturally low alcohol, too!
Price: $12.99
2012 Zudugarai "Amats" Rosé Getariako Txakolina
Review Date: 6-18-2013
Made from Hundurribi Belza (a dark-skinned grape used in Txakoli production), this is one of my favorite roses in the store this season. I love its distinctive nose, with delicate dark berry fruit and mineral aromas that remind me of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. It is fruity yet very crisp on the palate, perfect for enjoying with a variety of foods, from fresh seafood to grilled sausages to paella. Organically farmed and made with minimal intervention.
Price: $14.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-18-2013
I know many of you went nuts over the previous 2011 Napa Chardonnay that we had, with its rich, creamy, fat style with tons of oak and a full malolactic presentation, this beauty has richness, depth, and better structure, and exhibits better balance and more upfront fruit characteristics. Opulent aromas of spicy cinnamon apple to tropical fruit tones with hints of a creamy, vanilla note, this wonderful wine offers gorgeous rich fruit flavors with excellent acid structure and depth of flavor. This Gem will be, according to Rusty, one of our house whites for however long it is around. 14.5% ABV
Top Value!
Drink from
2013
to
2018
Price: $15.99
2011 Benziger Sonoma County Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-14-2013
From the cool 2011 vintage, Benziger delivers us a nicely delineated, organically grown and biodynamically made fruit-driven Chardonnay for a song. Aromas of fresh citrus and stone fruit greet the nose, with nutty undertones. The palate is creamy and round, with bright acidity. Top Value!
Price: $11.99
2011 Benziger Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc
Review Date: 6-14-2013
Crisp, clean, and refreshing with subtle floral and hay notes, this delightful quaffer from local Sonoma family winemakers hits all the marks for a light, dry style. It definitely drinks above its price point. Try it with a fresh veggie and goat cheese salad, or grilled shrimp tacos. Benziger makes wine in accordance with biodynamic principles, and work with organic growers in order to meet their strict guidelines for the fruit that goes into their appellation wines.
Price: $9.99
2009 Fromm "Brancott Valley" Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand
| Public Pending Approval
Review Date: 6-14-2013
If you haven’t tried Pinot Noirs from New Zealand yet, the 2009 Fromm “Brancott” Pinot Noir will get you hooked! This wine is bursting with spice, along with luscious cherry and plum fruits. A velvety mouthfeel makes it tempting to drink this wine now, but the acid and structure will allow this wine to get even better with age. The depth and complexity of this wine can easily be compared to Pinot Noirs twice its price from California.
Price: $29.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-14-2013
Kalinda Chardonnay….
When I put my nose in the glass, I said to myself wow this is expensive Chardonnay like one of my favorite Ca. Chards Ramey! Just a hint of tropical California fruit, but the wine is super fresh and shining with good acidity; a touch in the burgundian style. I was thrilled when I found out it was the new Kalinda! If you like the big fat/buttery style of Chardonnay, this wine is not for you!
Drink from
2013
to
2015
Price: $15.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
| Public Pending Approval
Review Date: 6-14-2013
Hello Summertime Chardonnay! The 2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay is so delicious and a steal at this price! In fact, I intend on putting this in a blind taste test against more expensive Chardonnays and I know it will be a contender. This wine has gorgeous subtle notes of creamy lemon, green apple, honeysuckle and white flowers. The bright acidity and minerality brings structure and balance. This wine is a great example of a Chardonnay that shows some pretty California fruit with Burgundian structure and acidity.
Price: $15.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-14-2013
Soft oak and vanillin on the nose, bright acidity and minerality on the palate. This wine really goes "The Distance".
Price: $15.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-14-2013
The newest edition of our anxiously anticipated Kalinda Chardonnay is here! After tasting thru literally hundreds of samples we picked a drop-dead winner, the 2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay is perhaps my favorite Kalinda Chardonnay of all-time. We’ve made richer Chardonnays in the past and fruitier Chardonnays and unoaked Chardonnays but the 2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay has it all. The nose starts off with a burst of lemon-crème, sugarloaf, white flower and green fig notes. The palate is beautiful mix of green apples, tropical fruit, honey, hazelnuts and a touch of oak. The wine has fantastic acidity which gives the wine great lift and verve and the structure of a fine white Burgundy. If you’re looking for your summertime Chardonnay that you can enjoy as a weekday sipper or something slightly better for your weekend entertaining then look no further, the 2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay is for you.
Drink from
2013
to
2015
Price: $15.99
2007 Rosenblum "Carla's Reserve" Contra Costa County Zinfandel
Review Date: 6-14-2013
This wine is such an amazing deal that it makes me feel like one of those guys selling some product on a late night infomercial. A great wine for $30, an amazing wine for $16.99 (old price)... but wait! It gets even better! The new price for this wine is so unbelievably good that we've been asked not to publish it. This is a flat-out delicious Zinfandel that has gone from a nice single-vineyard Zinfandel where might buy a bottle or two, to a case-worthy purchase that has just become your newest summer time house red. If you’re a fan of zinfandel and have enjoyed wines from Rosenblum in the past then this is a must-buy wine! Great balance and depth, this wine displays deep red fruit, spice notes and a rich, long finish that is quintessentially Zinfandel.
Top Value!
Drink from
2013
to
2015
Price: Hidden
Fleury Brut Rosé Champagne
| Public Pending Approval
Review Date: 6-13-2013
If you love Brut Rose Champagnes as much as I do, then you HAVE to try this one from Fleury! With notes of elegant strawberry, vanilla and spice, all wrapped up with balanced acidity. To sweeten the deal, Fleury is a direct import, so this elegant Champagne is a great value!
Price: $49.99
2012 Kalinda Carneros Chardonnay
Review Date: 6-13-2013
Wow! From this Sauvignon Blanc lover, I think this California Chardonnay is top notch. A creamy, melony aroma with apple nuances and a touch of oak. On the palate, the wine has good richness balanced by fine acidity. Just tasting it with a few K&L staff, the word Chassagne Montrachet was mentioned. If you love well made, well priced Chardonnay, try this one. They say the 2012 California vintage was great-here is a great Chardonnay.
Price: $15.99
2010 Seven Hills "Seven Hills Vineyard" Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 6-13-2013
Seven Hills has long been one of favorite Washington producers here at K&L and one of my personal faves for about as long as I’ve been in this business. This first generation Washington winery has made great wines, seemingly continuously, since its founding in 1988 in all price points and from numerous varietals. This wine shows what the winery can do using fruit from their oldest Estate blocks and make a wine truly built for the future. The youthful nose is dominated by low toast oak at this point but if you give it enough air you can begin to coax an intriguing combination of wet clay, fried sage, garrigue and pastille. This wine has a stunning mid-palate that bursts open in the mouth that is packed with plum, wild berry, sandalwood, black currant and new leather. The wine almost seems to grow out from its center filling the entry and finish as it goes. I loved this wine and why it will be fine now with a couple hours of decanting this is really a wine that will greatly reward patience and do so while not asking much from your wallet.
Price: $31.99
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