Search Results

This is a fascinating showcase of how graceful Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon can age. Now 15 years old, this bottling still shows complex aromas of roasted strawberry, ashy wood, mashed olive, espresso bean and damp mushroom. The palate remains as fresh as many new Cabs, with polished tannins offering dark fruit, dried porcini and bittersweet cocoa flavors. *Editors' Choice* (MK)

After 18 years of buying spirits for K&L, this special parcel may be my crowning achievement. Just a few years ago, it would have been nearly unfathomable that we could gain access to stocks of this quality at such low prices. We have, of course, bottled similar whiskies before. Years back, we secured a 1991 version from Hunter Laing, and only last year we offered a Faultline barrel from 1998 that sold out almost immediately. Now, we bring you another "Single Vintage Blended Malt" a full decade that barrel's senior for exactly the same price. It is an absolute coup and, if I’m honest, may get me in a little trouble, but that surely will not stop me. My style has always been to ask forgiveness rather than permission. The true challenge with stocks like this is how you label them. We cannot, under any circumstances, place the distillery name on the label, even though it is beyond doubt where the whisky comes from. The once-accepted trade name Burnside belongs to our dear friends at Cadenhead, and out of respect (and good sense, given their well-known litigious nature) we would never infringe on it. So the question becomes, what do we call this whisky? Our friends at Duncan Taylor sold us that wonderful barrel for our Faultline label that they dubbed “The Huntley,” a reference to their hometown. That option was off the table for us. After some consideration, we settled on a playful nod to our friends in Campbeltown: “The Sideburns.” We are not the first to use the name, but ours is plural, because who on earth needs just one Side-burn? Needless to say, this is one of the most outrageous deals I have ever had the honor of brokering for our shop. It represents the pinnacle of my ongoing effort to push back against one of the most damaging trends in our industry: the erosion of value for the end consumer. If you destroy the primary market for great whisky by pushing prices beyond reason, you eventually destroy the market itself. Too many producers have forgotten the first rule of selling anything: give customers what they want at a price they can afford. Start with the customer’s experience and build the system backward from there, rather than forcing corporate projections and marketing jargon down their throats. What do customers want? Great old malt whisky. But in today’s marketplace, finding a bottle over 25 years old that delivers real value in the glass is nearly impossible. Certainly there are other ways brands create value for their customers through lifestyle, image, luxury packaging, or grand storytelling. But if the true measure is taste—and for me it always is—you will struggle to point to a single product that offers what this whisky does at anywhere near this price. This parcel is, without exaggeration, one of the finest opportunities ever presented to lovers of Scotch worldwide. I hope this is only the beginning. If we can continue to secure parcels like this through new channels, then perhaps we can begin to chip away at the barriers keeping customers from enjoying extraordinary old whisky rather than just looking at them. For now, I am confident in saying this is easily the greatest Scotch deal K&L has offered in its 40-plus year history.

Since acquiring the property in 2009, Virginie Saverys has worked to convert all 162-plus hectares of vineyards to organic and biodynamic practices. In 2015 the Sangiovese was harvested relatively early, between 10-28 September. Hints of dried rose petals, violet, pepper and black tea add complexity to fragrant red cherry and strawberry. (MM)

This new discovery is almost too good to be true. Chateau Chadenne's La Fleur is a gorgeous Fronsac from the famed 2009 vintage, a wine that I fell head over heels for when tasting a few months back and couldn't wait to share with folks at K&L. It's now here and stands tall as one of the best buys in Bordeaux, the kind of combination of value, vintage, and age that you really don't see anywhere else. Just as when I first tasted it, I'm enamored with how fresh and lively this 2009 is. When I think about how the style and panache of the 2009 vintage should evolve with time, it tastes like this. Floral and wild berry aromas lead to a palate that's full of red-to-black fruit, terrific acid lift, and well-integrated tannins that follow through to a finish with a stony, mineral edge that feels very much at home in Fronsac's clay-limestone hills, along with a touch of spice. A beautiful combination of freshness and richness, it hits all the hallmarks of this celebrated vintage. A remarkable wine that defies its low price, this is one to buy by the case. It will impress wine drinkers of all stripes and, given how fresh, composed, and vibrant it remains today, should continue to evolve gracefully for another ten to twenty years. This is a modern classic and a not-to-be-missed value.

This is no ordinary brut sans année. I tasted this with Damien at the maison this May, and three times this week, and I was impressed by the generous, creamy, white fruit character of the wine. This wine is entirely fermented in large oak barrels, and comes from vineyards tended to like a vanity garden. It is composed of 70% Chouilly Grand Cru and 30% Cramant Grand Cru, with 30% reserves from his solera-style foudre of older vintages. The back end not only has the chalk that one would expect but also a very nice chestnut flavor. This is top-class blanc de blancs, and no one that enjoys this style should miss it given the extraordinary price.

There was once a time when we could have nearly anything we wanted in the wonderful Willett warehouses. Back in the day, our friends the Kulsveens didn't have every liquor store in America breaking down their doors to get a barrel of their special bourbon. Until 2012, they had sourced every drop, yet something about those special ricks on the hill behind Bardstown seemed to uniformly create exceptional whisky. Honestly, they were extremely ahead of their time in almost every aspect of their business, but when the distillery opened, the doors to those rickhouses closed. Now we're extremely lucky to get our one barrel a year. It's funny because those stocks are actually controlled by the distributor, and so while we definitely feel like we should be getting the lion's share of the barrels for K&L - after all, we were some of the first to jump on the single barrel bus long ago - it's hard to fault them for only giving us one, considering they have to split their allocations between five states and thousands of stores. But, as I am wont to do, I must push every button when there's something I love and believe my customers will benefit from owning. So the choice to pick a 15-year-old barrel as our only Willett seems easy on paper - an incredibly delicious and rare barrel from the pre-distillation sourced stock - but it was actually incredibly difficult. That's mostly because of this special barrel. This is easily the best own distillate I've yet to taste, and while I'm sure there are many other, perhaps superior, barrels distilled since they opened in 2012, this one was so perfectly balanced and delicious that it absolutely sang to me. So while I ultimately picked the 15-year, I asked Ethan - the single barrel guru at Willett - to hide this sample for a few days while I worked my magic. I began to prod and pester our distributor for an additional barrel allocation, but their hands were tied. They'd already committed every barrel, and I was one of the few in California to get access to a 15-year, so my political capital seemed to be spent. Our final option was to get to the New York market, where our newly opened store had not qualified for an allocation because we were so new to the local distributor there. I begged and pleaded, but the rules in New York are extremely strict. You simply can't be allocated a barrel if there are other accounts that qualify ahead of you. So I simply left it up to fate and begged Ethan to continue guarding that sample. In an amazing stroke of luck, not a few weeks later, I got a call from our supplier in New York saying one of our competitors had backed out of their pick and the allocation had opened up. Without hesitation, I mentioned this incredible barrel, and the rest is history. K&L's first Willett barrel in New York and one of the greatest modern Willetts I've ever tasted. Sometimes the stars align and the gods of bourbon allow you to step through the gates. I'm very lucky to have people in every aspect of this business who care about what we do. They know how much I care for them. They are the bourbon angels who made this possible. I won't go into tasting notes or anything like that here today. I've already been effusive enough, but rest assured, no one who understands the potential greatness that modern Willett can deliver will open this bottle and be disappointed. The barrel is named for the song that came on as we drove up that special drive to the legendary spot, "This Must Be the Place" by Talking Heads. It's true of Willett and that special spot at 270 Madison Ave in the great state of New York. We have arrived.

The 2022 Château Tronquoy is the finest vintage of this cuvée ever produced, offering fabulous aromatics of cassis, graphite, violets, flowers, chocolate, and earthy nuances. Full-bodied and beautifully rich and textured on the palate, with sweet tannins and a seamless, concentrated mouthfeel, it’s already hard to resist, and as I said from barrel, it shows the ripeness of the vintage while staying pure, balanced, and seamless. It’s going to benefit from just 4-6 years in the cellar and drink well for 25+ years.

Price aside, this is one of the best bottles of Champagne at K&L. This wine comes from the same ancient massal selected vines that made their special club in the past, and is also made the same way- in enamel lined iron tanks in their cellar in Mesnil. 2017 is a fantastic vintage for Chardonnay, and this is a top notch example of the success that variety had in Champagne. Not only is the wine full of rich brioche and generous citrus, its fabulous texture and complexity is balanced by bright refreshment and definitive chalky minerality. Not only will it drink great tonight, it will improve for at least a couple of decades in good storage. Don't miss this one!

The precision, hewn and cut tannins, wet stones, black tea, anis, liquorice root, bilberry and blackcurrant fruit, juicy tannins, understated power, settling in to itself at 10 years old, a superb wine that captures Margaux finesse with the more blunt power and concentration of the year.

There’s simply nothing more fascinating in the whisky world than the inner workings of the big Scotch industry. From the outside, it looks like an industrial monolith of unfathomable proportions, and it’s easy to forget that the whole thing is run by people doing difficult, often dirty jobs. And people make mistakes! Sometimes someone accidentally empties a tanker of top-tier sherried single malt into a vat containing a tiny amount of young grain whisky. What can you do? In the old days, you might have ended up with a slightly better batch of Cutty Sark. Today, that malt is far too valuable to disappear into an everyday blend. Thankfully, our friends in Dornoch have excellent relationships throughout the industry and get first crack at some extraordinary parcels. Better still, they had the patience to give this one more time. While the front label says nine years, we understand that 99.999% of the contents is sherry-matured single malt from one of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries, now aged 15 years. Incredible for $65. This is the final batch of this particular parcel, so we’ll have to wait for someone else to make a very expensive mistake before anything like it comes around again. Shall we? The color is a vibrant burnished gold (1.1). The nose is pure oloroso: roasted nuts, oxidative depth, leather, stone fruit compote, marmalade, roasted arabica, and the wonderfully evocative scent of an old dunnage warehouse. The palate opens sweetly with dense stone fruit, mostly apricot, before an oily mid-palate delivers old-school sherry rancio. It’s less sugary and less dominated by red fruit than many modern sherry bombs, but it sacrifices nothing in character. To my palate, these flavors are closer to great old sherry itself than the overtly wine-driven profiles we encounter so often today. This is one of the best Scotch whisky deals we’ve ever offered, a truly special bottle whose quality is immediately apparent, even without knowing the improbable story behind it.

There have been few greater pleasures in my 20-plus years exploring whisky than the opportunity to taste blind. It happens so infrequently, and I have officially exhausted my credits asking my wife to organize tastings, that I simply never get to do it. So when our friends at Thompson Bros first mentioned this project a couple of years ago, I was absolutely floored. They proposed sourcing a huge variety of single casks and bottling them without revealing any specific details until the bottle was opened. I assumed the federal regulators might object, but it turns out the required information can be concealed beneath the capsule. The craziest part of the project is the extraordinary effort the brothers have made to balance the quality of every six-pack. Buy a sealed case and you are guaranteed six completely different single casks, carefully selected so that the overall quality remains remarkably consistent from case to case. It is a ready-made blind tasting requiring virtually no effort, and the list of possible casks is genuinely exciting and unusual. The project has now attracted significant international attention, and distillers increasingly see it as a calling card for their stocks rather than some goofy side project. As a result, the brothers have been able to source particularly compelling barrels for the series. I opened six and could not have had more fun. With a little care, you can easily avoid identifying the distillery when opening each bottle. Simply leave the foil around the cap intact, note which side conceals the round sticker underneath, and keep it facing away. You will have an instant blind tasting of the highest order. For several of these casks, this is the first expression from this distillery ever sold in the US. The list is HERE of what you might encounter: PLEASE NOTE ALL CASKS ARE BOTTLED 48% without Chill-filtration. Distillery AGE No. Bottles Cask Type Speyside 29 Year 89 Btls Refill Sherry Butt Inchmurrin 28 Year 24 Btls Refill Sherry Butt Inchgower 27 Year 29 Btls Refill Bourbon Hogshead Bruichladdich 21 Year 8 Btls First Fill Bourbon ASB Teaninich 17 Year 30 Btls Oloroso Hhd Tormore 17 Year 173 Btls Sauternes Cask Royal Bra 16 Year 19 Btls Refill Hhd Craigellachie 15 Year 64 Btls Refill Hhd Teaninich 12 Year 36 Btls Stout Barrel Bunnahabhain 11 Year 27 Btls Refill Hhd Wolfburn 11 Year 8 Btls Sherry Hhd Lochranza 10 Year 79 Btls Refill Sherry Hhd Kingsbarns 8 Year 133 Btls First Fill Bourbon Torabhaig 7 Year 149 Btls First Fill Bourbon Nc’Nean 5 Year 159 Btls STR Dornoch 5 Year 56 Btls Rye & Bourbon Lagg 5 Year 21 Btls First Fill Bourbon Glasgow 5 Year 10 Btls American Oak Virgin ASB Lochlea 4 Year 162 Btls Refill Bourbon Raasay 4 Year 120 Btls Dutch Oak Virgin Hhd

*Tasting Note Redacted*

Capacious blackcurrant, blueberry and dark cherry fruit cradled in a coffee, cacao richness which fortifies the weighty structure and strident tannins. Oozing substance and charisma. (DWWA)

From Shamrock and Te Whare Ra vineyards located in 70% Awatere and 30% Wairau, with a savvy 18% barrel fermentation. Holy moly, this is simply heavenly, with starfruit, pulpy pomelo segments and glistening limes. Summer frangipanis and lotus flowers. Citrus manages to have the high tones of lime but base tones of ruby grapefruit, and acidity hums, grounded deep within the fabric of the wine. It's slippery, slightly salty and luxurious while uplifting. Every touch point of flavour and texture has been considered and if this is not on your wine list or in your cellar as a modern day representation of Marlborough's innate ability with sauvignon blanc than shame on you. Flippin' heck it’s good. Closure: Screw cap. 13.5% alcohol.

This is one of my favorite Sancerre estates and they never disappoint. Their 2024, is another winner. It combines the classic citrus fruit we're accustomed to with pleasant tropical notes thanks to the generosity of the vintage. Simply put, it's complex, satisfying and outstanding as always.

Pure and precise with a fine bead and great balance. Classic Chenin pear and apple aromatics with a streak of lemon. Vibrantly textured with a lemony freshness and a hint of toast on the finish. (DWWA 2022)

I initially hoped this wine would be bottled under our Anonymous Wine Collective label. When I was presented with this incredible parcel resting in barrel, I could hardly believe the pedigree of the vineyard source, the quality of the wine, and the exceptional pricing. Alas, the wine needed to find a home more quickly than the process of creating and approving a new Anonymous bottling would allow. Rather than miss the opportunity, I decided to utilize a label design the winery already had ready to go: Root & Stone. As it turns out, the name couldn't be more fitting. This Chardonnay draws incredible mineral intensity from mature vines rooted in the extraordinary rocky, marine shale soils that define this site. The fruit comes from one of the most iconic vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and is crafted by a winemaker with decades of experience. Under its regular label, this wine sells for $50 per bottle and has a long history of glowing critical acclaim, routinely earning 92-95 points from top publications. Stylistically, this is a leaner, mineral-driven, almost Chablis-like expression of Chardonnay, with racy acidity, bright floral and citrus notes, salty, stony minerality, hints of toasted rye and golden barley, and just a subtle framing of oak. On the palate, the wine has wonderful tension and a beautifully linear feel, carrying through to a mouthwatering finish of rock salt and citrus zest. I'm super stoked on this wine. For anyone who loves taut, mineral-driven Chardonnay rather than a richer, more opulent style, I truly think Root & Stone delivers unbeatable value.

From the first pour of this vibrant purple-hued Pinot, you'll know you're in for an extraordinary ride. This estate bottling blends Pinot from Eyrie’s 5 certified-organic estate vineyards, where the Willamette Valley's iconic variety got its start. This sophisticated, well-balanced, and highly aromatic wine offers notes of candied strawberries, orange peel, pink peppercorns, and a bouquet of florals, highlighted by the distinct scent of rose petals. On the palate, the grippy tannins and vibrant acidity hint at a promising ageing journey. (CP)

Kamptal takes its name from the Kamp River, which flows through this Austrian winegrowing area before joining the Danube. GRÜNER by Etz presents the region’s signature Grüner Veltliner grape in a one-liter bottle, with the 2025 vintage clearly anchoring this release.

Ah, a breath of fresh air, as this vivid, appetizing and mouthwatering wine counters the prevailing Napa trend of rich, full-bodied whites. An almost electric feel and vibrant citrus light up the palate. Flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, green-apple skin and flint keep you coming back for more. Drink now.

Infectious dark purple florals, spiced damsons and smoky minerals overlay the meaty, juicy texture and fine shapely tannins and purr contentedly towards the finish line. (DWWA 2024)

Right now we have by far the best price in the country on this Napa Valley classic! In fact we're $15 a bottle lower than the next best competitor. Thanks to some exceptionally sharp pricing, you can stock up on benchmark Napa Cabernet for literally half the regular price. Yep, $25 for legitimate Napa Valley Cabernet from the team at Louis Martini. As one of the most historic producers in the valley, Louis Martini has long been a stalwart of classically styled, structured Napa Cabernet. I’ve been lucky enough to taste Martini Cabernets going all the way back to the 1960s, and these wines helped define the very character of Napa Valley Cabernet as we know it today. The winery is state of the art, and the team is committed to the legacy of this incredible property and their role in resuscitating the domestic wine industry after prohibition. The 2022 is drinking beautifully, with the warmth of the vintage giving the fruit profile a little more generosity and immediate appeal. There’s a gorgeous mix of crushed redcurrant, ripe plum, blackberry, loamy earth, charred spice, and subtle leather. The ample fruit is nicely framed by grainy, structured tannins (perhaps from a component of mountain-grown fruit) that carry the wine through a long, satisfying finish. This has the substance and structure to drink beautifully over the next 5–6 years and likely beyond. Louis Martini's Napa Cab is already a very solid buy at its $50 SRP. At 50% off, this is one of those no-brainer Napa Cab deals you simply don’t want to miss. Buy a few for now and a few for the cellar. Cheers!

Finding a properly aged Montepulciano d'Abruzzo of this pedigree is a rare thrill. While visiting one of the region’s most historic, traditional estates—a family famous for holding their top wines back for a decade or more before release—I was offered a tiny allocation of this magnificent 2011 from their personal library. The 2011 vintage was warm and generous, yielding a wine of immense concentration that has now softened into absolute elegance after years of perfect cellaring. The nose is incredibly complex, offering layers of baked blackberry, dried plum, cured tobacco, leather, and a signature hint of dark cocoa. On the palate, the once-massive tannins have melted into a velvety, seamless texture, carrying savory notes of balsamic and earth through a remarkably long, persistent finish. It is a profound, soul-stirring expression of mature Abruzzo that is fully ready to drink tonight, offering an unforgettable experience of aged Italian wine without the typical premium.

Chardonnay prevails in the 2023 Crémant De Limoux Eugénie Extra Brut Blanc, a blend of complemented by 20% Chenin Blanc and 10% Mauzac. Using the traditional method, the wine first spent six months on fine lees before being bottled for the second fermentation, then spending a further 24 months on laths before disgorging. From the outset, this very delicately sparkling wine opens with a lemony bouquet of peach skin, lemon zest, candied nectarines, and a hint of honey. It's a straightforward crémant, delicately expressive, precise, and very long, with a fine bitterness and spicy notes on the finish. With very little dosage, it's more than an aperitif bubbly and could just as easily be served at the table to accompany a meal. (Now forgotten, this used to be done a lot.) (BJ)

Welcome to the newest addition to our Rendez-Vous collection: Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Why did we choose Touraine? Simply put, it offers one of the greatest values for Sauvignon Blanc anywhere in the world. The region's clay-limestone and calcareous soils share many similarities with those of its far more famous neighbor a couple of hours to the east—Sancerre. As prices in Sancerre have continued to climb, many of its top producers have turned to Touraine to craft their value-focused wines. We realized we could do the same. So we reached out to one of our longtime partners with a simple proposition: let's take one of our favorite everyday Touraine bottlings and create the next Rendez-Vous. If you've been a fan of Roches Touraine over the years, here's a little secret—you've found it. This wine is the foundation for the project. I've been buying and tasting these wines for well over a decade, and they've never disappointed. The 2024 is everything I look for in Touraine: sleek, vibrant, and mineral-driven, with notes of lemon oil, fresh verbena, and a lightly chalky finish. There's also a subtle tropical lift that I always love in Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. It gives the wine an open, inviting personality that's equally at home on a Tuesday night or at a weekend gathering. That's exactly what Rendez-Vous is meant to be: exceptional quality at an everyday price. One of our goals with this label is to redefine what a daily-drinking wine can be by leveraging the long-standing relationships we've built with outstanding growers to deliver remarkable value without compromise. We hope this new Rendez-Vous earns a permanent place at your table. Santé—we have a feeling we'll be seeing you again soon.

The Doc's Ranch is east-facing 1150-1200ft of elevation, and according to Cobb, it is pummeled with fog. The slope is southeast facing, and Ross uses 50% whole cluster to make this wine—aromas of red flowers and mint, white pepper and wild green strawberries. The palate shows sweet red berries, lightly spiced with notes of white pepper and an elegantly textured mouthfeel. This Pinot dances across the palate with zippy, savoury white pepper and a fresh note of evergreen sap and lithe pine needles lingering on through the finish. (CP)

Elisabeth and Jean-Marie Egrot have made one of the most elegant, textural and complete non-vintage champagnes that we carry- and it is still at an affordable price! It is composed of 80% Pinot Noir from the grand cru of Ay and 20% Chardonnay from the 1er cru of Louvois and dosed at a little under 8 grams per liter. This wine has the silky texture and tiny streamers that only patience brings and I think you will be surprised at the finesse of this bottle. That being said, the power is still there, and I love this Champagne with full flavored, hot smoked salmon!

We are very fortunate to be the importer for this great cult producer of blanc de blancs in the famous village of Mesnil. Launois is the only Champagne that I have sold to someone from Champagne to bring back to Champagne with them! It is that sought after. All grand cru, estate grown Champagne doesn't get better than this, but it is almost always more expensive. This is a wine of depth, finesse and intrigue and yet is about as easy as it gets to drink without engaging the grey matter at all. When we get it, it is always snapped up in a hurry... Don't wait and get disappointed!

As ever, rock solid Margaret River cabernet, ticking the boxes for all the right regional and varietal qualities as it goes along. Just on the full side of medium-bodied, the flavours of cassis and cedar build on the palate, escorted along by the fine but firmish tannin that rolls on through the finish to linger in the aftertaste. Enjoyable now or for years to come. (SC)

The 2024 Chardonnay Muir-Hanna Vineyard was aged entirely in neutral oak for 10 months. It pops from the glass with bold notes of fresh white peaches and green guava, opening out to nuances of baking spices, orange blossoms, and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate delivers vivacious orchard-fruit and spicy layers with a racy backbone and a suggestion of oiliness to the texture, finishing with a cheeky lemon-peel lift.

Elegant and spicy, with a silky texture and mouthwatering acidity and tannins. Red and black tea, savory mountain herbs, tobacco and crushed roses on the palate. Really good. Drink or hold.

Our latest Pinot Noir from the Anonymous Wine Collective comes from the newly minted SLO Coast AVA. This ultra-cool-climate growing region on California’s Central Coast has long been renowned for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and other aromatic white varieties, but has now been formally recognized with the creation of an AVA defined by its immediate proximity to the Pacific Ocean. We partnered with one of the region’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed producers to craft this entirely estate-grown and produced Pinot Noir from vineyards located just a few miles from the coast. The fruit was hand-harvested and meticulously sorted before undergoing open-top, native fermentation with 10% whole-cluster inclusion. Each block was handled separately until the final barrel selections were made, bringing together our favorite components into one seamless expression of the SLO Coast. The wine is effusively aromatic and pure - a silky, highly perfumed expression of Pinot Noir that is drinking beautifully right out of the gate. Yet, knowing the reputation of this estate, it should also age gracefully for many years to come. Once again, our commitment to preserving the anonymity of our winery partners allows us to offer this wine at a fraction of the price it would command under the regular label. I hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

Compelling smoky mineral and sultry lemon characters ebb and flow across the nose and palate with a gorgeous crunch of acidity and texture. Very long and delicious. (2024 DWWA)

Tasted in magnum, the nose offers yeasty bready aromas topped with fresh citrus, hints of stone fruit and strawberry tart. A palate of fresh croissants, red berries, green apple and lively lemon citrus, with the larger format lending lovely creaminess to the bright finish. Veuve Clicquot's iconic Yellow Label is a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 50% Pinot Noir, which provides the cuvée's signature structure. Up to 45% reserve wines in the blend ensure consistency. (JS)

Seven percent red wine added to the blend to make the NV Champagne Brut Rosé, which is based on the 2020 harvest and is 45% Chardonnay, 25% Meunier, and the rest Pinot Noir, with about 45% reserve wine. A classic pink salmon hue, the nose is classic and pretty with notes of fresh peaches, raspberries, roses, and chalky earth. Medium-bodied and rounded, it’s approachable and fresh in style, with lovely purity and a pretty feel throughout. It’s delicious now but has the ability to age with ease over the coming 10 years. Disgorged in the first quarter of 2023, 4.7 grams per liter dosage (although interestingly, they are now including the total grams per liter, in this case 5.3 grams per liter in the final wine). (AF)

I can't think of a single bottle of Champagne at K&L that has brought me such consistent pleasure as the Ariston Aspasie "Réserve." The Ariston family has worked very hard to deliver this great bottle to the Champagne lovers of the world. Most producers age their Champagne for less than three years in the bottle before shipping, but the "Réserve" gets five years. It is entirely estate-grown by one of the most careful growers in the business. On top of all that, it is made in one of the most modern facilities of any small producer that I have visited. The pressing is done in a €250,000 Coquard Diagonal press, and the fermentation is all done in computer-regulated, temperature-controlled tanks. The result is one of the best apéritif bottles that we sell, toasty and full, yet refreshing and crisp, a perfect balance between aged complexity and youthful vigor. And then there is the price; so fair that Cinnamon and I have had the opportunity to impact the world supply with our consumption! Don't miss it!

Gee gosh golly do I love our Anonymous wines! They're all fantastic examples of what they are at a price that can't be beat except by wineries in foreclosure. One time I asked Woodhouse who made this particular wine and he just looked at me and said "Aaron, I would never lie to you" and then just refused to say anything else. Pretty honest if you ask me. At this price, you'd be crazy not to purchase one for your own consumption and perhaps for a gift to be consumed by an acquaintance!

The 2019 Clendenen Family Vineyards “The Pip” Santa Maria Valley Nebbiolo (Winery Direct Library Release) is absolutely lovely to sip. As I write this, it’s late at night, and I’m having it with crackers and some cold leftover steak after receiving it as a reward from an esteemed K&L colleague for catching (and later releasing in the wooded area of my backyard) a massive wolf spider in her bathroom. I wasn’t planning on drinking wine or even eating dinner, but I couldn’t resist opening this bottle as soon as I got home. After the first sip, I felt more than fairly compensated for my efforts. Black plum, juicy berries, dried rose petals, lemon balm, rooibos tea, and a subtle tarry note unfold across the palate, with a stony mineral quality adding another layer of complexity. It’s light on its feet, with food-friendly acidity and the kind of easygoing character that makes it just as enjoyable with a few casual snacks as it is at the dinner table. At full price, it’s an excellent value. At more than 45% off right now, it’s a screaming deal. Buy this for dinner with friends who know and love wine, particularly fans of the late, great Jim Clendenen and Au Bon Climat. As a library release from such a storied producer, it’s the kind of bottle your host or fellow guests will appreciate without ever knowing how little you paid for it. True to Italian tradition, “The Pip” spent three years aging in large 500-liter Hungarian oak puncheons, followed by another year in bottle before its original release. It has now had an additional seven years to rest and is still going strong, a thoughtful and elegantly rendered expression of Nebbiolo. Dog lovers may also get a kick out of the fact that the Pip series is named for Jim’s beloved late Border Collie, Pip. I can’t help smiling at the thought of the two of them being together again. I like to think that all dogs and great winemakers go to heaven.

The 2024 Pouilly-Fumé has incredible purity, delightful texture, tranquility and no edges. This is a cloud of delicious Sauvignon Blanc. It's very approachable and fresh. (RG)

The nose is intensely aromatic and floral, with piercing notes of crushed strawberries, potpourri and orange rind. The palate is medium-bodied with seamless tannins and bright acidity, showing red currants, forest floor, cassia bark and mulberries. Very balanced and pure, with 40% whole cluster. Drink or hold.

Château de la Charrière is one of our most popular direct import producers and a label that easily represents the best bang for your buck we carry in Burgundy. Formerly run by Yves Girardin, the business is now run by his young son Benoit, who has modernized the winemaking since his first vintage in 2011.

We began the Discovery Series as a way to introduce our clients to outstanding producers from well-defined regions, pairing great wines with the history and backstory that bring them to life. We were truly astounded by the success and reception of these wines, and deeply encouraged by the trust you placed in us to deliver what we consider best-in-class wines at best-in-class prices under a label we will continue to develop. During the search for Discovery wines, however, I encountered a number of bottles that didn’t quite fit that specific mold, yet still offered incredible quality and value. That realization led to the creation of the Rendez-Vous label — a place to showcase wines we believe will become staples in your weeknight rotation. This project was born during a visit with our friends at Dauvergne et Ranvier in the Southern Rhône. Together, we conducted a series of blind tasting trials, working through dozens of samples and experimenting with different lots to build what I hoped would become the perfect Rhône-style blend. I began by tasting individual parcels — some already blended, others single varietal expressions. Several Côtes du Rhône lots produced charming and approachable wines, but once we moved into the Côtes du Rhône Villages selections, the depth of fruit and overall expansiveness increased dramatically. After settling on my preferred blend, we presented it to our winery partners. Watching everyone’s reactions as we arrived at the final composition was incredibly rewarding — we were unanimous in our enthusiasm. Just like that, our first Côtes du Rhône Villages blend was born. The final wine leans toward Syrah (approximately 70%), supported by a generous 30% Grenache. It shows a beautiful core of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, backed by impressive concentration and layered notes of tobacco, black pepper, and savory spice. Now that the wine has rested in bottle after its journey from France to our warehouse, it has fully settled into its character. At recent staff trainings, I shared this wine with our teams and felt that same sense of satisfaction seeing their reactions. It has quickly become a staff favorite. There is tremendous personality here and, as I like to say, it truly overdelivers for the price. Join us for a little Rendez-Vous with this exciting new release — I think you’ll find as much pleasure in drinking it as we did creating it.

What an unbelievable deal. The Billecart family decided not to release this 2015 as cuvée Elisabeth Rosé (at more than double the price) because they don't think it will age for two full generations... To me, the only problem with this wine is that it is too delicious! I have found it to be the best 2015 vintage champagne that I have tasted period, with great complexity and depth hidden behind freshness and ease of drinking. I love the blood orange and black cherry depth from the ancient vine red that makes up 6.6% of the blend, and chalky, bright drive from the 52% of chardonnay. In the mouth, this wine has incredible texture from 100 months of ageing on the lees, and an airy ease that belies its depth. The finish is a wower, a real peacocks tail display, just as long as it is spectacular. Don't miss this one!

Jubilant yellow apple and freshly-sliced Anjou pear aromas lift from the glass along with subtle undertones of flint and wild herbs. Lemon citrus washes across river stone and completes with a saline-sprinkled finish. Pair with fried anchovies, Caesar salad and grilled chicken. (RS)

Aromas of blood plums, violets, licorice, spices and dried herbs. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with a generous mouthfeel framed by finely extracted tannins and bright acidity. There’s tension to the wine and persistent purity of fruit in the finish. California's nod to the northern Rhone at the highest level. 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Drink or hold.

The wild success of the Sideburns 35 Year has rattled the cage of more than one large company in Scotland. If you haven’t seen my review of that product, I highly recommend taking a look: https://shop.klwines.com/products/details/1918829 . The short version is this: we may be on the precipice of a new golden age of Scotch, and K&L is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the market asymmetry. While our marketing of the previous batch was met with side eyes and raised eyebrows from the original owners of the stocks and trademarks, other suppliers with similar inventories saw it as a signal. This was an opportunity. It would seem our prayers have been answered. Another incredible value in old malt has landed in our lap, and this time the deal is even more impressive. There are, of course, differences in the stock. This distillate comes entirely from November 1989 and was matured in refill hogsheads, rather than the first-fill sherry hogsheads of Batch #1. The proof is slightly lower, but still a robust 47-48% for a whisky of such advanced age. Remember, Scotch typically loses up to 1% ABV per year and enters the cask around 63%. So yes, older, slightly lower in proof, and without the fashionable sherry influence, yet 25% cheaper. If you ask me, old malt like this absolutely thrives in refill hogsheads. While I often insist on first or second fill for younger whisky, at this age the nuance of second or third fill can be profoundly beneficial. In any case, if it’s not already clear, this malt is drawn almost entirely from one of Speyside’s most beloved distillers. Search “Burnside,” the Cadenhead/Springbank-owned blended malt, if you want clues to the source. We’re being intentionally careful about naming names, but suffice it to say this parcel comes from the cellars of one of the industry’s most powerful blending houses. Whether it was once destined as a top note for premium blends or simply forgotten stock, it now stands as perhaps the greatest value I’ve ever offered. Twice in six months. It really does feel like the start of something bigger.

The killer 2023 Condrieu La Doriane boasts gorgeous orange blossom, honeyed flowers, toasted spice, and grilled peach aromatics that build incrementally with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, focused, and pure, this brilliant effort spent 9 months in 100% new French oak and represents the crème de la crème of the vintage.

A complex and smooth-honed pinot that has aromas of violets and blueberries and sappy, leafy notes. There’s a gently meaty element, too, with spicy notes dealt into the fresh, ripe fruit. This has such integral fruit presence and a seamless, silky palate, infused with supple and glossy tannins. Very even, this holds cherry and blueberry flavors so long and so pure. Impressive concentration here. Drink or hold.