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Staff Favorites - Clyde Beffa Jr.
Clyde Beffa Jr.
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Had K&L co-owner and main wine buyer Clyde Beffa Jr. not read an article about the gentlemanly hobby of wine collecting in the February 1971 issue of Playboy, he might still be weighing the merits of Holsteins versus Jerseys instead of Château Margaux or Haut-Bailly. Beffa owned a dairy in Tracy, California, from 1967-1973, leaving the the business to co-found K&L Liquors, as it was known back then, in 1976. Clyde started traveling to Europe in 1982 and over the years, he has worked hard to build K&L into one of the nation's go-to sources for the world's diverse wines, developing relationships with winemakers and châteaux owners the world over. Clyde's passion is surely Bordeaux, especially the fabulous wines from Pauillac and St-Julien (like Pichon-Lalande and Léoville-Barton). When he's not drinking France's legendary reds, you'll likely find Clyde indulging in Sauvignon Blanc. A fan of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and white Bordeaux, he'll also tuck into a bottle of Kiwi Sauv Blanc if there's no corkscrew around. These days you'll likely find Clyde extolling the virtues of underrated Bordeaux vintages like 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2006, or playing with his German Shepherd Sadie. Or you may see him in his vegetable garden and, once in a great while, on the golf course.
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Reviews
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1998 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 7-6-2011
The 1998 Lanessan is a sturdy wine with some mineral undertones and dusty aromas. Decant it and it blossoms. Will cellar a few more years. Serve with cassoulet.
Price: $19.99
1997 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 7-6-2011
A heavenly wine for $17--balanced and fruity. It has no hard edges, but is still vibrant and full of life. This wine tends to be on harder side, but is more approachable when combined with a soft vintage. This will sell out immediately (for the fourth time).
Price: $17.99
2010 Gruaud-Larose, St-Julien Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 6-22-2011
** 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Extremely sweet, fruity aromas and tons of spicy, toasty, minty flavors. Delicious.
Price: $89.99
2010 Saint-Pierre, St-Julien Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 6-17-2011
** Impressive, delicious wine. Blackberry and spice and everything nice. One of Pierre Antoine's favorites from St-Julien. Good palate impression. Tannins are big, round and serious.
Price: $129.99
2010 Saint-Pierre, St-Julien (1.5L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 6-17-2011
** Impressive, delicious wine. Blackberry and spice and everything nice. One of Pierre Antoine's favorites from St-Julien. Good palate impression. Tannins are big, round and serious.
Price: $199.99
2010 Brane-Cantenac, Margaux Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 6-16-2011
*+ Classic. Not pushed. Elegant. Best Brane-Cantenac ever says Pierre Antoine Casteja the head of Joanne, the #1 négociant house in Bordeaux.
Price: $99.99
2010 Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 6-16-2011
** Tasted three times, and it was always in top form.
Price: $249.99
2010 Clos Fourtet, St-Emilion Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-17-2011
Nice nose. Elegant and restrained, with good texture and mid-palate fruit. Finishes with round, long tannins.
Price: $149.99
2010 Clos Fourtet, St-Emilion (1.5L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-17-2011
Nice nose. Elegant and restrained, with good texture and mid-palate fruit. Finishes with round, long tannins.
Price: $269.99
2007 Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien
Review Date: 8-16-2010
Tasted at property. 82% cabernet, 8% merlot, 10% cabernet franc. Very deep color, Blackberry nose with some red currant nuances. Superb mid-palate impression. Big wine with lots of layers. Still has core of ripe fruit. One of the bigger wines of the day. Same yield here as in 2006.
Price: $149.99
2005 Chantegrive, Graves
Review Date: 8-21-2009
Soft and elegant wine with mineral undertones-a 2005 wine you can enjoy now with decanting-delicious.
Price: $19.99
2006 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien
Review Date: 8-21-2009
I love this property and this vintage from Langoa. Black cherry aromas and flavor. Much more approachable than Leoville Barton - tons of ripe fruit. Perfect structure and balance - will age well for a long time. Same production as 2005 vintage. Great value. Barrel notes: "At property - some cranberry flavors. Good texture and mouthfeel. Solid wine with rounded tannins. At UGC -quite a bit of cranberry on the nose and palate. Complete wine
with sweet fruit flavors and lingering finish. *1/2
Price: $54.99
1999 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Review Date: 5-4-2009
I really like 1999 Pauillacs, they’re much better balanced than 1998 and sweeter on the palate. This is a great price for a fabulous wine.
Price: $149.99
1996 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 3-30-2009
Thirteen years old and under $25. That's less than $2 a year. Old school wine with tons of Cabernet fruit showing through. Great food wine-say Osso Bucco! Very beautiful glowing dark ruby. Intriguing, fully developed nose with strong mineral notes... this is serious wine! Fabulous value! Old school. It reminds me of the good ol’ days in Bordeaux when wines were judged on fruit and texture, not on how much new oak was showing. On 7/5/11: From a powerhouse vintage. The cassis really shines through here. Some chocolate nuances. Parker calls it a sleeper of the vintage
Top Value!
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $19.99
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