K&L Wine Merchants - Staff Favorites

2010 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Winery Direct Library Release)

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 6/29/2026 | Send Email

After the mild and relatively straightforward 2009 vintage, 2010 was a roller coaster. Heavy rainfall in January and February pushed budbreak back by two to three weeks, and additional rains in May disrupted flowering, leading to a lighter crop with varied cluster and berry sizes. Very cool conditions persisted through June and July, with very little summer heat. Some grape growers, concerned by the slow ripening curve, began pulling leaves to expose clusters directly to the sun. This proved to be a costly mistake when a serious heat wave arrived in late August, causing some fruit to suffer from sunburn and raisining. Those who stayed the course with a steady hand were rewarded with a long Indian summer, with temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s stretching well into September and helping make up for the cool start to the growing season. Overall, the vintage is characterized by intense, dark-fruited wines with serious concentration and a somewhat brooding personality. That vintage character is certainly on display here in the remarkable 2010 Freemark Abbey Napa Cabernet. Darker-fruited than the 2009, with a little more structure, power, and moodiness, this wine shows rich mulberry, cassis, graphite, and crushed rock at its core. Hints of leather and subtle bottle development are beginning to emerge, but in general the wine remains impressively fresh, dense, and youthful as it approaches 15 years of age in bottle. This is a powerful, deeply expressive Napa Cabernet with plenty of life still ahead.

Price: $59.95

2009 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Winery Direct Library Release)

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 6/29/2026 | Send Email

2009 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon The 2009 vintage is remembered fondly as a very successful year in Napa Valley, and the wines, now 15 years later, bear out that early optimism. The growing season began with below-average rainfall and a moderate amount of water stress on the vines. Weather throughout the year was relatively stable, with no dramatic heat events or untimely rains to create major issues for grape growers. The crop came in just above average, with consistently high quality across the board. In their youth, the 2009s showed a lovely balance of primary fruit and medium-plus structure. While not as concentrated or dramatic as the 2010s, the 2009s have a wonderful sense of balance, purity, and approachability. This bottling from Freemark shows the effortless grace of the vintage, with richness of fruit and mid-palate plushness carried by beautifully resolved structure. Now showing delicious secondary character, this wine is in absolute prime condition to enjoy over the next one to five years. The profile is mostly deep red-fruited, with briary, brambly elements and a lovely dusty, loamy earth component. Hints of graphite and pencil shavings mingle with unsmoked cigar, subtle bay leaf, and worn leather. Silky on the palate, the tannins are relaxed and supple, making this ready for a quick 20- to 30-minute decant and straight into the glass. So easy to enjoy, this is a lovely wine drinking perfectly right now.

Price: $59.95

2022 Overshine "Chalone Vineyard" Chalone Pinot Noir

By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 6/29/2026 | Send Email

Another homerun pick from our Domestic Buyer Mr. Woodhouse! The first thing I noticed was the color of the wine once it hit the glass during our staff tasting - maybe the sun was hitting it just right, but it was glistening a beautiful ruby hue with a little amber around the edge, and immediately had my mouth watering. On the nose, the wine opens with notes of red fruit, black tea and a bit of savory herbs. On the palate, you are met with ripe red cherries, strawberries, and dried cranberry. The acidity is nice throughout, with a bit of a crunchy/earthy finish with dried green herbs on the back palate. Definitely a steal for the price.

Price: Hidden

2022 Overshine "Chalone Vineyard" Chalone Chardonnay

By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 6/29/2026 | Send Email

As other staff and reviews have point out, this is an incredible deal and fantastic wine for the price - fruit coming from Chalone outside of its own estate label is bonkers in and of itself, but at this price a genuine steal. The wine itself is incredibly layered, pretty and elegant aromatics of ripe stone fruit skin, white flowers, and even chamomile tea - and on the palate it is just ripe peaches and nectarines, a little lemon/lime, and a great finish of salinity and riverstone. Acidity is nice and zingy, but integrated into the fruit ripeness as to not be overbearing. Get it before its gone!

Price: Hidden

2024 J. de Villebois Sauvignon Blanc Touraine

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 6/29/2026 | Send Email

Touraine has long been one of the Loire Valley's best sources of value for Sauvignon Blanc. Located about two hours west of Sancerre, the region shares many of the same clay and limestone soils that give its more famous neighbor such a distinctive mineral character. The difference is that land prices and production costs are significantly lower, allowing producers to deliver exceptional quality at far more approachable prices. The region is also one of the Loire Valley's most picturesque destinations, famous for the magnificent châteaux that line the Loire River and its tributaries. In recent years, several communes within Touraine have earned recognition for producing particularly distinctive expressions of Sauvignon Blanc, further elevating the appellation's reputation. In the glass, Touraine Sauvignon Blanc tends to be generous and immediately appealing. The Villebois is an excellent example, offering vibrant flavors of pineapple, kiwi, and lemon curd. It recalls the exuberant fruit profile of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but without many of the sharper grassy or herbal notes. Instead, those bright tropical flavors are framed by a subtle chalky minerality that gives the wine balance and a distinctly Loire identity. Touraine has long been one of the Loire Valley's greatest sources of value, and the Villebois is an outstanding introduction to everything the appellation has to offer.

Price: $15.99

DC: 95

2019 Frankland Estate "Poison Hill" Riesling Frankland River Western Australia

By: Matthew Landau Hassan | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

A dry, single-vineyard Riesling from Frankland River in Western Australia. Grown on gravelly soils, hand-picked, made bone-dry with no oak, under screwcap. Lots of line and lemon zest, green apple, white flowers, and a wet-stone mineral kick, with bright, zippy acidity that keeps it lively. Family-run, certified organic and biodynamic. Its crisp, dry, citrus-forward style also makes it a great bridge for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers looking to get into Riesling. This could be the wine of the summer!

Price: Hidden

JH: 97

JS: 96

2024 Gaintza Rosé Getariako Txakolina

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

This Rosé Txakolina bursts from the glass with vibrant aromas of fresh strawberries, watermelon rind, pink grapefruit, and fresh-cut herbs, all framed by the wine's signature subtle spritz on the palate. The palate is light on its feet, zipping along with mouthwatering acidity and a refreshing streak of citrus, creating a wine that's as playful as it is thirst-quenching. There's an unmistakable Atlantic freshness here, with a subtle mineral edge and salinity that adds just enough seriousness beneath all the fun. The delicate natural effervescence gives the wine extra lift, making it dangerously easy to pour another glass. Whether paired with grilled shrimp, fish tacos, or simply enjoyed on a sunny afternoon, this is the kind of bottle that disappears faster than you'd expect.

Price: $18.99

2019 Frankland Estate "Poison Hill" Riesling Frankland River Western Australia

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

A step up in weight and concentration from the Estate Riesling, the single vineyard “Poison Hill” Riesling is a serious example of dry Aussie Riesling – one that can rival the best from the Old World. The density of fruit here is astounding, especially considering how effortlessly nimble it feels on the palate, with a delicate, almost lacy finish. Aromas of Meyer lemon, grapefruit rind, lemongrass and tarragon burst from the glass, followed quickly by notes of apple blossom and beeswax. This is powerfully aromatic wine that is perfectly balanced by mouthwatering, racy acidity that keeps the overall character of the wine fresh and lively. This wine also feels improbably young, and although it is so easy to drink today, there’s a sense that it could age for a decade or more, given the density and high complexity. Simply one of the best values I’ve had from any country so far this year, this wine won’t last long in the stores, so I’d grab it while still avaialble.

Price: Hidden

JH: 97

JS: 96

2021 Frankland Estate Riesling Frankland River Western Australia

By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

If you’re not drinking Australian Riesling yet, why not? Bone dry, citrus-driven, and ultra crisp on the palate, this is Riesling for everyone who thinks they don’t like Riesling. Frankland Estate, located in the remote Frankland River region of Western Australia, is well-known in Australia as a Riesling specialist, producing vintage after vintage of zesty, mouthwateringly delicious examples of the variety, and their 2021 Estate Riesling is another fantastic release. The palate of this wine is packed with freshly squeezed lime, as well as grapefruit zest, Granny Smith apple and subtle jasmine notes. Bracing high acidity leads the wine into a lingering, long finish that is so clean and so fresh. Stony minerality and a slightly textural mouthfeel tie everything together. At well under $20, this is a ridiculously good value – the wine is very drinkable today but also has a quiet sense of austerity and restraint that, in combination with the high density of the citrus fruit notes, promises the ability to continue to age and develop classic aged Riesling aromatics with time. This is simply a superb example of dry Australian Riesling that should not be missed!

Price: Hidden

JH: 95

JS: 93

RP: 92

2023 Anthill Farms "Campbell Ranch" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

The 2023 Anthill Farms "Campbell Ranch" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay comes from 20-year-old vines planted on Sonoma’s northwest coast in low-vigor Goldridge soils, yielding just two tons per acre. That’s the focus here: quality, not quantity, with only 280 cases produced. The quality is so striking that I want to call the grower out by name, so hat tip to Steve Campbell. This wine stopped me in my tracks because there is so much to unpack. I adore wines like this, ethereal shapeshifters where one sensation morphs into another. Just as your palate reaches to grasp the fringe of its cloak, it has already moved on. To me, that signals a wine at the top of its craft, guided by the skilled and thoughtful winemakers at Anthill Farms. What’s it like? Medium-bodied, with golden apple, leesy notes of laminated pastry, diaphanous layers of vanilla, and a tisane-like impression of fresh lemon balm, followed by finely grated Meyer lemon zest. A briny hint of crushed seashells flitters across the tip of the tongue and lingers into the finish. Serve cool rather than cold and allow it to reveal its exquisite and unmistakable northwest Sonoma Coast character.

Price: Hidden

VN: 95

RP: 92

2023 Anthill Farms "Jack Hill Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 6/26/2026 | Send Email

The 2023 Anthill Farms "Jack Hill Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir isn’t light Burgundian nor bold California in style. It’s unmistakably Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: beautiful fruit that's brilliantly rendered with a thoughtful touch. The layers unfold with clarity and precision: ripe raspberry, blood orange, hibiscus, and violet, framed by soft suggestions of baking spice and a whisper of cordovan leather subtle enough for polite and discerning palates. It underwent 30% whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts and aged in 30% new French oak barrels. The winemaking at Anthill Farms supports rather than directs, allowing the character of Jack Hill Vineyard to be the star of the show. Bravo!

Price: Hidden

VN: 95

RP: 93

2018 Billecart-Salmon 250th Anniversary Vintage Champagne