Review Date: 4-25-2012

Wow. Prettiest nose thus far. Lovely bright cherry fruit, pretty spice aromatics. Lush and silky on the palate. Generous now, but has the stuffing to last.

Review Date: 4-25-2012

Intense, powerful fruit on the nose. Makes me think of the Margaux analogy of an “iron fist in a velvet glove”. Dense, chewy, wound up. Incredible wine, probably my favorite of the 2007’s.

Review Date: 4-25-2012

Somewhat grapey, ripe plum, black fruit aromas. Primary, almost sappy. Ripe tannins with good structure but softer than the Pora. This will benefit from another 5+ years in bottle as well. CM

Review Date: 4-25-2012

Sweet cherry fruit on the nose with spice and slight woodsy notes. Little monolithic at this age. Full but elegant with firm, ripe tannins. Delicous but young. Lay down till at least 2017. CM

Review Date: 4-19-2012

I'm off to Etna in about a week, and I anticipate being a full convert when i return (I'm about 90% there already). I think for those who appreciate highly mineral, earth driven, elegant to the point of being almost austere wines, there may be no more exciting place in all of Europe than Mt. Etna. I find Barolo sublime, needless to say, but I think these wines might be the closest thing to Burgundy that Italy has to offer. I came across this wine at a trade tasting, took one wiff and knew I had to have it. This wine epitomizes what I love about Mt. Etna, this earthy, volcanic, sort of rotting vegetal quality. I know that doesn't sound appealing, it's just that I can't think of the right word. It just smells like Nerrello Mascalese from Etna. As a side note, I often use "road tar" to describe Brunello, "b.o. ie; body oder" to describe Mosel Riesling and "Bubble Gum" to describe the minerality of white Burgundy, all of which are highly desirable traits, they just don't translate well. Anyway, try this wine with a rustic preparation of beef, pork or chicken (or game bird, venison, buffalo) and you'll see why I'm 90% there, and just about to go over the top. CM

Review Date: 2-8-2012

In a sea of exceptional bargains here at K&L, this is certainly one of the best bang-for-your-buck buys in the store. Big, juicy and rich, this is certainly polished and modern enough to appeal to a "new world" wine drinker, but also has enough "Italianess" to please the purist. Lots of bright cherry fruit and acidity from the Sangiovese, spice and tannic structure from the Cab, and a velvety richness and hint of chocolate from the Merlot. So friendly it could be sipped on its own, but more than enough to stand up to a veggie lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, or a big roast. "Bere" means "to drink". Heed that advice.

Review Date: 1-27-2012

Antonio Galoni of the Wine Advocate said to the effect that he "was blown away by the quality of the value priced wine I tasted from Argiolas", that he "can't recommend them highly enough" and that they offer "stunning value". My only complaint about what he had to say is that I didn't say if first. Even their varietal Monica bottling, easily one of the oddest grapes in Italy, is delicious. The "Costera" could carry the Cannonau di Sardegna DOC save for the fact there is about 5% Caringnano, so it carries the more esoteric IGT. It offers incredible spice, earth, and baked fruit but is far less rustic than many of it's counterparts. A delicious wine on it's own or with a variety of foods. I can't recommend it highly enough either. CM

Review Date: 7-28-2011

This is another scratch my head in wonder deal. In fact, and this is a bold statement, this could be the greatest deal in the store. Wait... bold statement is an understatement, as we have so many head scratching "yougottabefrigginkiddinme" deals is this store. But alas, I think it might be. This could hold its own in a blind tasting with bottles of bubbles two, three or even four times this price. Hell, five times. I implore you to give it a try.

Review Date: 7-22-2011

I started working here at K&L about 18 months ago. The only thing that scares me more than trying to calculate how many cans of this I've consumed since that start date, which is also the point at which I discovered this insanely delicious brew, is how much Fernet Branca I drank in the decade I was in San Francisco. I "heart" this beer! CM

Review Date: 5-29-2011

Here's another lovely little Chardonnay from an unsung but stalwart producer of the varietal. I remember back in the late 90's when I was just a wee lad in the wine biz having a distributor lunch at this winery, and sipping on this Chardonnay (not this vintage of course) and wondering how this hippy surfer from Santa Cruz ended up sitting at this lunch, staring at the Mayacamas above the Robert Mondavi winery across the street, and being like, "damn, life is good". Retasting the 2009 brought me back; a nice, ever so lightly oaked wine with pretty appley flavors, no overtly heavy malolactic quality, nice natural acidity. Just a refreshing sipper for these upcoming summer months. Yes, life is good. Enjoy. CM

Review Date: 2-12-2011

What a value! I love this wine. An excellent little sparkler for any occasion. Celebrating a wedding, an anniversary, a Tuesday, a Sunday morning, tying a shoe, boiling an egg, the sun rising yet one more time, feeling good. This wine will enhance any one of those. A fridge without a bottle of this is an unhappy fridge. Make more happy fridges!! CM

Review Date: 6-19-2010

The Bronca sisters knock it out of the park with this wine. I went to a Prosecco Consorzio tasting in San Francisco a few years back and dutifully tasted well over a hundred different Proseccos and this one was easily in the top five (and the least expensive of those; by half, in fact, in one instance!) This is the sole Prosecco imported by famed Italian agent Oliver McCrum, who insists the extra dry style is the only way to truly express the beautiful pear blossom and white peach inherent in the grape. I couldn't agree more Mr. McCrum, so, Mr (or Miss) Customer, please try this bottle of bubbles and experience one of the best examples of this exceptionally lovely wine, a perennial favorite of yours truly, by the way. Salud! CM