K&L Wine Merchants - Kirk Walker Reviews

2021 WeatherEye "Estate - Hillfighter" Red Mountain Proprietary Red

Review Date: 05-28-2026

The wines from Weather Eye are some of the most exciting wines that we have tasted recently here at K&L. It was first brought to my attention a few years ago by a Spanish wine importer. It makes sense, they do have Garnacha and Tempranillo planted, but when you look at the images of the vineyards, it looks so much more like Spain than California, or in their case, Washington (that being said, I have no feet on the ground experience in that corner of the state. These vineyards were deliberately planted in what most viticulturalists would never plant vines. They are planted in bush vine style and echalas, making sure that everything is done manually. What is even more exciting is that they never cleared the native scrub when planting the vines, it gives the wines a distinctive local “garrigue”. These are wines that were intentionally crafted to take on a very challenging terroir and express it! And these wines are expressive! The Hillfighter is their entry into the project, and it has captured my attention. A blend that does not make immediate sense when you see it; Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Tempranillo. It reminds me a little bit of the wines that you find in the hills of Aragon, and I do not think it is a stretch of the imagination to say it reminds me a little bit of Priorat!. The fruit has a vibrancy and richness and there is a distinctive mineral energy to the finish. The CS and Syrah give this wine a little more structure than you will find in wines from that region. But the aromatic lift, purity, and complexity put me in an “old world” mindset rather than anything from the “new world”. For $30 this is a crazy deal, especially when you stop and think about the cost and effort that went into the production of it.

Price: Hidden

2022 Tread "Sierra Madre Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

Review Date: 03-05-2026

This wine smells coastal! Here is a California Chardonnay that has more cut, minerality, and persistence than many wines that are grown around the village of Chichée. I know that those are fighting words… but this is a terroir-driven wine with lots of personality. Heirloom apples, citrus zest, seashells, and a whiff of salt from an onshore breeze. This is not a typical California Chardonnay; this is a wine that shows off the potential of a truly cool-climate growing region. Speaking of potential, this wine has awesome potential. I would like to see what this is like in 5 years!

Price: Hidden

VN: 94

WE: 92

2021 Tread Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Review Date: 03-04-2026

For me, this is a classic SBC Pinot Noir. There is a delicate complexity to the fruit, higher-toned red fruits and berries, much more than what is expected from a Pinot at this pricepoint. Hailing from SoCal, the Pinots from Santa Barbara County were the wines that I learned about the varietal. This wine takes me back! I love this lighter style of Pinot, fresh and dynamic fruit backed by subtle oak spice and herbal tones. It is not complicated, just tasty and good.

Price: Hidden

WE: 95

2022 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Super Tuscan

Review Date: 09-18-2025

Now this is a super Tuscan. I do not know what the exact blend is, but it is obvious that it is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. It is also obvious that this wine is Tuscan. There is that sottobosco, and a Mediterranean Coastal scrub, this is not Bordeaux, this is not Napa, this is Tuscany! The nose is dark, rich, and intense. Cassis, Black Cherry, plums, and blackberries. The fruit is framed by restrained oak, there is just a hint of spice, all interwoven with those Tuscan notes. I would assume that this is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, but what shines for me on the palate is the Cabernet Franc. There is a depth and texture to this wine that speaks to the presence of the varietal. The way that this wine tastes and feels, you can tell that the inspiration was great Bordeaux. The fruit is vibrant; it shades a little more towards red fruits on the palate. You can feel the oak, but it is not intrusive, and there is a good amount of fine tannins. This is a substantial wine, but there is a liveliness to it. The fruit pops, then the flavors transition towards the oak and then to the earth, and the finish settles into a fine minerality that I associate with the limestone soils of Tuscany. I think that this wine definitely lives up to the “super” in SuperTuscan. Drink now or stash this for a few years.

Price: $39.99

2021 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo

Review Date: 09-18-2025

Here is a gateway Barolo, even if you get no further than the nose. For me, that is one of the most important features of wines from this appellation. The almost dried fruit is integrated with the dried floral and a savory mix of aromas that is hard to pin down. Nothing stands out, and it all works together, making you want to keep on smelling it to tease it apart. On the palate, this is young Barolo. It is vibrant and well-structured. The fruit tones are fresher than the nose, the tannins are very present, and the savory tones have receded to the background on the mineral-driven finish. This is a wine that requires a meal, and would definitely benefit from a little time in the cellar. However, after about an hour decanting, it was delicious.

Price: $27.99

2019 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Brunello di Montalcino

Review Date: 09-17-2025

This is the perfect Brunello for the ‘Italian Discovery Series”. It doesn’t hurt that it is from the epic 2019 vintage. The nose demands your attention. It is deep and broad with many layers of mixed fruits, spice, earth, and wild herbs. With every sniff some new aroma jumps to the foreground. It is a wine that you just want to spend time with and see where it wants to go. It is full-bodied with that classic linear structure of the region. The tannins are polished and present. The acid brings just enough tension and pulls all of the layered flavors across the long mineral finish. With a little time, the wine opens and deepens, it takes on even more intensity with darker fruits, more sottobosco, more leather, and earth. Intense, long, and intriguing, this is everything that you can want from a Brunello!

Price: $59.99

2020 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

Review Date: 09-17-2025

The aromatics of this wine have a dynamic push/pull between just-ripe and perfectly ripe red fruits and berries with those classic earthy underbrush (sottobosco) tones that I love to find in Tuscany. The wine is rich and nicely textured. There is a fullness here without any of the edges that can accompany Sangiovese. Vibrant red berries and fruits, with leather, more of that sottobosco, and an intriguing minerality that speaks to the region. It finishes long, with a right mix of fruit and savory elements. This wine caught me off guard! It delivers a beautiful expression of Sangiovese without any of those classic edges that can be a challenge for people who cut their wine-teeth on Cabernet. This will be Autumn's “Intro to Sangiovese” wine for me in the shop.

Price: $17.99

2019 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, Pauillac

Review Date: 08-14-2025

I love the idea of our discovery series. This series presents an opportunity to learn/discover more about famous wine regions. I think it is appropriate that we start this series off with Pauillac. This is arguably the most important/prestigious subregion of Bordeaux. I cannot think of a better vintage to start with: 2019, which, among all the recent vintages, could be the most charming. This wine is TEXTBOOK Pauillac! That first sip hit my palate, and my first two thoughts were delicious! and Pauillac! The structure and mouthfeel of this wine is the platonic ideal of Pauillac. This is a roadmap to the great wines of the region. And it is at a great value. This is an incredible teaching opportunity; there is a QR code on the back that will deliver your lessons. However, this wine is just delicious, you might open this with the intention of doing some homework, but it is distractingly tasty, and I can see those plans being quickly abandoned. This is something to be enjoyed first and foremost, so I understand if it takes a bottle or two before you get to your lessons. I cannot wait to see what comes next in this series.

Price: $29.99

2021 Michelini i Mufatto "GY" Mabec Blend Tupungato Mendoza

Review Date: 04-22-2025

This is a blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc, which could be one of the greatest combination of varietals in Argentina. Grown in the Gualtallary subzone (the GY) in the Uco Valley. Here the high elevation, calcareous soils, and cooler climate bring the best out of both varietals. When you pour this the first thing that stands out is the color. This is so intensely colored. The wine has a deep core that is only accentuated by the vibrancy of the magenta tinged rim. The aromatics are more subdued than expected, it has the classic mix of dark red fruits with a bramble accent, but it doesn’t jump out of the glass. The intensity of the color is matched by the flavors on the palate. This is all red fruits and pluots, think farmers market sample tray with more types of pluots than you can name, with some plums thrown in too. Behind the fruit there is that subtle floral lift that Malbec can have as well as a higher-toned herbal thing. There is a touch of oak, it is not heavy handed and really only makes its presence known with the texture. The tannins are polished and softly present, giving the medium bodied wine just enough support. This delivers an elevated Malbec experience.

Price: $17.99

DS: 94

RP: 92

2023 Laberinto "Arcillas de Laberinto" Riesling Valle de Maule

Review Date: 03-30-2025

This is a $20 wine that drinks like a $50 bottle! There is so much wine here and I love how surprised I am by that. Laberinto is one of the great wine producers of Chile, and of the world. The quality of these wines for the price point puts them in very rarified air. Laberinto is the perfect combination of winemaking and terroir. Laberinto has become one of the most dependable names in the world of wine. Grown in the Andes foothills, overlooking a mountain lake resort, and planted in volcanic soils, there are no other Rieslings quite like this in the world. There is a cool mix of stone fruits and citrus over penetrating minerality. This wine has a distracting long finish, it goes and goes, constantly pulling your attention back to it. I love the intensity and purity of this wine, it is not complex, but it is not monochromatic. It does that trick where I am dancing circles around it trying to pin it down, while all the while, all I want to do is to be enjoying it not trying to describe it! Here is a wine for any enthusiast of mineral driven white wines.

Price: $21.99

TA: 97

DS: 93

RP: 92

2020 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva Rioja

Review Date: 03-27-2025

When thinking about the wines and winery Marques de Murrieta I always feel that there is an overlap with Bordeaux. Now, there are many reasons for this that have absolutely nothing to do with the wine in our glasses. This estate, yes estate like in Bordeaux, was conceived of being a wine estate or a Chateaux in Bordeaux. The original owner was inspired by those wines while he was in exile in the 1840’s. When he returned to Rioja, he specifically created the estate that way while all of his contemporaries were just making blends from fruit or wine from all over the region. The history of Rioja is very much intertwined with Bordeaux. Another reason, and this has nothing to do with the wine, but the export manager for the estate is the grandson of the former owner of Pichon Lalande. The last connection informs the next, the Reserva always has a feel to it that to makes me think of the best St Julien. Now this in no way tastes like Bordeaux, this is unmistakably Rioja, with its aromatics from the fruit and oak aging, not to mention the difference in structure. But there is a polish, a reserved intensity and balance to this wine. I cannot put an exact word to it, but that presence is apparent just from the nose, this smell like special Rioja. 2020 is not as concentrated of a vintage as the 2019, and that plays towards the more elegant style of Marques de Murrieta. The nose is lifted and aromatic, the core is that dark cherry fruit of Tempranillo, which is fresh and bright, but the Mazuelo and Garnacha add intriguing depth and shades of different tones on the periphery. The American oak is present, it the helping to define what this is, but it is restrained displaying layers of balsam and spice. On the palate this delivers. It is full and balanced. The fruit is clean and pure, with layers of red fruits and berries that are focused with spice and restrained oak. While this might lack a little of the previous vintages immediate power and intensity, the complexity and purity more than make up for that. Not to mention, the more time that you spend with the wine, the bigger it becomes, this is a wine that will need a little more decanting, it doesn’t require it, it is charming once you pull the cork, but it builds and builds without ever losing its sense of polish or purity. This is a fantastic Rioja. I love how it has polish and presence but has not lost any identity. What a wine!

Price: $27.99

2010 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Gran Reserva Rioja

Review Date: 11-03-2024

Now this is a special occasion wine that needs no special occasion! Gran Reserva is a special style of wine, they are not made every year because not every year does the wine have the ability to spend the time in oak to qualify for the category and come out the other side as not too oaky. This wine, at 14 years old, has come out the other side of the time in oak and additional time in bottle like it was nothing! What do you mean? There is a crazy amount of still fresh dark berry fruit to this wine. It takes a second to find it, you have to look past the ridiculous complexity of the spice, mixed fresh and dried herbs, leather, exotic woods to find it but it is there, and once you find it, it just grows and grows and grows. What a nose! There are only a handful of wines from around the world that can offer such an aromatically complex nose, and not at this price point! It is on the palate that you get a sense of the age of the wine. It is in the softer tannins, the round mellow settled-in thing that happens with older Rioja. It has an ease to it, you can tell that it does not want to try and impress you. You get it or you don't, that's fine with it. There is still a freshness to the dark berry fruit too. It is medium weight, mellow and complex. This is a wine for hanging out and nibbling on some cheese or a really great, simply prepared cut of meat.

Price: $29.99

2015 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Reserva Rioja

Review Date: 07-01-2024

Lesmos, I know it is Señor de Lesmos, but for more than a decade I have always shortened the name whenever I talk about this wine. The thing is, I have saved soooo many words with that abbreviation, this is one of the all-time best-selling Spanish wines at K&L. I can squander all of those saved words while I am writing up this wine! It is a wine that if you like Spanish wine, and you shop in one of our stores, someone working (any maybe another customer) has recommended this Reserva Rioja to you. This has everything that the Crianza has going for it, old vines, organics, hand harvested, and it has more. More power, more concentration, more presence and more time in oak. This wine has spent 18 months in a mixture of used French and American oak barrels and then has spent all that time resting in bottle! Even if we fudge the math a little, we are looking at almost 5 extra years aging (it needs a certain minimum to qualify for Reserva). What does all that more translate into with this wine? 2015 was a very good vintage (almost as good as the 2019). It was a slightly warmer vintage, and you can feel that in this wine, there is just a little more richness. The dark cherry fruit tones are a little heavier, that black fruit behind that is a little warmer. It is that underlying dark character that I love most about this wine; it is a subtle savory tone that adds extra dimension to the wine. All of that is framed with developing notes of age; there is more leather, spice, that tertiary earthiness, accented with some dried herbal tones. The tannins have started to resolve but they still have presence. This wine over-delivers on every level.

Price: $19.99

2021 Tayu 1865 Pinot Noir Malleco Valley

Review Date: 02-24-2024

Typicity. Value. Discovery. This Pinot delivers. It delivers classic Pinot Noir flavors and structure. The quality of this wine way over delivers the price point. And for most people Malleco might as well be Mars, who knows where it is? It just happens to be one of the coolest growing regions in Southern Chile. When it comes to Pinot Noir, I can be a very hard judge. There are times when I feel very much like an old-timer. A “back in my day” or “when I got started, things were different”, kind of old timer. A lot has changed in the last 25 years. The style of Burgundy that was made back then, is not made anymore. Now there are so many reasons for this, some bad but most for good, but I am not going to get into that. This is a wine that reminds me of that style of Pinot Noir. Cool to cold climate, earthy, old-world Pinot. There are some wines is something that is just around, on the edges here and there, but not at this price point. This was such an exciting wine to try. Malleco was first planted to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, but they were inspired by the success of New Zealand and experimented with Pinot. Its climate is like Burgundy, cold and continental. It has longer daytime sunshine hours and is on average colder with the influence of not only two mountain ranges but the cold Southern Pacific Ocean. This is a wine with ripe beautiful fruit, and high acid. This combination is one of the amazing things that Chile, there wines have that old-world structure but new-world fruit. The fruit is high toned; a mix of darker berries with good lift (not quite old school Cote de Nuits, but close). It is light bodied, there are some tannins that give it a little grip, and bright, mouthwatering acidity. You can feel the sunshine in the midpalate, the wine builds and grows with those fruit tones becoming richer. This wine does not finish like a wine at this price point. It is long with the fruit highlighting those savory elements that were on the nose. I love this wine, I love that it is delicious, it's not complicated, just straight forward good tasting. I love that it hits a nostalgic cord for me. I love that it might inspire the curious to take a moment or two to look at the map. This is why wine can be so much fun.

Price: $17.99

2017 Ferraton Père et Fils "Lieu-Dit Les Picheres" Crozes-Hermitage Rouge

Review Date: 01-24-2020

This smells like Rhone Valley Syrah, dark, rich and savory. This is not a simple poor man's version of some other fancier appellation that I will not name. This wine has guts and intensity. The palate is dark fruits that are backed with leather, smoke, spice, and dusty tannins. This is a wine that wants food, the heartier the better.

Price: $29.99

Launois "Quartz" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 08-23-2018

It is hard to choose a favorite Launois wine. All of them are so good. What makes the Quartz stand out, other than it being unique in that it has few ATM's of pressure in the bottle, is the brightness of the fruit. There is a dazzling purity that make you want more and more! The mousse is soft and you couldn't guess that there is less pressure, and the finish is terrific. Grab some while we still have it.

Price: $49.99

San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore

Review Date: 08-08-2018

Clean pear fruit backed with a hint of minerality. There is way more wine in this bottle of bubbles than you would expect from a Prosecco at this price point.

Price: $15.99

2012 Château de Montfaucon "Baron Louis" Lirac

Review Date: 08-26-2015

This is a fantastically balanced, surprisingly rich Lirac that puts most other wines from the region to shame. With dark fruit, subtle earthy tones, ripe tannins and lengthy finish, this is a must-have for anyone who enjoys Rhone wines.

Price: $44.99

RP: 90

WS: 90

Mas Codina Brut Reserva Cava Penedès

Review Date: 05-30-2015

This is no ordinary Cava. There is a good percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are used in the blend. What that means is that there is breadth and depth to this sparkler that you do not find in similarly priced Cavas. Mix that with clean fruit tones, a moderate amount of yeastiness and a classic Brut finish and you get one of K&L's best sparkling values.

Price: $13.99

Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 07-29-2011

This is the go to value Champagne here at K&L. Dry, toasty with subtle fruit notes. Everything you want from Champagne except for the price tag!

Price: $37.99

Ruinart Brut Rosé "2nd Skin" Champagne 750ml bottle (ships as a 1.5L due to shape of bottle)

Review Date: 10-06-2010

This is no ordinary rose. Yes, it is beautifully colored, has a great mouse, and is just too easy to drink but there is something else going on here as well. In one word, complexity. This is like drinking beautiful sparkling Burgundy. Wonderful aromatics, multidimensional fruit, a round, generous mid-palate and great length, this is more than special occasion Champagne, this is indulgent, you deserve it, treat yourself (family and friends optional) Champagne!

Price: $109.99

JS: 93

WS: 93

Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 07-09-2009

It is hard to miss this wine with its great packaging, but more importantly it is the juice between the bubbles. Ever since I started working for K & L, first bottle I took home was this wine!, I have been a big fan. Broad rich on the palate with a great bead. The flavors lean towards white Burgundy, what's not to like?

Price: $39.99

La Caudrina "La Selvatica" Asti

Review Date: 07-09-2009

This is the best Asti I have ever had! It is happy in a glass. Text book Muscat aromatics but softer, prettier, almost elegant. Perfumy but in a sofisticated way. Light round and soft on the palate with a delicate sweetness. I have drunk more of this just by itself, it never seems to last until the cheese or dessert course!

Price: $21.99

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