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.


Reviews

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2010 Chasse-Spleen, Moulis Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
*+ Fresh cherry fruit flavors, but not overly extracted. Tannins are firm but round. A cellar pick.

2010 Beaumont, Haut-Médoc (3L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
1/2*V This is a soft and elegant wine, as usual, but it has impressive grip on the back end. Always a good value.

2010 Beaumont, Haut-Médoc (1.5L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
1/2*V This is a soft and elegant wine, as usual, but it has impressive grip on the back end. Always a good value.

2010 Beaumont, Haut-Médoc Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
1/2*V This is a soft and elegant wine, as usual, but it has impressive grip on the back end. Always a good value.

2010 Labégorce, Margaux Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
Michel Rolland's fingerprints are all over this wine. It has a seamless entry onto the palate, which shows good purity of fruit and suppleness. I get crunchy red fruit with pretty minerality. A very impressive value. At UGC: Watch this property! They've been making fantastic value wines recently. Their 2010 will cellar well for many years.

2010 Poujeaux, Moulis Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
*+ A great nose. Elegant, with a lot of minerals and nice, sweet length. At UGC: As usual, this wine is great. Just buy it and enjoy in five years. Cassis and red fruit on the juicy mid-palate with a mineral finish. Good structure.

2010 Fourcas Hosten, Listrac Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
This property was recently purchased by the Hermes group, and the wine is stunning. As silky as a Hermes scarf. By far the best wine ever produced here. It is quirte forward almost like the 2009 vintage. Long lingering finish. At UGC: Wow and double wow. By far their best wine. New ownership has really rejuvenated this property; a must-buy.

2010 Paloumey, Haut-Médoc Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
One of our favorite properties. We loved the wine in 2009, and love it again in 2010. A great value for mid-term aging.
Price: $19.99 Add To Cart WE 92 WS 91

2010 Clinet, Pomerol Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
This property is back to fine form. The wine is super rich with great texture on the palate. Tons of fruit in the middle covers the tannins. At UGC: One of my favorite wines from the UGC tasting.

2010 Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
*1/2V Lots of black fruit, though it's pretty tannic and hefty, with textbook herbal qualities and an earthy, sweet, black-fruited finish. Lots of structure. At UGC: Elegant, with almost exotic black and red fruits. A lovely, grapey wine with nice tannins, excellent balance and a very long finish. A great value!

2010 Montrose, St-Estèphe Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
Big wine. At UGC: Still very closed right now, but starts to come around nicely with air, though you still have to concentrate to find the velvet underneath the iron. You can see the pedigree here. Could this be a 100-pointer?

2010 Angludet, Margaux (1.5L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
Deep color, extremely lush on the palate. Sexy, black cherry aromas. Fresh and vibrant. Should be a fine value. At UGC: The second bottle was sweet and sexy on the nose. Lots of red berry fruit flavors. Lovely mouthfeel. So pretty and tasty and a steal to boot.

2010 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
This has a lush texture, with meaty undertones on palate. At UGC: The wine showed exceptionally well at the UGC tasting and was packed with ripe fruit. This property is on a roll.

2010 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux (6L) Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
This has a lush texture, with meaty undertones on palate. At UGC: The wine showed exceptionally well at the UGC tasting and was packed with ripe fruit. This property is on a roll.

2010 Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 2-4-2013
Tons of chocolate and spicy red fruit flavors. At UGC: Exotic, layers of sweet raspberry fruit, stern but with viscosity. A great wine, but you have to be young so you can enjoy it in 30 years.

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