Italian Wine

93 points Wine Spectator: "Intense aromas of currant, raisin and licorice, with hints of toasty oak. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a powerful currant, blackberry and mineral aftertaste. Dense, and all in reserve. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. Best after 2013." (10/09) The superb drinkability of the 2007 vintage shines through in this sleek, drinkable and bargain Super Tuscan. Beautiful cassis-like fruit flows from the Cabernet and gives the wine its frame, the softness of the Merlot gives suppleness to the structure;... Read More » 

Inventory: Special Order

La Velona's winery sits in the southeast corner of the Montalcino growing zone, just outside of the tiny hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where it's warmed by the southern exposure and blessed with sunlight from the open view to Mount Amiata across the Orcia River Valley. These vineyards always produce fully ripe grapes, and 2003 was one of the hottest summers on record in Tuscany. The expectation was that the wines would all be cooked. Vineyard management is not a predictable science - when you're growing Sangiovese it is an art form. So when I first... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: " Dark ruby. Perfumed nose of red cherry and strawberry is clean and fresh. Boasts copious floral, minty red berry and red cherry flavors of lovely purity, with a smooth yet vibrant texture nicely firmed by an edge of acidity. Very fine entry-level Chianti." (Jul/Aug 07) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Claudia Ferrero’s small property is situated between Argiano and Banfi’s Poggio all’Oro vineyard in Montalcino’s southwestern corner. This gorgeous sangiovese is full-bodied and ripe with layers of lush black cherry fruit. On the palate it is lively, balanced and fresh and has a long finish. The perfect match for grilled meats drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The estate's 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva is delicious. Black cherries, herbs, tobacco and spices come together in a dark, brooding expression of Sangiovese framed by big, massive tannins. This finish is long and intense. Today the wine requires serious patience, but there is little question that it will be superb in a few years time. I can't wait to see what Monsanto has done with its top of the line Il Poggio in this vintage. In the meantime, the 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva is a highlight; and a terrific valu... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

This wine has been the #1 selling Italian wine for more than a decade at K&L! You can't get that kind of continued success without having a supremely consistent quality to price ratio. The South Tuscan coast is a breadbasket of wine making, stable temperatures, solid history of quality yet no fame and fortune. Our benefit is the incredibly price bargains that come out of the region! This wine is wonderful, soft, forward and easy to drink Sangiovese with an enticing mixture of cherry, plum and a hint of subtle soil character and it is affordable enough to... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Wine Spectator "Very ripe, with sweet berry and light dried currant aromas that follow through to a full body, with toasty oak, wild fruits and polished tannins. Rich and delicious already. Drink now through 2015. 1,830 cases made." (07/09) 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate " The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino opens with earthiness, tar, leather and licorice that lead to a core of expansive dark fruit. This sepia-toned Brunello grows in the glass, adding multiple dimensions to its weighty frame but most of its appeal is up-front as the inten... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

93 points Wine Spectator and ranked #10 Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009: "There's wonderful intensity of fruit in this wine, with crushed raspberry and blackberry and hints of coffee and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, soft-textured finish that shows loads of fruit. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2010." (10/09) " This is just another super wine from the bountiful 2007 vintage in Tuscany! Full of vibrant, bold fruit, layers of chocolaty richness, just the slightest hints of toasty vanilla and cof... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

This one's a clean, crisp and ultimately refreshing sparkler that is one of our favorties. Just this year imported to the U.S. and now available for your holiday celebrations! According to Wine Enthusiast: "This sparkler offers a beautiful nose of white flower, orange blossom, crushed peppercorn, talc powder and almond skin. There's a focused sharpness here that helps give the wine definition, staying power and loads of character." (07/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Giovanni Blason and his wife Valentina are nascent producers who shocked us with their price-to-quality ratio, earning tons of kudos in Gambero Rosso and beyond. They come from the Isonzo region, right up against the Slovenian border. Their Pinot Grigio is really sensational, full in the mouth, rich on the palate and extraordinarily drinkable at this price! 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Wine Spectator: "Aromas of apple pie, with just a hint of cream caramel. Full body, with loads of rich fruit and a pie crust and light toffee aftertaste. Great finish. All there. Drink now." (01/10) According to Wine Enthusiast: "There’s a mineral, almost vitamin-like quality to the nose here that comes on the heels of mature apricot, honey and yellow rose. The wine delivers heft and density (which is not always the case with Pinot Grigio), and boasts an attractively saturated golden color." (08/09) This lively Pinot Grigio is fermented in st... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

This is our 10th anniversary of bringing Ermacora to you and our price on the 1998 PG was $11.99! We love beating that Euro down! This has been one of K&L’s best sellers since we started bringing it in. The perfect balance of acidity and tremendous aromatics, loaded with pear, apple, citrus and tropical fruit, the Ermacora Pinot Grigio is an elegant, concentrated and superbly balanced wine. This is a great wine for you and your Valentine to start the evening off with antipasti, like pecorino, bruschetta or insalata mista."Mike "Guido" Parres 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "Aromas of plum and ripe citrus fruits follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with lots of citrus and cedar character, fine tannins and a medium finish. A tasty Rosso. Drink now." (Web only, 2008) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse San Francisco

91 points Wine Spectator: "Pineapple pie, with vanilla cream and honey on the nose. Full body, with a very ripe, almost decadent tropical fruit character. Lots of rich fruit. Drink now. This is always an excellent Pinot Grigio for the money. Drink now." (Web only, 2010) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Pasetti's vineyards lie in the heart of Italy's Abruzzo, between the Tirino and Pescara valleys at the foot of Gran Sasso and Maiella. The location's favorable climate, varied terrain and clay chalk and skeleton-rich rocky subsoils result in some of the best wines coming out of Italy today. Made by husband and wife team Franco and Mimma from vineyards at 550 meters above sea level, their Montepulciano d'Abruzzo has a soft, almost sherried nose with subtle chocolate notes. On the palate this wine is powerful, structured and elegant. It is nicely balanced ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

The 2007 Selvagrossa Muschén is a forward, fresh and vibrant wine that is made from 60% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel and sees no oak. The wine shows Sangiovese's vibrant, acidic backbone, which gives the wine its verve and direction along with some elegant cherry tones. The Merlot adds a bit of mid-palate richness and some warm texture to the Sangiovese's brightness while thickening it toward the finish. The spicy, complex Cabernet Franc is what brings everything together. This 2007 vintage is... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

95 points Wine Spectator: "Delivers fabulous aromas of crushed raspberries, cherries and strawberries, with flowers and a hint of vanilla bean. Full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and silky tannins. Dense and very long. A serious, powerful and complex red, but needs some bottle age. This is the producer's best wine ever. Best after 2012." (Web Only, 2009) 3.5 stars from K&L's Italian wine buyer, Greg St. Clair: "The nose is immediately full of plums and sweet vanilla. On the palate, it expands into a pool of cultured lushness that flows broadly acro... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

A second label of Valle dell'Acate's, the Case Ibidini range (pronounced ‘bidini) consists of varietally labeled wines from the estate intended for more casual consumption. The local name of the area where the estate is situated, Bidini, is drawn from the ancient root Bidis. This in turn referred to the name of a group of early Hellenic settlers who populated the area nearly 20 centuries ago. These wines provide a purity and authenticity reflective of the philosophy of the estate, all at an affordable price. Made from 100% Nero d'Avola grapes grown in me... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Antinori moves south! Piero Antinori has been one of the leaders of the Italian wine industry for decades. He was involved in starting the Super Tuscan movement, developing coastal Tuscany and now he has turned his focus to Puglia. Antinori however sees the potential for quality at an exceptional price and with their incredible base of knowledge and skilled winemakers they have crafted some unique and delicious wines. The Tormaresca "Neprica" is made for 40% Negroamaro, 30% Primitivo and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Negroamaro and Primitivo by themselves some... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

This Barbera has been one of out most popular "Bargain Wines" for the last couple of years as well as Top 100 wine in the Wine Spectator. Fontanafredda has done an outstanding job of making a wine with real, vibrant flavors that just jump out of the glass. They've also done an amazing job of softening Barbera's sometime forceful acidity to make this wine supremely pleasant for anyone to drink! Try it with foods from the BBQ or your favorite pasta, it is a real winner! (Greg St.Clair K&L's Italian buyer) According to Wine Spectator: "Raspberry and bluebe... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

"This Tocai is always a staff favorite, as well as our customers’ (it always seems to be the first of the Ermacoras to sell out). This year is no exception, the palate carries an enticing nuance of wildflowers and pears, and it is broadly flavored and offers notes of herbs and citrus, apricots and a flowery finesse with layers of minerals. Very nicely balanced acidity heightens the flavors and gives it a long, clean finish. This wine has definite structure that will work with the il secondo or second course, which is the main course, often meat, poultry,... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Wine Spectator: "Shows Indian spices and ripe berries on the nose. Opens up beautifully. Full-bodied, yet refined and very polished. A long, lovely red. Best after 2010." (10/2009) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker: "This finessed, regal Brunello flows onto the palate with seamless layers of perfumed fruit framed by silky, finessed tannins. The wine remains extremely primary at this stage, and its full range of aromas and flavors have yet to emerge, but the sheer pedigree of this Brunello is unmistakable. The elegant, refined finish lasts an eternity, and subtle notes of menthol, spices, licorice and leather add final notes of complexity." (06/09) 93 points Steve Tanzerr: "Good deep red. Sexy nose offers raspberry, spices, coconut, dried fl... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

Villa Pillo is a traditional Tuscan Farm, founded in medieval times, mentioned in many historical documents. It is located in the heart of the Chianti area, equidistant from the cities of Pisa, Florence and Siena. The estate of 500 hectares was purchased in 1989 by John and Kathe Dyson (of Williams Selyem), whose love of Tuscany led them to embark on a restoration of the estate which included the palladian villa and park built by the original owner, the Marchese Incontri in the 1700s. New vineyards and olive orchards were planted and the winery re-furbis... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

Ruby red with purple hues. On the nose, it is fresh, with aromas of currant, strawberry and raspberry. On the palate the wine is fresh and fruity, well balanced and smooth. Fermented in stainless steel, this is a great all-around red that goes with what you're eating! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

96 points and #7 on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009: "This fabulous Nebbiolo displays aromas of very ripe strawberry and cappuccino. Full-bodied, with supervelvety tannins and incredible concentration. All the tannins are coated with gorgeous fruit. Best after 2013." (08/09) 93 points Wine Enthusiast: "Marcenasco really comes through this vintage in terms of power, elegance and harmony. There are spice and herbal notes mixed in with almond, vanilla and allspice. You’ll love the sensation of wholeness and harmony here. Drink this opulent wine ... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

89 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The delicious 2007 Gavi di Gavi from La Meirana possesses lovely balance and inner perfume in its honeyed apricots, flowers and spices. It is a generous, medium-bodied Gavi made in a richly-textured, yet crisp style. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2010." (08/08) Gavi, for me, has always been a delicate, clean, refreshing wine to go with grilled calamari brightened by a squeeze of lemon, but I don't generally look to it for complexity, intrigue or depth. I have to admit upon tasting this 2007 Broglia Gavi di Gavi "La... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Sfuso means "bulk wine" in Italian, and this is just like the straightforward and simple wine you get in an Italian trattoria, or when you bring your bottles to the vino-olio store - just fresh Montepulciano, soft, easy and delicious. (Greg St. Clair, K&L Wine Merchants) The 2008 Contesa Vino Sfuso Rosso is everything that I want in an everyday red. This is made from 100% Montepulciano grown in the Marche. A vibrant nose with dark red and black fruits, the palate is dominated by lots of primary fruit tones and it has a modest finish with good acidity. ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

In the most outstanding vintage years, Sella & Mosca produces a Riserva version of its Cannonau, made from grapes picked in selected portions of its Cannonau vineyards. Aged three years in oak prior to release, this aristocratic red will sustain a decade or more of aging. It offers a mesmerizing scent that is redolent with violets. On the palate this rustic red is abundantly fruity (think heirloom plums), assertive and intense, with a sustained finish that calls out for lamb seasoned with rosemary! 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

This small, seven-hectare family estate is located in the heart of the production area for Barbera d'Asti. This estate makes three "crus" of Barbera. La Marescialla is obtained from the careful selection of the grapes coming from one of the oldest vineyards on the estate and is refined for about a year in barriques. It offers tremendous complexity and excellent length and tannic structure. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Bold and forward on the nose with rich impressions of fruit, particularly dark cherry, dried plum and concluding with crisp, sweet almond notes. The attack is clean and fresh, and the palate shows supple tannins and a lengthy progression. Crazy that you get all this for right around ten bucks. According to the Wine Spectator: "Light and fruity, with fresh raspberry and blackberry character. Clean and fresh. Drink now." (10/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

"This is the wine Ermacora is known for in Italy. Perfectly balanced, the Pinot Bianco has incredible depth, concentration and focus, with a hint of green apples and good acidity. It is rich and creamy, with custard-like flavors and is full-bodied on the palate; it has balance, complexity and character. If you can hold onto it, this wine will age over the next two to three years. You won’t believe the incredible wine it will evolve into! To drink sooner than later, this will work Great with the il primo or first course usually consisting of pasta, minest... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

From an outstanding vintage in Chianti, this is classic Sangiovese offered now at a ridiculously low price. Deep cherry fruit, integrated tannins and bright acidity call for meat-based red sauces and your favorite Tuesday night pasta! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

We met Dario Sciolla for the first time in Piedmont a few years ago and were very impressed with his wines. He hails from a little town called Bastia Mondovì about 16 miles south of Barolo in dolcetto country. Dario's family has been growing grapes here for generations, the vineyards surround the family home but Dario was the first to bottle wine. His winery is about as big as your garage, ok maybe slightly bigger, but his was built around the time Columbus was dodging hurricanes in the Caribbean. In the mouth the wine is lush; it rolls across your pala... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

There is nothing musty or old fashioned about this straight forward red, with fresh "modern" styling in its rich dark fruit and sweet tannins. Made entirely of the Montepulciano grape from the region of Abruzzo, this will work well with pizza/pasta or just as an all-around excellent Tuesday night quaffer! 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Tenuta Monteti is a new winery in southern coastal Tuscany that is planted to Bordeaux varieties with a twist. Alicante bouschet is not a common grape unless you're talking about the Maremma along southern Tuscany's coast where for generations this "lost" region made local wine but its climate has finally attracted hordes of winery owners looking to find the "new" Bolgheri to make the next Sassicaia or Ornellaia! The Caburnio is Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (25%) and Alicante Bouschet (25%). 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

"This wine shocked me when I first tasted it. I really love this variety for its scintillating aromatics but am occasionally turned off by harsh tannins in some examples. The Arrocco is loaded with blackberry fruit but it isn't like a bunch of blackberry jam this wine just sings, the fruit is bursting with primary flavors but there is something more exotic, lilting, inviting, and lingering with a higher tone to it rather than just simple fruit. This wine smells like fruit perfume, sexier, pulsing and almost human with delicate veils of wildness subtly l... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Castiglione Tinella is a bit off the beaten track for visitors traveling to Piedmont, but it is here in this gorgeous hillside town that some of the most profound Moscatos are found, particularly those of the talented Paolo Saracco. While I generally advise drinking Moscatos young, I have also tasted a number of four to five year-old bottles here that have aged beautifully, although, of course at that age the wines no longer have the sheer charm they did when they were young. Simply put, Saracco is a reference... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The entry-level 2005 Amarone Classico della Valpolicella Costasera is made in a fairly straightforward, fresh style, with perfumed bright red fruit supported by silky tannins. This harmonious red offers excellent depth and lovely balance. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015." (10/08) 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara. Bright ruby red with violet tinges on the edges. Young and vibrant on the nose with typical cherry aromas to the fore and a distinct hint of cloves. Good structure on the palate; ripe cherry ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

This is a party wine plain and simple, and it features accents of pear and summer peaches with a semi-sweet and delightfully sparkling finish. Serve it well chilled and in good supply! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse San Francisco

The Drusian Family has been producing wine for three generations. It all started with Grandfather Giuseppino in the middle of 19th Century. His son Rino followed… all the way up until 1984, after which Francesco has carried on the duties. He is deeply enchanted by his land and its grapes, and it is thanks to him that certain technological innovations were made at this historic estate. Production at the moment is about 200 thousand bottles a year of Prosecco and Cartizze, thus it is limited in quantity and of an extremely high quality. No pesticides or in... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is a vibrant, focused wine that flows with the essence of dark fruit, minerals and flowers. The wine possesses gorgeous length and proportion, all of which is framed by powerful yet well-integrated tannins. Simply put, this is a superb Chianti that also happens to be one of the best relative values in fine, age worthy wine. The Rancia is made from vines planted on poor soils at 420 meters above sea level. In 2006, the Rancia spent 16 months in French oak, of which 60% was n... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

89 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Chianti Classico is a sweet, super-ripe wine with an enticing core of fruit. The heat of the vintage has filled out the wine nicely. Although the acidity is still relatively high, this doesn't look to be an especially long-lived wine. That should hardly matter, though, as readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this gem. In 2007 the Chianti Classico is a selection of fruit from eleven different vineyards harvested between the end of September and early October. The wine was mostly aged... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Enthusiast: "This Prosecco-based sparkler (with fruit from outside the traditional Prosecco zone) offers creamy froth and sweet notes of peach, mint leaf and almond nut. It has medium intensity, nice crispness..." (12/15/2007) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate says "The 2008 Pinot Bianco reveals layers of perfumed ripe fruit on a taut, focused frame. This is another impeccably balanced wine from Tramin. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." Wine Advocate # 184 Aug 2009 Antonio Galloni 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Tenuta Monteti is a new winery in southern coastal Tuscany that is planted to Bordeaux varieties with a twist. Alicante bouschet is not a common grape unless you're talking about the Maremma along southern Tuscany's coast where for generations this "lost" region made local wine but its climate has finally attracted hordes of winery owners looking to find the "new" Bolgheri to make the next Sassicaia or Ornellaia! Tenuta Monteti is a twist on classical Bordeaux, made from Petit Verdot 60% which is the new darling grape of the Bordelais and you'll see why ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Rosso di Montalcino is one of the more massive Rossos in this vintage. In fact, it is one of the few wines that may actually require a year or two in bottle for the tannins to soften! Super-ripe red cherries lead to kirsch, earthiness, leather and spices as this full-bodied, tannic Rosso struts its stuff. The wine possesses exceptional depth, purity and class. Proprietor Vincenzo Abbruzzese elevates Rosso to another level with this effort, but readers will need to be patient. The Valdicava Rosso is made ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

Montalcino is an intriguing growing zone, the soil, geography, hydrology and elevation all add specifics to an equation that has many answers. The 2006 Ferrero Rosso di Montalcino comes from the southwestern portion of Montalcino where the words hot and dry are front and center. Incredibly this is the opposite of the versante Senese (slope towards Siena) which is rife with springs and water abounds and the sun goes down early behind the ridge the town of Montalcino sits upon. Claudia Ferrero and her husband Pablo Harri, the highly respected winemaker at... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Brilliant ruby red in color, this intense 100% Nero d'Avola shows very likable notes of red berry fruit, musk, plum and plain chocolate. The aftertaste releases a special note of 'carruba' a typical fruit of the region . 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Wine Spectator: "Shows sweet blueberry notes, with mineral and lilac. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and vanilla and bright fruit flavors. Clean and racy. Best after 2010." (10/09) The Castello di Nipozzano was built in 1000 in the heart of the Chianti Rufina zone as a fortress. Fortunately for us, its defensive intentions are no longer necessary, and today it is used as the cellar where the Nipozzano wines are made and aged. The rich clay and limestone-rich soils, combined with the dry climate, make for full-bodied, structured fruit, which i... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood