K&L Wine Merchants - Staff Favorites

2020 Bodegas Muga "Selección Especial" Reserva Rioja

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/21/2025 | Send Email

The Muga Selección Especial is one of our most popular Riojas every year, and the 2020 vintage continues the long streak of exemplary releases. Muga is, of course, one of Rioja's most esteemed, family-run wineries, founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño in the historic Barrio de La Estación of Haro. Muga’s philosophy combines longstanding tradition with modern innovation, maintaining a unique identity within the region. Notably, Muga is one of the only wineries in Spain to have its own cooperage, allowing them to control the quality of their oak barrels from forest to cellar. The 2020 Selección Especial is a blend of the traditional Rioja varieties, primarily Tempranillo, with smaller amounts of Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano. The grapes are sourced from selected parcels in Rioja Alta and fermented with indigenous yeasts in large oak vats. The wine then matures for around six months in 100% new French oak barrels, followed by another 24 months in older French and American oak barrels made in the winery's own cooperage. Finally, the wine is traditionally fined with fresh egg whites before spending a further 18 months in bottle prior to release. The 2020 vintage, a warm year, has helped to produce a bold, rich and powerful style of Selección Especial – full-bodied and concentrated but displaying signature elegance and finesse. On the nose, ripe blackberry and cassis mingle together, layered with notes of spice, cedar, vanilla, and tobacco. The feel of this wine is plush, but highly structured at the same time. This is a modern and classy style of Rioja that is crying out for a steak or roast — it’s the perfect pairing for a feast on a cold night!

Price: $44.99

2022 Raúl Pérez "Ultreia St-Jacques" Mencía Bierzo

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/21/2025 | Send Email

Often cited as one of the Spain’s most visionary winemakers, Raúl Pérez pioneered the "New Spain" movement and played a crucial role in highlighting the cool-climate Bierzo region in Northwestern Spain and its signature Mencía grape. The Ultreia St. Jacques is his signature entry-level red, made from a Mencía-dominant field blend that also includes Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Palomino, and Doña Blanca, all from old vines planted between the 1890s and the 1940s across Bierzo. The grapes are fermented in very large open top wooden casks (13000L) and 50-60% whole clusters are included to add floral and spicy notes. Perez also includes a 60-day post-fermentation maceration, followed by aging in neutral oak barrels and puncheons. Perez’s winemaking philosophy is centered on minimal intervention, allowing each vineyard's unique character to express itself with transparency and elegance. The resulting wine is brilliantly fuchsia in color, and juicy, vibrant, and expressive on the palate with crunchy pomegranate and wild blackberry notes, subtle licorice spice, faint lilac, and distinctive minerality. A subtle underlying current of forest floor, fallen leaves and wild herbs ties everything together. This is a wild that perfectly balances wild – almost sauvage – forest notes with elegance, finesse and restraint. Gently reminiscent of a Cru Beaujolais or a Northern Rhône Syrah, this is a wine that showcases another side of Spain – one that is centered around elegance, terroir and quiet power.

Price: $21.99

JG: 93

JS: 93

RP: 93

2020 La Rioja Alta "Viña Alberdi" Reserva Rioja

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/21/2025 | Send Email

This feels very classic Rioja, whenever I stick my nose in a glass and it smells like the inside of a barrel I feel instantly transported, like that guy with the peppermint patty, except I'm transported to a Spanish beach and there's a guy named Enrique with a platter of fresh oysters and some olives and he presents it with like this flourish that I find both impressive and annoying. Anyhow. There's a good touch of vanilla at the forefront, but underneath there's the barrel and spice, and when red and black fruits come out to play they're fairly ripe and fresh. Then there's more barrel and a little bit of cocoa and dustiness in the back. The palate is brighter than the nose might lead to believe, a great line of acidity running through it pushing the whole palate towards the finish line. The fruit on the palate is brighter and less ripe than the nose, bright cherry, blackberry, a little raspberry, something floral that's a little obscured by the barrel spice and toast on the finish, and a little bit of coffee tannin on the very finish. This is really delicious and fairly rich, especially for the price, and for anyone who likes a classic Rioja this is definitely going to be up your alley.

Price: $23.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 11/20/2025 | Send Email

The 2025 Beaujolais Nouveau vintage seems to be leaning dark-fruited across the board, and this Georges Duboeuf is no exception. It delivers vivid black cherry and boysenberry layered with caramelized pineapple, sage, and black pepper, finishing on a ferrous, beetroot-tinged note. Though super fun to sip, it doesn't veer into tutti frutti silliness.

Price: $14.99

2020 Bodegas Muga "Selección Especial" Reserva Rioja

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 11/20/2025 | Send Email

Composed of Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo grown on clay-limestone terraces along the slopes of Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, the 2020 Bodegas Muga “Selección Especial” Reserva Rioja undergoes indigenous-yeast fermentation in oak vats before spending 26 months in French oak barrels custom-made in Muga’s own cooperage. After an additional 18 months of bottle aging, it delivers defined notes of crème de cassis, blackberry coulis, holiday baking spices, black tea, and whole-leaf tobacco lifted by hints of bergamot and dried lemon balm. Plush and velvety, it’s a deeply satisfying mouthful that's just as suited to fireside sipping as it is to a juicy steak. A tweed jacket and waistcoat are entirely optional.

Price: $44.99

2007 Bruichladdich 18 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Cask Strength Refill Hogshead Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

By: Josh Gelfand | Review Date: 11/20/2025 | Send Email

Bruichladdich is one of those rare distilleries that has consistently pushed the boundaries of expression and innovation in Scotch whisky. As a historic non-peated whisky from Islay, a true outlier in its region, its return to prominence in the early 2000s and its expansion into peated lines like Port Charlotte and the ever-evolving Octomore has given us some of the most fun and unique scotches in the world. The distillery often draws heavily from its cask program, experimenting with nearly every type of barrel imaginable. They even show you online exactly which casks went into any particular batch, making the entire process transparent and easy to explore. One of my favorite things about Bruichladdich is that no matter the expression, there is always something in the foundational spirit that reveals its identity. Shortbread and a touch of paper mâché seem to hide under the dominant flavors of the first-fill casks, and I love it. Getting our own expression that rested for eighteen years in a refill hogshead, a cask that offers less influence from any prior liquid and more from the oak’s natural maturation, is a wonderful way to get closer to what makes this distillery so special. The shortbread shows itself immediately, like Nilla wafers tossed into an orchard fruit salad coated in honey. The palate dances between dry and sweet, offering raw vanilla bean, dried apricot, hard caramel candies, and a hint of ginger. The ginger carries through the finish, merging with the pastry notes and leaving a lingering wave of spicy fruit. A touch of water tames the 57.6 percent ABV and reveals even more caramel, butterscotch, and soft baking spice. This is a stellar expression from a stellar house and worth enjoying during the holidays or any time of year.

Price: $225.00

2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/20/2025 | Send Email

Last call on this great vintage from the masters of rosé! The 2013 has already arrived, so we are on borrowed time for these last bottles!

Price: $219.99

2013 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/20/2025 | Send Email

This spectacular rosé has been my favorite release all year for this category. The masters of pink bubbles at Billecart pulled out all the stops for this 2013, and I think this might be the best Elisabeth I have ever tasted. With an incredible subtle brioche and maraschino like pinot nose and a texture that only over 9 years of ageing on the lees can provide, the best part about this wine is the finish. The ultra long finale has pure clean pinot, deep white chalk in a peacock tail like display carried on a wave of fresh acidity. Don't miss this one- it is for the ages!

Price: $229.99

VN: 97

JS: 96

2023 Comando G "La Bruja de Rozas" Sierra de Gredos

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

The first sips of 2023 Comando G "La Bruja de Rozas" is like sinking your teeth into a fresh juicy, red-fleshed plum followed by notes of cherry hard candies, sassafras, fresh rosemary, cedar shavings, and crushed rock. It’s spellbinding so proceed with caution because it’s easy to get lost and before you know it, you’ve drunk most of the bottle and turned into a newt.

Price: $42.99

RP: 95

JS: 93

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Fun, fun, fun - Whenever I taste Beaujolais Nouveau, images of merry-making villagers having a blast after the harvest comes to my mind. And it's with that spirit that I approach these wines. Utter simplicity, uncomplicated, just-bottled freshness. And yes, in America it's got a rightful place at a Thanksgiving table.

Price: $14.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau

By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Beaujolais Nouveau has always been about getting together and having a great time. It's about people, about joy and a casual attitude. Fresh, fruity, with loads dark berries, cherries, and flower petals. The Nouveau-Villages delivers a tad more concentration, and a touch of spiciness thrown into the fun mix. And, let me tell you... It's really good with turkey!

Price: $16.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf "Orange Nouveau" Vin de France (Orange Wine)

By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

An Orange Nouveau? Pourquoi pas? I believe this is a new endeavor chez Duboeuf, and they are nailing it this year! It's as fresh as it gets, with beautiful aromatics, and definitely "orange". A blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Viognier, 10% Muscat, along with other white grapes, that will please our orange-wines afficionados but also can be offered as a gentle introduction to these geeky wines. And since it's Thanksgiving season, I would suggest serving this with the pumpkin pie! Go on, give it a try...

Price: $16.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf "Orange Nouveau" Vin de France (Orange Wine)

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Orange wine often has this kind of tea-like quality in the nose, and this one is not an exception to that. I am having this at room temperature, so if it chill it, your mileage may vary but this is better than I thought it would be by a mile. There's white-tea, potpourri, peaches, and pluots in here. It's very floral but it's absolutely clean, not pushing towards natty in any way, just kind of hanging out like a nice guy skin contact white wine, giving some people what they're looking for. The palate is very peaches and lemon, with potpourri still hanging around giving it a little zhuzh of something different. I like this a lot more than I was mentally prepared to, but that juts cannot be helped - this might be a nice one to try if you're on the fence or curious about orange wines since it's so clean. It's got a pretty decent line of acidity as well. This is really a quintessential porch wine, you don't need to have food with it, but it will improve the whole experience.

Price: $16.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Really nice and fruit forward on the nose, there's black and bright red fruits pushing through and still a touch of that classic bubblegum note that is the hallmark of Beaujolais Nouveau for me. This definitely has a touch more balance of structure than the non-Villages bottling, the tannins on this are a little more refined and I think this is a little more friendly as a pop and pour, or twist and pour since it's in a screw-top. This is just such an easy bottle and it's for people who understand that this is a bottle of just joy and celebration of the season, to be relegated to a memory after the new year, but while it's here let us celebrate and enjoy the season. From us to you.

Price: $16.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Super ripe and fruit-forward nose with really ripe cherry, raspberry, bubblegum, and some kind of ethereal flowers in the mix, this is exactly what you think it is, delicious. Pretty decent structure, good slightly tart acidity. The fruit on the palate has more structure than the nose, there's a little grip of tannin that makes me want to have this with something, but that something could just be a mild piece of cheese or a hot pocket. This is party wine, turkey wine, and more important an easy bottle to just open when someone wants a glass of red but nothing super crazy. Also, this definitely would make great mulled wine or sangria if you're in the mood, so just go for it.

Price: $14.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau

By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

A more serious Beaujolais Nouveau the Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau is stacked with dark berry fruit, savory notes of dried herbs, earth and underbrush. The palate is complex with ample tannin and a serious core of dark berry fruit along with spice and earth. This is a very grown-up Beaujolais Nouveau.

Price: $16.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

What a beautiful nose! Super fragrant with floral aromas as well as notes of crushed pomegranate and ripe boysenberries. This feels classically Beaujolais Nouveau with a strong nod towards carbonic fermentation. There is an array of fresh berry fruit on the palate that comes in waves each juicier and more yummy than the last. This is an easy-to-drink wine that is impossible not to enjoy! I may even prefer it over the more classically-structured Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau for $2 less.

Price: $14.99

2025 Georges Duboeuf "Orange Nouveau" Vin de France (Orange Wine)

By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/19/2025 | Send Email

Now this is a super fun wine for fans of Orange wine: an Orange Nouveau!!! Salty aromas mix with notes of citrus and orange marmalade. The palate is zesty with hints of Rainer cherry along with orange and citrus flavors. One the finish the Orange wine personality shines thru with hints of mushroom and earth. A very cool orange wine for the Beaujolais Nouveau fan.

Price: $16.99

2021 Yering Station "Estate" Chardonnay Yarra Valley Victoria

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

Fresh out of the bottle, the first thing that pops out, scent wise, is a nicely clean mineral driven nose with white peaches and raw nut scents. With a little warming, the stone fruit scents become a little more plush. On the palate, the opening is infused with lemony flavors. These expand and flesh out into yellow and green apple flavors (leans a bit more toward green) with lush peaches. The whole shebang finishes with a nice clean oak note.

Price: Hidden

JH: 95

JS: 92

WE: 92

2019 Charles Baur Pinot Gris Grand Cru Brand Alsace

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

Really lovely expressive nose, there's some white rose petals, white peach, maybe a touch of jasmine, a touch of honeycomb, a little bit of apple in the background, and then some minerality showing. It doesn't feel like it's showing its age really yet. The palate is very fruit-forward, probably just very slightly off-dry as some Alsatian wines can be. There's definitely a little something there, and the fruit is transported and elevated due to that, there's juicy white peach, some Cosmic Crisp apple, lemon candy, and more white flowers. It's just really nice and that just very slight pop of off-dry will help it pair better with things with just a touch of heat to them, like a butternut squash soup that you put a healthy fling of red pepper flakes into, or some spicy fried chicken, whatever you want to do. Despite my own personal thoughts on the matter, it does finish dry on the palate without any lingering sweetness. Palate doesn't really give away the age either, it's just really well done all around. You should buy it.

Price: $26.99

VN: 93

2023 El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

Nice and fairly complex nose, there's some apples and lemon, but also dried herbs and a roundness of barrel and barrel spices wrapping around everything, like a big hug. The palate is nice and mid-rich but with some still fairly fresh fruit in the whole thing, there's definitely a good amount of oak but nothing that dips more than a toe over the line. There's a reasonable amount of acidity, but for people who are acid shy this might be worth putting on your radar as well, it's not flabby by any means but the focus is more on the fruit and barrel working together, while the acidity kind of does its own thing off on the side. The leaves the finish lingering, with that battle of fruit and oak, the Froakish War, raging and ultimately, I think you win. Especially if you're looking for something to replace that R-wine but just a single little pat of butter on top.

Price: $24.99

Jansz "Premium Rosé" Brut Tasmania

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

The very first thing I noticed about this bottle as I opened it, is that the foil guide to aide unwrapping the capsule goes in the other direction, compared to most Northern Hemisphere sparkling wines. Just like how the water swirls the other way, or whatever that was they talked about in school. The next thing I noticed is that it says its made Méthode Tasmanoise, which I do not believe is an actual French term. All that side, the first important thing I noticed is that it's a pretty copper-salmon color in the glass, and the nose is really fantastic. There's a little touch of strawberry jam, some kind of cherry, grapefruit zest, and a little bit of white flowers. The palate is powerful and punchy, with a really dense heft of lemon pith, red apple, fresh lemon, and cherry, along with some dense leesy brioche and maybe some barrel spice.

Price: $21.99

2014 Benrinnes 11 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Cask Strength 1st Fill Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

The wonderful Benrinnes distillery is truly a special place. I was honored to tour the lovely little distillery and have quite a funny story about the people there that is not fit to print publicly, but it has endeared the whole operation to my heart forever. We kind of crashed without an appointment, and they took pity on us. The distillery manager was lovely, and we had a great tour. Anyway, I like the profile this distillery exhibits in almost any barrel. It's very approachable but loves a great sherry butt, yet I was shocked to find out this is the very first sherry butt we've ever done as an exclusive. What a treat. Let's dig in. The color is an attractive chestnut (1.2). The nose offers an explosion of sherry and malt, but it's not at all singular. I've let this rest for some time in the glass, and it continues to open extremely well. First nosing is nutty nougat, cherry jam, burnt sugar, freshly polished leather, dried apricots, gingerbread, and hints of dark earth spice to balance. On the palate, the creamy richness is undeniable, and the sweet and spicy characters are at war throughout - big Christmas spice up front, sweet red fruit through the middle, and complex herbs on the finish. The punchy character and rich texture beg for a drop or five of water, and indeed the addition, plus some extra air time, adds many layers. Somehow the nose becomes sweeter and darker, with a raisin-like resinous character emerging. The palate adds fudge, chocolate, and deep dried fruit, with an almost Szechuan pepper numbing character on the finish. It's just super pleasurable, interesting, and delicious. It's not a dark, tannic sherry bomb, yet it's still full of sherry character. The key here is the gorgeous oily texture and wild, lingering finish.

Price: Hidden

2021 Yering Station "Estate" Chardonnay Yarra Valley Victoria

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

The Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s premier cool climate growing regions for Chardonnay, and Yering Station is one of the most historic wineries here, with roots going back to the 1830s. The 2021 “Estate” Chardonnay is both a benchmark example of a lightly oaked wine from the Yarra, as well as an exceptionally good value. Now with several years of age, the golden fruit notes (apple, pear, lemon oil) have melded perfectly with the toasty oak aromas, and the fine, persistent line of acidity continues to hold the wine together, steering it into a surprisingly long finish. This is a more restrained, elegant, mineral-driven style of Chardonnay rather than a heavy oak-bomb — the winemaking choices here (whole-cluster pressing, only 30% new oak, large format puncheons for fermentation and maturation, and blocked malolactic) emphasize freshness and finesse over fruit ripeness. The result is a superb cool-climate modern Australian Chardonnay that balances minerality, fruit intensity, and oak beautifully. It's not a flashy wine by any means, but it has weight, texture, and concentration to age for several years more.

Price: Hidden

JH: 95

JS: 92

WE: 92

2013 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

My goodness, what an absolute treat. I'm not typically someone who likes surprises, but if more surprises were like this, I would probably be much more amenable. This is the latest vintage release the Cuvee Elizabeth, and why oh my this is just all kinds of wonderful. The nose is just shining with these really pretty hints of rose, and this super pure Alpine Strawberry note, then there's a little bit of red apple skin, and this little touch of lemon oil on the finish all with this kind of slightly toasted brioche note wafting through the whole bouquet. The palate is so crisp and refreshing, with this kind of hidden juiciness that pops in on the mid palate and works through the finish. There's a touch of blood orange, lemon peel, green apple, more brioche, and a lingering mineral finish really pushes it over the edge. This is one of the best Champagnes I've tasted this year, absolutely outstanding and worth every penny. I might have this one for my birthday that's coming up, it really tickled a lot of the right places for me.

Price: $229.99

VN: 97

JS: 96

2014 Benrinnes 11 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Cask Strength 1st Fill Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

There's a few distilleries in Scotland that I feel like I can just pick up a bottle of anything with their name on it, and I'm going to have a good time. Benrinnes is one of these, I don't actually know much about the distillery itself but I'm always down for a good time and I've had a few from Benrinnes before and they've all been incredibly delicious. This one comes from a Sherry Butt, which despite being worth a giggle, means that's it's one of the larges barrel sizes Sherry comes in, so it's going to be first fill influence, but in a larger barrel than if it was a Sherry hogshead, and the color does seem to indicate this as well, it's a very dark transparent copper and really pretty in the glass. The Sherry barrel and the grain are really harmonious, twining about each other with neither willing to take a back seat to the other. Honeycomb, sultanas, heather and jasmine flowers, touches of demerara, and fresh green apple skins. The palate is much more grain forward, dusty with lots of malt, pepper, and more touches of the sherry barrel along with some toast and barrel spice. The palate has a super unctuous and oily texture, really lingering on the palate with the fruit fading away leaving touches of barrel toast and spice. This is such a tasty little dram, and at this price it's super well priced for what it is. Don't be afraid of it just being 11 years old, this is mature, well balanced, and just a really enjoyable sip. A great bottle for when people tell you they like Scotch but neglect to give you any other information. It happens a lot.

Price: Hidden

2001 Feudi di San Gregorio "Serpico" Irpinia (1.5L)

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

The estate’s iconic Aglianico from ancient, pre-phylloxera vines. A true monument of the region, it is powerful, complex, and deeply expressive.

Price: $164.99

WS: 94

RP: 92

2023 Marisa Cuomo "Fiorduva" Costa d'Amalfi

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

The crown jewel. Justifiably considered one of Italy’s greatest and most iconic white wines, Fiorduva is a complex blend of ancient grapes—Fenile, Ginestra, and Ripoli. It is a luminous, profound wine with notes of apricot, honey, tropical flowers, and a powerful saline minerality that speaks directly of its coastal home. A transportive wine, and a true taste of a place unlike any other on earth.

Price: $99.99

WE: 94

2022 De Conciliis "Bacioilcielo" Paestum Rosso IGP Campania Aglianico

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

De Conciliis “Bacio al Cielo” is a juicy and delicious Aglianico wine. This showcases the grape’s more approachable side, although Aglianico is often known for its outstanding structure and potency. But this wine has a softer, fruitier character. This makes it the perfect match for casual gatherings and barbecues. On the nose, “Bacio al Cielo” greets you with aromas of ripe red and black fruits. Think blackberries, cherries and plums, with subtle herbal and spice notes. The taste of the wine is fresh and lively, with juicy fruit flavors and balanced acidity that make the wine bright and easy to pour. Although they have the tight tannins typical of Aglianico, they are softened by the wine’s natural juiciness. This makes the wine incredibly versatile and food-friendly… Located in the Cilento region of Campania, De Conciliis is known for their commitment to organic viticulture and producing wines that reflect the warmth and vibrancy of their terroir. “Bacio al Cielo” is a perfect example of this. It offers a more relaxed and approachable Aglianico style. than the variety but still retains its signature sophistication. This wine is the ideal choice for barbecues, grilled meats or even pizza nights. Due to its juicy nature and being liked by people. It is also a good introduction to Aglianico for those who might find its more powerful expressions too harsh. For anyone looking for a fun, juicy, deep and unique red, De Conciliis “Bacio al Cielo” is a great choice that will elevate any casual meal.

Price: $16.99

2020 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 11/18/2025 | Send Email

Léoville-Barton's 2020 has all the components to be one of its all-time greats, which speaks volumes, considering the property's reputation. The vintage itself works perfectly with everything that makes the wine so distinctive, providing terrific concentration, structure, and remarkable depth. It wouldn't be a surprise to see this one going strong for decades. Aromatically, the wine delivers a traditional St-Julien profile, with Cabernet-driven notes of cassis, tobacco, and florals. On the palate, it is pure class—concentrated, layered, yet refined—offering that sense of old-school claret with structure. The tannins are extremely well-managed, and the texture gives it a luxurious edge. Léoville-Barton is one of the greats, a wine that always retains its character and could be from nowhere else. Trends come and go, but they are as dependable as it gets. Add the 2020 vintage, however, and it's on another level altogether. To be able to get it direct from Bordeaux at this kind of pricing makes it, once again, one of the best collectible values in the region.

Price: $99.99

2014 Benrinnes 11 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Cask Strength 1st Fill Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

By: Josh Gelfand | Review Date: 11/17/2025 | Send Email

The nose on this is meaty and reflective of the style produced by this nearly 200-year-old distillery. As one of only twenty that still use a worm-tub condenser, it tends to have a heavier body, which is fully reflected in this single-cask offering. Oily and rich, the sherry butt makes itself known immediately with notes of leather, spice, molasses, golden raisins, and figs. The sip is dense, and the waxiness shines through, carrying blackberry jam, anise, roasted malt, pepper, and more dried fruits. As it finishes, the oily texture remains, leaving a leathery and earthy final impression. This one is certainly for the sherry-cask lovers who want a little more nuance than some of the other one-note raisin bombs.

Price: Hidden

2019 Terroir al Limit Terroir Históric Negre Priorat

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/17/2025 | Send Email

Priorat has been undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years. For several decades, the wines of Priorat turned up the dial regarding alcohol, extraction and oak, often including international varieties in the mix, too. As a result, the wines were often big and rich but lacking in regional character. The 2019 Terroir Històric Priorat Negre, however, is a fresh and modern take on Priorat, crafted by up-and-coming producer Terroir al Límit, a wine project founded by Dominik Huber (with early input from Eben Sadie) that seeks to revive small family-owned vineyards across Priorat’s nine historic villages. Unlike the Terroir al Limit single vineyard wines, the Terroir Historic wines are sourced from multiple small, family-owned plots in a quest to express the overall terroir and character of the region. This wine is a traditional blend of 75% Garnatxa Negra and 25% Carinyena, fermented in tank with partial whole clusters. The wine is then aged for six months in large, neutral concrete tanks — no oak, no additional extraction — allowing for a pure and mineral-driven expression. Now with 6 years of age, the wine balances ripe red and black fruit notes (pomegranate, black plum) with classic Priorat wild herbs and slate minerality on the palate. The wine is generous yet precise, following up with a hint of black pepper on the finish, and nicely integrated tannins. Despite its firm structure, the wine feels elegant and fresh, with a core of savory, earthy notes. This is a wine that beautifully expresses both the spirit of its makers — minimalist, terroir-focused, community-oriented — and the rugged, rocky landscape of Priorat.

Price: $34.99

JS: 93

RP: 92

2019 Terroir al Limit Terroir Históric Negre Priorat

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/17/2025 | Send Email

I've always been a huge Rioja fan but, Priorat is a super close second. Especially affordable priced ones! The nose of this Terroir Al Limit is a bit more traditional with bright cherry fruit (with a light chalk note), dried orange peel and savory herbs. In the mouth, there are very fresh clean tannins, tongue coating riper cherries, minerals, and a light touch of sage. While the mid-palate coats, the finish zips and tingles the palate with brightness and length. A nice representation of different styles all rolled up into one wine that has an excellent price.

Price: $34.99

JS: 93

RP: 92

2023 Comando G "La Bruja de Rozas" Sierra de Gredos

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/17/2025 | Send Email

With a growing cultlike following, Comando G is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine producers in Spain. Their singular focus is on Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos region, a rugged area not far from Madrid. Long known for simple, inexpensive country wines, the region has been transformed by the rediscovery of high-altitude vineyards forgotten by most. These old Garnacha vines revealed a surprising character: pale in color yet intensely expressive, with taut, red-fruited energy and striking minerality rather than the variety’s typical lush power. The “La Bruja de Rozas” is made from 100% Garnacha from the Rozas village and serves as an introduction to their winery. Showing classic Garnacha red fruit notes of cherry and strawberry, the wine is defined by an undercurrent of crushed black pepper, licorice and scrubby underbrush. Finely tuned tannins add balance, keeping the wild aromatics in check. The goal of founders Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia is to elevate Spanish Garnacha to the same ranks as Syrah from the Northern Rhône or Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and it’s clear they’re well on their way to attaining this goal. Considering that the top wines of Comando G – nearly impossible to secure – now fetch hundreds of dollars, this is a stunning value from one of the fastest rising stars in Spain.

Price: $42.99

RP: 95

JS: 93

2019 Charles Baur Pinot Gris Grand Cru Brand Alsace

By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/17/2025 | Send Email

Jura-like oxidation on the nose with subtle hints of stone and petrol. On the palate there is amazing richness and great textural feel with complex and layered Orchard fruit notes and spice. This feel old-world in style and already has wonderful tertiary notes.

Price: $26.99

VN: 93

2023 Adegas Valtea Albariño Rias Baixas

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/14/2025 | Send Email

This is a serious, concentrated style of Albarino, bursting with classic aromas of juicy white peach, golden apple and faintly perfumed orange blossom. A green savory note on the palate – think freshly cut chervil or tarragon – and a subtle grippy feel on the palate add complexity. The wine is very fresh and lively on the palate, resulting from a short elevage in stainless steel tank, never barrel or cask. Located in the warmest, most inland part of Rias Baixas, where the days are warm, but the nights are cool, the Valtea balances weight and concentration with fanstic structure and a clean, refreshing finish. This wine is a great choice to pair with soft cheeses or chilled shellfish.

Price: $17.99

2022 Giscours, Margaux 6-Pack in OWC

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 11/14/2025 | Send Email

One of the most deserving properties in Bordeaux just received Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year: 2022 Giscours. A long-time K&L favorite, the team there has always produced one of the most classic and rewarding wines of Margaux, but recent vintages have taken it to another level. The 2022 is the perfect example of that ideal balance you find at this estate; from a rich vintage they were able to craft a wine that's full of Margaux character, retains a modest 13.5% abv, and delivers a classically proportioned wine that shows both the property's terroir and the transparency of traditional Bordeaux. Its ability to occupy both worlds is one of Giscours' many charms. It is also a wine that is remarkably well priced for what it delivers on the scale of classified growths. And while it's not the flashiest wine (perhaps all the better for it), it is one of those bottles that always leaves us marveling when tasting, inspiring that "why don't we buy more Giscours?!" energy. With this new Wine of the Year acclaim, that may soon be a thing of the past. I can imagine the 2022 Giscours becoming an all-time best seller for us, and I think the wine deserves all the acclaim it's getting now, and will continue to receive in the future. Congratulations to Alexander van Beek and the remarkable team at Giscours on their landmark 2022.

Price: $595.00

2022 Giscours, Margaux

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 11/14/2025 | Send Email

One of the most deserving properties in Bordeaux just received Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year: 2022 Giscours. A long-time K&L favorite, the team there has always produced one of the most classic and rewarding wines of Margaux, but recent vintages have taken it to another level. The 2022 is the perfect example of that ideal balance you find at this estate; from a rich vintage they were able to craft a wine that's full of Margaux character, retains a modest 13.5% abv, and delivers a classically proportioned wine that shows both the property's terroir and the transparency of traditional Bordeaux. Its ability to occupy both worlds is one of Giscours' many charms. It is also a wine that is remarkably well priced for what it delivers on the scale of classified growths. And while it's not the flashiest wine (perhaps all the better for it), it is one of those bottles that always leaves us marveling when tasting, inspiring that "why don't we buy more Giscours?!" energy. With this new Wine of the Year acclaim, that may soon be a thing of the past. I can imagine the 2022 Giscours becoming an all-time best seller for us, and I think the wine deserves all the acclaim it's getting now, and will continue to receive in the future. Congratulations to Alexander van Beek and the remarkable team at Giscours on their landmark 2022.

Price: $99.99

2024 Cullen "Dancing in the Sun" Sauvignon Blanc Blend Margaret River Western Australia

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

The 2024 Cullne “Dancing in the Sun” is a lively, youthful blend of 53% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Semillon, 14% Chenin Blanc, 4% Chardonnay and 1% Verdelho. The 2024 season was the hottest, driest and earliest harvest on record for Cullen, with minimal rainfall from September through to May, resulting in small yields and concentrated fruit. As a result, the fruit for this wine was harvested early (between January 11 and February 11) to maintain freshness. The resulting wine is crisp and inviting, bursting with notes of freshly cut grass, grapefruit zest and Granny Smith apple. There is a subtle waxy texture on the palate, and the finish is persistent, with lingering citrus pith and faint salinity. This is a bright, modern take on a Sauvignon/Semillon blend imbued with surprising structure and concentration from the warm 2024 vintage.

Price: $17.99

JS: 93

JH: 92

2019 Gulfi "NeroBufaleffj" Nero d'Avola Sicilia

By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

I cannot get over how much this wine reminds me of freshly picked wild blackberries. Tart, aromatic, with finely knit tannins that draw you inter another sip... and another, and another. Brings back memories of gorging myself with the fruit when I discovered a hidden patch of them at the park in late summer. Thankfully, I don't have to watch out for any thorns to enjoy this!

Price: $44.99

VN: 96

JS: 93

2022 Nga Waka Pinot Noir Martinborough

By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

This earthy, savory Pinot Noir is a perfect match for anyone looking to explore the unique terroir of Martinborough. There's an oxidized dry-aged meat quality to it, almost gamey, with notes of dry herbs that reminds me of Pu'er tea.

Price: Hidden

SK: 94

2012 Le Brun de Neuville "Grand Vintage" Brut Champagne

By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

It is such a treat to taste an exceptional vintage from a fantastic producer! This bottle has had the time to develop a graceful maturity, making for an elegantly layered complexity that is really special. The aromas on the nose and palate have integrated seamlessly and melded together into gentle notes of chestnut and brioche, with a long chalky finish lasting ages after each sip. Outstanding!

Price: $69.99

2023 Anonymous Wine Collective "Pagani Ranch - Ancient Vine" Sonoma Valley Zinfandel

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

An absolute classic rendition of Zinfandel this legendary, historic site. There tons of rich, brambly fruit from the old vine Zin, but also real substance and complexity from the inclusion of Alicante Bouchet and a Primitivo clone brought here by Italian immigrants over a century ago. The wine shows a real sense of place with a crushed rock and ferrous mineral tone from red iron-rich loam and volcanic cobblestones that define the soils of the site. The picture perfect growing season in 2023 gave this wine lots of vibrancy and focus to balance all that old vine concentration and potency. The subtle use of both French and American oak is a well known signature when combined with this beautiful fruit. The value here, as with all the Anonymous wines is simply outstanding! Enjoy!

Price: Hidden

Jansz "Premium Rosé" Brut Tasmania

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 11/13/2025 | Send Email

At first taste, the Jansz “Premium Rosé” Brut elicits an instant WHAT?! It’s a delightful surprise how good it is for the price! This sparkling overachiever hits that sweet spot for value-driven bubble enthusiasts (like myself) who still crave finesse in their glass. The color is a charming blush, like your cheeks after a complement from your crush, while a fine bead of soft bubbles delivers clean and delicate notes of fresh raspberry, rose Turkish delight, and white nectarine, all laced with a whisper of white-chocolate creaminess. These confectionary impressions are neither sweet nor cloying, but effortlessly balanced and deeply satisfying. This is something I definitely want around for entertaining or sipping as a refreshing reward after a long day of tasting other wines.

Price: $21.99

Mars Shinshu Iwai Rye Style Blended Japanese Whisky (750ml)

By: Josh Gelfand | Review Date: 11/12/2025 | Send Email

“Hey, can I get some of that Japanese scotch?” they’d often ask, sitting down at my bar. Hiding my deep-seated instinct to snark them into oblivion, I’d choose the hospitality route, which was one of information delivered through kindness. “Scotch,” I’d reply, “is simply whisky made in Scotland. This is Japanese whisky, which just means it was made in Japan, though it does emulate the Scottish style in many ways.” Since its inception more than a century ago, Japanese whisky has been directly associated with and compared to Scotch for understandable reasons. Malt whisky and grain whisky made in the style Masataka Taketsuru first learned in Scotland in the early 1900s resemble the Scotch we know and love in countless ways, even with some wonderful Japanese innovations and variations. And while they’ve experimented with other grains like rice, one thing the Japanese have done extremely well is blend whiskies from around the world in their own elegant style. Rye whiskey, on the other hand, has never really been thought of as elegant in the traditional sense. It’s the rugged, pre-Prohibition, spicy northern style of whiskey that early American settlers first made. But now our friends at Mars have decided to create a fun new counterpart to their bourbon-forward Iwai 45, blending their own classic 70% corn and 30% pot-stilled unmalted barley whisky aged in ex-bourbon barrels with some 95/5 rye aged in new charred oak and imported from Tennessee. The result brings lovely grain and spice, cherry and cocoa, nutty and herbal notes, plus berries and tea to the glass in a style that’s ready for your favorite cocktail or highball. And the price is perfect for mixing. But to be clear, this is not a rye whisky made in Japan, in the same way traditional Japanese whiskies aren’t Scotches. It’s an easy-drinking, supremely mixable rye-style whisky from blenders who’ve made a name for themselves combining liquid gold from around the world into a final product as unique and inviting as Japan itself.

Price: $39.99

Dérot-Delugny "Retour en Avant" Brut

By: Craig Morris | Review Date: 11/12/2025 | Send Email

"Retour en avant" literally translates to "return forward," as in, going back to your roots. What roots, you say? Well, this Champagne is made from 100% Pinot Gris. Yes, they are allowed to grow Pinot Gris in Champagne, but it is uncommon nowadays and near-extinct in the region. The founding family of Derot-Delugny were big fans of Alsatian wine, particularly Pinot Gris, so over 30 years ago they planted a small plot and that's where this comes from. So, yes, it is an oddity, but it is also delicious! I was genuinely impressed. Full of brioche with great acidity, and just a touch more fruit than a blanc de blanc, but still elegant. Also, full of minerality! Pinot Gris is tricky to grow in Champagne, and so they do not make this bottling every year, so pick it up while you have the chance. I could not stop revisiting this bottle all evening!

Price: $49.99

2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot, St-Emilion

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 11/12/2025 | Send Email

It’s time to take Beau-Séjour-Bécot seriously. They are one of the most exciting properties in Bordeaux right now, and this vintage is, so far, their crowning achievement. Perched on one of the finest sites on the limestone plateau in St-Émilion, the estate benefits from singular terroir. The transparency of that site, along with the undeniably delicious profile, makes their 2022 so special. We recently enjoyed a dinner where it was the star of the show—a wine whose aromas alone drew spontaneous exclamations of delight. It bursts from the glass with floral and high-toned black fruit notes, underscored by a hint of minerality. On the palate, it’s a marvel: bright black and deep red fruits, an amazing texture, nearly invisible fine tannins, and lifting acidity. It’s extremely precise—full of flavor yet somehow weightless and elegant. A subtle salinity drives a long, complex finish that keeps me reaching for the glass. Yes, this is one of the more expensive renditions of Beau-Séjour-Bécot on the market, but every time I open a bottle I marvel that such sky-scraping quality can still be had for the price. For collectors of the finest Right Bank Bordeaux, this is not to be missed—and for anyone who loves capturing one of a region’s great achievements at a rewarding price, it’s hard to imagine a better option.

Price: $119.99

2012 Le Brun de Neuville "Grand Vintage" Brut Champagne

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/11/2025 | Send Email

This is what I would consider a pretty complete Champagne. It's already passed through the bready stage, taking on a toasted brioche quality and has also taken on a bit of nuttiness from the overall aging of the wine. This is really fun, there's kind of this rounded almond thing on the very finish and the savory elements are outclassing the fruitier elements overall. There's still soft apple and lemon on the nose and palate, but this is more about tertiary flavors at this point, and they're sublime. This is something I want to have with a cheese board. Right now. Please. Super delicious and really compelling.

Price: $69.99

2021 Castello di Ama "L'Apparita" Toscana

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/11/2025 | Send Email

A benchmark wine that lives up to the hype. Castello di Ama’s "L'Apparita," Tuscany's first 100% Merlot, sets a high bar. This is a profound, structured, and complex wine from high-altitude terroir. The nose is just a fantastic deep, inky, and compelling, with black cherry, cassis, and dark plum woven with graphite, new leather, sweet tobacco, espresso, and that crushed rock minerality. The palate follows with concentration and a velvety texture, but what’s remarkable is the freshness. A super fresh palate with a vibrant line of acidity keeps the wine energetic and poised, not heavy. The tannins are serious—polished, fine-grained, and powerful—framing a dense core of dark fruit and savory spice. The finish is exceptionally long, echoing dark chocolate, licorice, and that yummy stony minerality. This is a monumental wine, plain and simple. Just stunning.

Price: Hidden

2023 Charles Père et Fille Volnay 1er Cru “Fremiets"

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/11/2025 | Send Email

Rich and seductive nose that started at me with ripe raspberry, cherry candy, craisins, and just a little touch of barrel spice. This is definitely a more plush and lush style of Pinot Noir. The palate is fairly rich and medium bodied, there's a gentle line of acidity running through but nothing crazy or puckering, as a result the fruit is fairly ripe on the palate, ripe raspberry, a little stewed strawberry, a little touch of cherry compote. This is something I could absolutely see being on the table this season, or even into the next, a pretty gentle and accessible bottle of Pinot Noir with a little more elegance than you can find elsewhere in this style.

Price: $69.99

Reviewers

K&L Email Alerts

Staff Favorites

Reviews