close
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
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
Reviewers
AllK&L Email Alerts
Sign up to receive custom alerts, new arrivals and the latest happenings from K&L Wines
Staff Favorites - Trey Beffa
|
Reviews
2005 Beringer "Private Reserve" Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 8-19-2008
Always Bordeaux-like in its structure and balance,
this wine usually is best with time in the cellar. Big and firm, this classic cabernet from 2005 will not disappoint fans of previous vintages. Patience will be rewarded.
Price: $79.99
2005 Rubicon Estate "Cask" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon (Was $65)
Review Date: 8-19-2008
This is 100% cabernet sauvignon that comes from the Chateau and Cohn vineyards, which are both certified organic and have been producing cabernet since 1880. This wine is aged in 500 liter American oak puncheons for 28 months. Even so, this wine is still dominated by the ripe fruit! The American oak adds a creamy,
fleshy texture rather then a spicy dill character.
Price: $49.99
2006 St. Clement Napa Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 7-15-2008
This chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented in 20% new French oak, with the remaining portion in two and
three-year-old French oak.Winemaker Danielle Cyrot chose to put approximately 85% of the blend through malolactic fermentation. All of the lots were kept separate and aged sur lie with no stirring for eight months before blending and bottling. This delicious chardonnay is rich and creamy on the palate with ample flavors of Asian spice, pears, peach and citrus.
Price: $9.99
2005 Joseph Phelps Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 6-18-2008
A very approachable blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot and 4% petit verdot. About 75% of the fruit came from estateowned vineyards and 25% from independent growers. The 2005 vintage was unusually late due to mild temperatures. The wine shows lush and
creamy in the mouth, with hints of vanilla, mocha, red cherry and plum fruit. Tannins are sweet and integrated.
Price: $49.95
Arette Artesanal Blanco Suave Tequila 750ml
Review Date: 5-20-2008
Arette was founded in 1900 by the Orendain family. Since 1976 it has been produced and bottled by Eduardo and Jaime Orendain in their distillery “El Llano” in Tequila, Mexico. The Blanco is one of the most unique tequilas I have tasted yet. It is very bright and citric, with a lively palate and hints of oak. The Reposado is your sipping tequila: complex, deep and rich. Both are excellent, hand-crafted tequilas that I would highly recommend.
Price: $47.99
1999 Bollinger Grande Année Champagne
Review Date: 5-20-2008
We were served this wine at a dinner while we were in Bordeaux and I loved it so much that I emailed the rep while we were still sitting at the table having dinner and bought it on the spot. This wine is focused, rich and very fresh with great acidity and balance. This wine will gain complexity with a couple of years in the bottle, but it sure tastes good now.
Price: $109.99
2007 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-20-2008
Another top wine of the vintage and a wine that showed some power with a full mid-palate, black cherry and cola flavors and a long balanced finish.
Price: $89.99
2007 La Conseillante, Pomerol Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-20-2008
This is one of those wines that knocks you over the head, but I liked it for is solid core of classic merlot-based fruit. The finish was ripe and long.
Price: $99.99
2007 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-20-2008
Of the Lynch-Bages I have tasted in the last several years, this is one of my favorites. Perfume and spice on the nose with hints of cedar, tobacco, black cherry and licorice on the palate. This elegant and forward wine will be delicious upon release.
Price: $69.99
2007 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-20-2008
We tasted this wine at least twice on our Bordeaux trip and both times it blew me away. Big, dark, extracted chewy fruit—great concentration, ripe, fleshy tannins, sweet mocha flavors and still balanced and fresh on the finish.
Price: $56.99
2007 Troplong Mondot, St-Emilion Pre-Arrival
Review Date: 5-20-2008
I really liked this wine both times we tasted it. Pricing is definitely a question mark here, but the wine is great. Dense and ripe fruit with a fleshy texture and a firm, but ripe, finish.
Price: $79.99
2004 Phelan "Estate Grown" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Was $70)
Review Date: 4-17-2008
A K&L retail exclusive in California, Phelan is 100% estate-grown, limited production cab. The vineyard sits at almost 1,200 feet in the southeast corner of the Napa Valley. The wine is deeply-colored, concentrated mountain cabernet. The nose is intense and toasty. In the mouth, the wine’s core of dark berry fruit is framed by mocha flavors, ripe tannins and substantial mid-palate weight. The wine is firm and well-structured but not harsh or abrasive. This wine drinks great now with some decanting and should age well over the next eight years.
Price: $44.99
