By: Rachael Ryan | Review Date: 6/12/2025 | Send Email

The Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon is a benchmark expression of the variety in Margaret River, a region that has solidified its reputation in recent years as one of the most exciting places in Australia for Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 vintage is pure elegance, with seamless integration of vibrant red fruit – red currant, plum, wild blackberry – and supple, polished tannins. Fresh oregano and thyme notes linger in the background, supported by subtle oak notes of nutmeg and vanilla. Medium-bodied on the palate, this wine offers a high level of concentration and fruit purity with an almost weightless feel on the palate. Very fresh and vibrant!

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 6/10/2025 | Send Email

Really pretty and clean agave-forward nose, with lime, grilled pineapple, and just a little touch of pear in the very background. This smells lovely and like I'm really going to enjoy it. The palate is incredibly smooth and silky, with absolutely no burn for me at all. This is lush and fairly savory on the palate, lots of dried herbs, with lime zest and just a little bit of pepper on the finish, this goes down a little bit too smoothly. Definitely not for shooters, this is a sipping Blanco or something for you to make a very simple margarita of agave, lime and tequila. While you could use this in something else, you really want to let this one shine through. There's such a pretty and long finish that it would be a shame to mask it with a sweet orange liqueur, but gosh I mean, it would make a heck of a Cadilliac Margarita too. Choose your own adventure.

By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 6/10/2025 | Send Email

It's always a pleasure to try the ever-growing variety of spirits offered from around the world here at K&L. I was impressed by the delicate lovely aromatics and incredibly smooth finish. This is a more subtle gin so it wouldn't be my go-to for dirty martinis, but it has a wonderful profile for drinking neat!

By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 6/10/2025 | Send Email

What an incredible value! It's rare to find an American red vermouth that so perfectly encapsulates the distinctive terroir of Napa cabernet sauvignon. The infusion blend is an excellent and well-integrated complement to the strong grape foundation, with the wormwood and ginger as standouts.

By: Simon Li | Review Date: 6/9/2025 | Send Email

The 2023 Peay Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir captures the elegance of Burgundy while embracing the purity and energy of the West Sonoma Coast. Aromatically, it opens with a lifted mix of forest floor, lavender, and mint, followed by raspberry, and red plum. There’s a gentle but confident use of oak, adding spice and texture without overwhelming the fruit. The palate is precise and vibrant, with a long, graceful finish driven by fresh acidity and well-integrated tannins. Much of this character is shaped by winemaker Vanessa Wong, a Chinese American vintner whose résumé includes Château Lafite-Rothschild, Domaine Jean Gros in Burgundy, and Peter Michael Winery. Since joining Peay in 2001, she has quietly built a reputation for wines of restraint and site expression—always letting the vineyard speak louder than the winemaking.

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 6/5/2025 | Send Email

Guigal remains the Northern Rhone's most iconic producer, and La Doriane, it's most iconic white wine. The 2023 is a huge success for Guigal. In my recent travels through the Rhone, the Condrieus I was tasting were primarily from 2023 and the balance and intensity were off the charts! La Doriane opens with an explosive nose of roasted Anjou pear, honeysuckle and creme brulee. The concentration saturates the palate but the finish is ethereal and lingering. This is a must have for you collectors out there!

By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 6/4/2025 | Send Email

Billecart-Salmon is back with a vintage dated Rose champagne, this time 2015! In keeping with their tradition of releasing their prestige cuvees later than anyone else, this 2015 is hitting the shelves long after most 2015s have come and gone. Everybody knows Billecart's "Le Rose" ($84.99 - new name to reflect changing dosage levels) and their prestige rose "Cuvee Elisabeth-Salmon" ($219.99), but this is only the second time they've released a rose in-between, the 2015 Billecart-Salmon Extra Brur Rose Champagne ($119.99). More complex than the flagship rose but without the extra long aging potential of the Elisabeth-Salmon, the 2015 offers an amazing layered champagne that is a cut above most sparkling roses at $100 off the normal "prestige price." On the nose, white flowers, orange peel, ripe cherry, marzipan, honey, strawberries, and blood orange. On the palate, elegant, creamy and tropical, full-bodied with notes of black cherry, watermelon, toast, red berries, with zippy acidity. Grab some of this special release while it lasts!

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/2/2025 | Send Email

This is one of the most exciting buys of the 2022 Bordeaux campaign. Malartic-Lagravière has long been a favorite of ours, but a recent 99-point score now places it alongside Bordeaux royalty in 2022. At our current retail pricing, it’s one of the most accomplished Cabernet-based wines you’ll find of this caliber from anywhere. And with only 8,000 cases produced—a fraction of some of its Bordeaux peers—it’s one you’ll want to grab early. Points aside, it's worth noting what we've always known: when Malartic-Lagravière is great, it can be transcendent—offering a level of expression well above its modest price point. It’s also a wine that wine lovers love to love: a genuine reflection of place, expressed with clarity and grace. The 2022 vintage borrows the generosity of the year, yet still achieves a precision and elegance that exude class. A mix of pure black fruits, subtle but persistent minerality, wonderful texture, and a long finish—this wine shows both polish and typicité. This is one to load up on now, and like many 2022s, it will be a pleasure to enjoy anytime over the next 20+ years. It’s nothing new to see a great wine from this estate, but congratulations to the Bonnie family on a new reference-point vintage for Malartic-Lagravière.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/29/2025 | Send Email

It’s always a joy to taste Domaine de Chevalier these days, and the highly acclaimed 2016 is certainly no exception. The nose is distinctive and engaging, with notes of gravel, dark plum, and tobacco. On the palate, the wine’s texture is impressive—seamless, yet carrying remarkable density and depth. Waves of deep red and black fruit emerge with time, leading to a long, tannin-coated finish lifted by a kick of acidity and a healthy dose of minerality. This will be a brilliant wine at maturity, but its pedigree and complexity already make it an incredibly delicious offering that will win over many fans at this stage. Considering we’re nearly a decade past the vintage, that DDC is one of the region’s top producers, and 2016 is one of Bordeaux’s great growing seasons, the upside here is undeniable.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/29/2025 | Send Email

This gem hit my radar when I saw chart-topping press paired with an all-too-modest price point—and I had to see what it was all about. Mostly Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Sauvignon Gris, it brings the kind of character I adore in Bordeaux Blanc: freshness, texture, and concentration without ever feeling heavy. I couldn’t help but think of Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (my gold standard!) when I tasted this—though perhaps with a bit more Sauvignon Blanc character and drive. With only a few thousand cases made, Couhins is one to grab while it’s available—perfect for lovers of Bordeaux Blanc or anyone curious to discover what the magic is all about. The 2022 vintage has a surprising amount of drive and minerality for such a warm year, showing notes of lime, grapefruit, Meyer lemon, and stone fruit. It’s mouthwatering, textured, and long. This is a young wine with the structure to age effortlessly, but it already has so much to offer that I wouldn’t hesitate to pull a cork.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/29/2025 | Send Email

De Pez is a bit under the radar in the world of Left Bank Bordeaux, but it’s one to start taking seriously. Run by Nicolas Glumineau and the team at Pichon-Lalande, you couldn’t ask for better stewards of a Bordeaux property. Their steadfast efforts are paying off, and the 2022 is certainly something special. Cedar and a mélange of black and red fruits lead the aromatics, followed by a red-fruit–driven palate with hints of leather and spice, fine tannins, and a long, rich finish. A balanced yet generous wine, I can’t wait to see how it ages—though I expect many corks will be pulled in its early days (and I wouldn’t object!). The 2022 is full of character, impossible to resist, and delivers an experience well above its modest price. Anyone looking for surefire Left Bank buys should have De Pez on their shortlist.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/29/2025 | Send Email

Dame de Montrose might very well be my favorite "second" wine in Bordeaux. The pedigree of the Grand Vin is clearly present in the Dame, and the price is remarkably reasonable for what it delivers. Considering the 2022 Montrose is a multiple 100-pointer and a potential all-timer, it’s no surprise that the Dame de Montrose is exceptional as well. What’s truly striking here is the balance—somehow managing to be both elegant and composed while also generous. The texture is stunning, framed by deep red fruits, a hint of spice peeking through, and a long, flavorful finish. I can’t help but wonder if there are many Grand Vins from other vintages that reach these heights. Perhaps that’s just the magic of Montrose on full display.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/29/2025 | Send Email

One of the top values in the Médoc is flirting with greatness in 2022. This resplendent Tronquoy highlights the caliber of the Montrose team and the potential of both the site and the vintage. What’s immediately striking are the aromatics—filling the room the moment the bottle is opened—with blue and red fruits and a terrific floral note. On the palate, it’s layered with blackberry, red plum, and cherry, beautifully concentrated and already well integrated in terms of texture, acidity, and tannins. A long, gravelly finish grounds it with a strong sense of place. There’s so much going on here. Like many 2022s, it offers plenty of immediate appeal, but all the components are in place for it to age effortlessly for years.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/27/2025 | Send Email

Those who hit the mark with the 2022 vintage in Sauternes produced some monumental wines, so it’s no surprise to see Yquem right at the top of that list. A remarkable contrast to the focused and fresh 2021 vintage, the 2022 embraces the breadth of the unique growing season, adding layers upon layers to create a luxurious, heady Sauternes that reveals one nuance after another. Stone fruit, orange blossom, honey, and grilled pineapple are just a few of the many aromas and flavors bursting from the glass. But it’s the waves of flavor, beautiful texture, vibrant acidity, and endless finish that truly set this Yquem apart. As expected, there is so much on offer already that no one could be blamed for popping a cork at this early stage—but the concentration suggests this is a wine built for the long haul. A potential Yquem for the ages, the 2022 is a deep, resonant Sauternes that speaks volumes about the singular nature of this inimitable label.

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/27/2025 | Send Email

Those who hit the mark with the 2022 vintage in Sauternes produced some monumental wines, so it’s no surprise to see Yquem right at the top of that list. A remarkable contrast to the focused and fresh 2021 vintage, the 2022 embraces the breadth of the unique growing season, adding layers upon layers to create a luxurious, heady Sauternes that reveals one nuance after another. Stone fruit, orange blossom, honey, and grilled pineapple are just a few of the many aromas and flavors bursting from the glass. But it’s the waves of flavor, beautiful texture, vibrant acidity, and endless finish that truly set this Yquem apart. As expected, there is so much on offer already that no one could be blamed for popping a cork at this early stage—but the concentration suggests this is a wine built for the long haul. A potential Yquem for the ages, the 2022 is a deep, resonant Sauternes that speaks volumes about the singular nature of this inimitable label.

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 5/26/2025 | Send Email

There's just a very light touch of barrel spice on the nose, besides that, there's a soft little floral perfume and then very soft raspberries, rhubarb, and then some apricot and a little touch of freshly squeezed apple. The palate is light and crisp, almost ethereal in the best of ways. there's a little neutral barrel note and then a soft wave of bountiful fruit riding on a jutting crest of acid to completely clean your palate. This is really lovely in an enrapturing kind of way, the more that I sip and taste, the more I'm feeling those butterflies of when you find a wine you really connect with. There's something here that is going to make me buy a case or so just to figure out what I really love so much about this, but until then, this is more of a porch wine than a pool wine, but could also be a part of a fondue dinner. It's just great.

By: Simon Li | Review Date: 5/26/2025 | Send Email

As a devoted Bordeaux lover, I typically enjoy letting great vintages mature over time—but the 2020 Château Léoville Poyferré is a reminder that some wines can deliver immense pleasure even in their youth. This vintage is bold and expressive right out of the glass, with rich aromas of blackberry, black plum, and a touch of dark chocolate, wrapped in savory layers of tobacco leaf and cigar box. The wine is full-bodied, with excellent structure and a beautiful sense of balance—ripe fruit framed by polished tannins and just the right amount of acidity. It’s generous and powerful, yet nothing feels overdone. There’s an earthy depth and a touch of spice that adds complexity as it opens up in the glass. While it’s drinking impressively well now with a bit of air, it clearly has the structure and concentration to evolve for another 10 to 15 years in the cellar. This is exactly the kind of wine that reminds me why I love the Left Bank—classic, confident, and full of character.

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 5/25/2025 | Send Email

Founded in 1573 and believed to be one of the oldest distilleries in China, Luzhou Laojiao still uses many of its original clay fermentation pits. Since the distillery operates in a continuous cycle, the delightful red sorghum-based baijiu in this bottle is directly linked to 16th-century renditions. To put this into its Ming Dynasty perspective, 10-year-old emperor Wanli had just ascended the throne and the Chinese were still fighting Japanese pirates (Wokou) along the coast and Mongol hoards on its northern borders. So what does this sip of history taste like? True to its strong aroma style (浓香, nóngxiāng), the first impression is vibrant and tropical—a ripe cherimoya, which tastes like tutti-frutti, but this bears a more natural signature—followed by ripe pineapple, powdered licorice-coated dried plum, and bright chrysanthemum tea. There’s lovely depth and a lingering finish of those last two notes. Fēicháng hǎo hē!

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 5/23/2025 | Send Email

This humble little bottle of Paulaner brings me right back to the hard wooden benches of Munich beer gardens. This lager is a fine example of the way lager should be—crisp, refreshing, and bursting with clean flavors of barley and malt without too much sweetness. It has body, depth, and a delightful zesty hops finish that lingers. Now that my glass is empty, I have intense regrets that I only bought one bottle. Seriously makes me want to price flights back to Munich.

By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 5/22/2025 | Send Email

Representing the best the 2015 vintage has to offer, this new bottling from Billecart-Salmon is only the second time they've produced a vintage edition of their standard rose champagne. Aromas of ripe cherries, marzipan, and a touch of honey make for a beautifully expressive, complex nose. On the palate, I was surprised to find a subtle layer of pain au levain toast, giving way to flavors of juicy Bing cherry, Satsuma orange, and underripe strawberry. This champagne is bright, mouthwatering, and complex, and has a finish that goes on for days, revealing flashes of different flavors as you savor each sip. An absolute treat, and shockingly well-priced for what's in the bottle!

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/22/2025 | Send Email

Malescot St-Exupéry has been a staple for us at K&L over the years, consistently hitting all the right marks—genuine Bordeaux from one of our favorite appellations that always seems to over-deliver. Tasting with their team is one of the most refreshing experiences: they make just one wine, no frills, expertly crafted, and endlessly delicious. You know they’re doing something right when it’s hard to pick a standout vintage because there are so many great ones. But this 2019 immediately stood out to me as a big-time winner. The aromas are rich with cedar, violet, and deep red berries, while the palate offers a panoply of black and red fruits, fine baking spice, an incredibly pure texture, great density, and a finish that dances with zesty acidity, deep red fruit skins, and a thread of minerality. I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy this now with a long decant, though I also believe it will age brilliantly for years to come—testament to both the exceptional 2019 vintage and the consistent excellence of Malescot St-Exupéry. This recent parcel comes to us direct from Bordeaux at a remarkable price, making it easily one of the best buys in Classified Growths on our shelves—and perhaps anywhere on the market.

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 5/20/2025 | Send Email

Sourced from one of the oldest parcels in Grumello, Buon Consiglio channels the vineyard’s upper-altitude minerality and the patience of long aging. Elegant yet firm, with red currants, alpine spice, crushed rock, and a sense of quiet authority. The 2016 is vibrant and lifted, with fine tannins and serious depth—one of the standout Riservas of the vintage.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 5/16/2025 | Send Email

The 2019 Gramercy Cabernet is perhaps even more impressive than the 2018 bottling that became one of our best selling wines last year. Another excellent, winery-direct price makes this an absolute no-brainer buy - top notch Washington Cabernet, from incredible vineyards, for an extremely sharp price 50% off original SRP! Sourced from the "Grand Cru" sites Phinney Hill, Bacchus, and Dionysus Vineyards, the team at Gramercy takes the finest raw materials Washington has to offer, and polishes them into something truly special. The balance and integration of this wine is striking, every flavor and nuance perfectly refined and in sync. Gently floral perfume of dark roses, hints of lavender, crushed cassis, black cherry, subtle leather, cedar, spice box, graphite. Full-bodied, remarkably silky, textural tannins, and crushed rock minerality seeps into the finish with a very left bank Bordeaux like expression with the long resonance on the palate. It's a wine of beautiful purity and polish, extremely impressive, and well worth the lavish acclaim it has garnered from many publications. I'm very excited to bring this wine to our Insider's Advantage members as I feel strongly that it's one of the very best deals out there in quality, classically styled Cabernet.

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 5/15/2025 | Send Email

The Tatsis brothers are old-school bikers. Their yard is filled with reclaimed metal crafted into wild sculptures. They rebuild most of their own equipment and do it all with organic and biodynamic principals. They also do it while holding their wines back until they feel they are ready to drink. The 2013 is the current release, and it is absolutely lovely. Dried cherry, thyme, rosemary, leather, and orange peel make for an engaging and compelling red.

By: Jacques Moreira | Review Date: 5/15/2025 | Send Email

A very surprising and very limited rosé wine from Turley. Made 100% of Zinfandel that was picked early, to maintain freshness. Fermented with native yeast and not fined nor filtered. Let's just say this is not your 90's white Zinfandel... Rich on the palate and yet low in alcohol at 12.5%. The floral, strawberry notes are balanced with a vinous viscosity that reminded me of a Tavel from Provence. Pair this with spicy, garlicky foods for a match made in heaven.

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 5/13/2025 | Send Email

A little dusty, the fruit is definitely on the older side, showing a bit more of that dried and stewed character that wines can develop, but it's still a very pretty nose. There's some dark plums, tayberry and a little hint of dried strawberry sitting on top of more bramblefruit and a little bit of friendly and smoky barnyard. The palate is rich and still has a good amount of tannin despite the age, making this a good candidate for something to lay down a case of and then see how it evolves over time. There's dried red and black fruits with just a touch of fresh raspberry, the whole thing is juicy and chewy and will be fun to try with a bunch of different pairings. Duck comes to mind right away, but there's something about this that feels like pasta might be fun, or something like moussaka or a hearty stew. I think that this is a great way to try something with some age on it to enjoy the potential of what Xinomavro can be when made in a very ageable style.

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 5/13/2025 | Send Email

Deep intense petrol nose when it is first opened, softens after a couple hours to a still very petrol nose that has a lot of soy umami showing foremost. This is an incredibly savory and unique nose, all in the very best of ways, and buried deep underneath is this dense lemon pith and a little bit of honeyed apple and pear. The palate is also incredibly rich and savory, there's a through-line of salinity that runs along the edge of the acidity as well as the very pretty honey'd fruit from the nose. The mouthfeel is glorious and rich, almost a touch waxy and while there's an oxidative character to this, it just makes such complete sense. This is an absolutely brilliant wine that manages to overdeliver at its pricepoint, and not all $90 wines can say that

By: Craig Morris | Review Date: 5/11/2025 | Send Email

A lovely Champagne of seeming contradictions...Rich yet elegant, structured yet easy drinking. This wine has a massive 10 years on the lees, so expect a lot of toasty sourdough. The bubbles are very fine, hence the aforementioned elegance, and there's a lively acidity and chalky minerality, as well. This Champagne has it all! The Billecart Salmon name speaks for itself, and 2012 is one of the top vintages of the 21st century. Between the tasting notes and the pedigree, there are just so many reasons to pick this bottle up!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 5/10/2025 | Send Email

Mouthwatering! Mouthwatering! Mouthwatering! Those are the first three words that came into my head at 10:15 this morning while tasting this brand-new release from Billecart-Salmon. A beautiful nose with scents of lemon curd, vanilla cream, melted butter, fresh sea air, toasted nuts. On the palate, equally gorgeous with pear puree, lush peach, tart lemon, sea salt and almond. Lush and invigoratingly fresh and clean, at the same time. This is a truly wonderful release and a great bottling from Billecart-Salmon. Although it is so fine and beautiful now, you can also keep it for decades. My champagne tasting group opened a 2002 earlier this year and it was still not even into its middle school years. This is, by far, the best champagne that I have tasted so far this year. Enjoy it, dear Rozita! Update: Three days later (with a secure Champagne stopper, of course!), this marvel is all about shortbread and melted butter. So good!

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 5/9/2025 | Send Email

UPDATE: The final blend is here and it's even more incredible than the test recipe - everything is married perfectly and it tastes exactly like we wanted it. A testament to the prowess of the excellent blender, Mr James Saxon, who incidentally is stepping down from his throne as lead blender at Compass Box. This will be one of his final projects. A fitting tribute to an undeniable talent. The privilege of selecting a custom batch of Compass Box cannot be overstated. Only a handful of venues have ever been invited to participate in a collaboration with the great modern bespoke whisky maker. The blending and bottling of a K&L Exclusive Compass Box led by the illustrious John Glaser is one of our crowning achievements in terms of sheer quality. It took us almost 5 years from the moment we first approached the brand before they agreed to it. That whisky, 5th & Harrison, was a blend of old Caol Ila and sherried Glen Ord, an eternal coupling. Thanks to a killer price and a mysterious label - that was definitely NOT a drawing of any former K&L Spirits buyer - it sold out in just days for just $180. Now the few bottles that remain fetch over $1000 at auction. Since then, so much has changed. John Glaser has handed the reigns over to a new generation of whisky makers and a new era of collaboration has blossomed. K&L has a new location in Southern California, and so much more. Nearly 10 years to the day that we began the process of creating 5th & Harrison, we’re ready to release a second custom batch bottled exclusively for K&L Wine Merchants by Compass Box. Blending whisky is one of the most fulfilling and complex tasks I’ve had the incredible luck to perform. Blending whisky isn't a materialistic endeavor that can be solved by wit and measure. The simple truth of blending is that 1+2≠3 and creating a whisky of great distinction and character is not as simple as just mashing three really good malts together. So, guided, as it were, by the deft hand of Whisky Making Director and all-around splendid chap James Saxon, I embarked upon a sublime journey. We loved the original 5th & Harrison style and wanted to stay within that realm. James had an incredible array of wonderful old sherried and peated whiskies to choose from, but it was quickly narrowed down to a few lots. They had old Ardbeg, Highland Park, Caol Ila, Bowmore, and sherried Glendullan or Tormore. I wasn’t simply looking to recreate the prowess of the original in flavor terms. Instead, I felt we needed to focus on creating the same experience of unbridled value for your dollar. That immediately cut the potential of working with Ardbeg out of the question – despite the quality of the distillate, it’s not only difficult to integrate but also VERY expensive after 20 years of age. I’d assumed the same fate would hold true for the other Islay options, but after running the numbers, we found that we’d be able to use significant portions of Bowmore aged for almost 23 years in ex-bourbon. That product on its own would fetch many hundreds of dollars in today’s market. To it, we married a gorgeous first-fill sherry butt of Glendullan of at least 21 years of age. This little-known distillery can offer some distinct character and complexity when aged in quality casks. So little sees high-value sherry it’s hard to generalize about character, but this barrel was absolutely first-rate. It brought out the deep tropical fruit and wild exotic side of the Bowmore. This original blend was supple and delicious - a 5th & Harrison redux if you will, but it didn’t really show the maturity of these two wonderful old spirits. In fact, the whiskies seemed to bring out the hidden youthfulness in each other, a noble trait, though now somehow masking some deeper complexities that the two exhibited apart. At James' suggestion, we began to explore the potential of introducing a small amount of old rugged Caol Ila into the blend. This I also assumed would be cost prohibitive, but we forged ahead anyway. After nearly two and a half decades in refill American oak, the wild jagged spirit has smoldered into a dense singularity of salty ocean flavors. The feeling of boarding a weathered schooner, salt and tar covered, the captain’s pipe wafting as he steadies the wooden tiller. Whiffs of salted fish, sea spray, and diesel smoke complete the harbor scene. Eventually, this final note brought the new batch together perfectly by retaining the wild freshness but pinpointing both a base and top note that draws the deeper elements of the first two malts forward. The resulting blend is easily one of my favorite modern bottlings of scotch in at least a decade. It exemplifies everything we are at K&L, providing a superior experience for an incredible price. The component whiskies, had they been bottled on their own, would have individually fetched easily 2-3 times the price of this bottle, but put them together, a testament the incredible value we've created here. I’ll attempt to do it justice here. The color is a stunning hue of deep copper (1.0). The nose offers an incredible sense of the finest and oldest things -old teak, cordovan, salt-encrusted rope, mango syrup, balsam, seaweed, bonfire, première eau, and marmalade. On the palate, the Bowmore shines at first, offering salted tropical fruit, fried plantains in honey, grilled lemons. Then our Glendullan adds wild nutty oxidized rancio, dense spices, and freshly chopped dark chocolate. The finish brings a heavy dose of lemon oil, old wood, baked orchard fruit, apricot jam, salted almonds, camphor, and smoldering tobacco. It doesn’t need a drop of water and certainly not more than that if you must. Bottled at very near cask strength - 0.1-.2% to round out the labels - and with no chill filtration, coloring, or other additives whatsoever. Today, to commemorate the expansion of K&L into new waters, we launch both 5th & Harrison II & Culver & Sepulveda. These two sister bottlings include the exact same juice, but each label celebrates these two wonderful cities that we call home. In some comedic twist of fate, we’re able to offer these wonders – an old blended malt scotch whisky at the exact same price as the previous K&L/Compass Box collaboration from over a decade ago, a true triumph.

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 5/7/2025 | Send Email

From chief winemaker Florent Nys, this brand-new release from Billecart-Salmon is composed of 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay—aged 10% in oak and 90% in thermo-controlled stainless steel. In production since 1964, it’s a tribute to the house’s founder. My senses are greeted by a delicate honey-glazed pear tart, exquisitely interlaced with alluring notes of cardamom and ginger, Meyer lemon zest, followed by beckoning whispers of marzipan and vanilla crème anglaise. A goodbye kiss of chalk makes me want the experience to never end. This is drop-dead gorgeous Champagne. I wish I could take the afternoon off with a bottle and some small bites—tea sandwiches, gougères, potato chips with caviar and crème fraîche, and a period romance movie. The yearning is palpable.

By: John Downing | Review Date: 5/5/2025 | Send Email

This is the second wine of Haut-Batailley (owned and operated by Lynch Bages as of 2017) and it was met with unanimous approval at our recent staff tasting. This delicious blend of 54% Merlot, 43% Cabernet and 3% Petit Verdot opens with notes of Cassis fruit with hints of cedar, earth and spice. It's quite approachable now and while it's texturally soft, it offers excellent depth of fruit and solid underlying structure. A serious wine at the price.

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 5/5/2025 | Send Email

Crisp, vivid, and nervy—ruby red grapefruit supremes, whispers of passionfruit, elderflower, lemon zest and alluring minerals. This is a fantastic buy to serve with fish, sushi, or a niçoise salad.

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 5/4/2025 | Send Email

Bright and lively—plum, fresh snappy cherry, blackcurrant, whole leaf tobacco, and black tea. This will play nicely with a variety of dishes.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 4/29/2025 | Send Email

For the last decade (or more) Smith-Madrone's Spring Mountain Estate Cab has been one of the very best deals in all of Napa. A total sleeper wine, beloved by many in the wine industry. While many of their neighbors took their pricing up and up, Smith-Madrone kept on quietly releasing wines of exceptional quality and authenticity. They never chased a flashy style of wine, with high alcohols, celebrity winemakers, and all the other tricks...they just kept plugging away making traditional, old-school, Spring Mountain Cabernet, knowing exactly what their land gave them and what the true expression of their magical terroir looked like. In fact, out of curiosity I looked back at our historical sales of Smith-Madrone - We've carried just about every vintage of this wine since the 1980 bottling. Back in 2000 we had a run on the 1995 vintage and sold over 1000 bottles of the Estate Cab...and the retail price, 25 years ago, $49.99. So today, when we're offering their 2021 release, with nothing short of two 97-point scores, for an extremely modest $59.95, it gives me great pleasure that not all great Napa wines are over priced and inflated. This wine offers one of the truest expressions of the the varietal you'll find from anywhere. Smith-Madrone's parcellated estate is draped over the mountainside at over 2000 ft elevation. Many blocks are perilously steep and terraced. Many vines date back to the original 1970s plantings. The estate has faced several close calls when wild fire engulfed the hillside most recently in 2020. But the vines still stand resilient and vibrant. The winery itself is as old-school as you might imagine for such a remote mountain property; a visit here is like stepping back in time before all the polished pomp and circumstance that so often accompanies a tasting in the valley these days. The proof as they say is in the pudding, or the bottle in this instance, and that is the real deal. Soaring aromas of lavender, bay leaf, blue and black fruit, mulberry, hints of blackcurrant, briar patch, cigar box tones, mountain chapparal, and spice box. Fine but notable tannins are perfectly wrapped in muscular fruit with wonderful focus and purity. It's a stunning wine, one of the very best I've had from Smith-Madrone, and one that proves if you stay the course, and do what's true to you and your place on the earth, recognition, respect, accolades, and admiration will come. A tiny part of me worries that with the huge scores and notoriety they bring, things will change at Smith-Madrone...but the vast majority of me doubts it very much, and that keeps a smile on my face.

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 4/25/2025 | Send Email

The Primitivo grape variety in “Soltema” reveals its bright and open-hearted nature through this wine which comes from younger vineyards. Traditional Botti aging for 9 months allows this wine to express its Mediterranean essence which includes the sun's warmth and sea breezes and deep red soil characteristics. The wine displays a deep ruby color with wild berry scents and a delicate ethereal quality. The wine presents velvety texture and roundness to its palate which provides enough structure for seriousness but remains completely approachable. The Jorche style welcomes new drinkers through this perfect introduction.

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 4/22/2025 | Send Email

Coming from the tippy top of Spring Mountain, this Cabernet impresses right out the gate. There's something about wines that are incredibly well-structured, while I figure it's all in my head, I feel like I can actually smell that structure sometimes and this one was a wine that from first scent I knew I was in for something special. Plum-skin , black cherry, and green peppercorns fill the nose until they're all accompanied by berry compote and a little bit of fresh leather. The palate is intense and rich, just an explosion of fruit as the berry compote from the nose mixes with freshly crushed pie cherries with a handful of dried herbs and a single rose petal tossed in. The finish is long with touches of cocoa and little wisps of coffee working with the herbs but ultimately ending with oak spice. This wasn't just a wine, it was an experience and it's one to be had and shared with people you love and care about, or just by yourself if you're feeling truly hedonistic. Have this with that rich cut of steak and fat potato that you've been thinking about, it'll be worth the ride.

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 4/22/2025 | Send Email

Dusky dark red and black fruits open on the nose, a combination of brambleberry and very ripe black cherries. The fruit is accompanied by a bit of dusty earth, just a hint of saddle leather and green peppercorns. There's a bit of a hedonistic tilt to this wine, the palate is rich and full with just a little hint of creamy fruit on the front that then transitions into a rich savory tobacco flecked with herbal notes. This feels serious and weighty both the density of the wine and the lushness of the mouthfeel. This wine requires at minimum a moderately large potato, but I would have it with a leaner cut of steak. While there's tannin and grip they are really well integrated and never push this towards overly weighty, while also being present enough that it doesn't come across too soft. Delicious.

By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 4/13/2025 | Send Email

When I see “Buy!” in the chaotic alphabet soup of my tasting notes, I know this is one to sit up and pay attention to. Unfortunately, I was slow on the uptake and I missed out. So I write this mostly as a wistful lament to myself as I hit the “Add to Waiting List” button. If you enjoy the elegant side of Bordeaux, I advise you to do the same. This one keeps the Moët & Chandon in a pretty cabinet—stately, graceful, and poised. Plum, violet, soft sandalwood and delicate spices. The finish is as lengthy as it is fastidious and precise, punctuated by a cheeky lick of iron and pencil lead. This is a wine for polite company—if you’re that way inclined.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 4/12/2025 | Send Email

Every year at Premier Napa Valley we assemble a team of our sales specialists and spend several days traversing the region tasting hundreds of the very finest wines made. Harlan, Dominus, Opus One, Bryant, Heitz, Shafer, Cardinale, Bond and many many more. During the event this year, no wines impressed me more than those from Greer. At the Rutherford Dust tasting, in a packed room of very impressive wines, these absolutely stood out for their incredible balance, refinement, purity and crystal clear sense of place. These are absolute benchmark expressions of the west Rutherford bench. This tiny estate vineyard is sandwiched in by some of the most famous vineyards in the region including Scarecrow, Staglin, Bella Oaks, Morisoli, and Inglenook. This is seriously world-class dirt for growing Cabernet and wow they certainly know how to make the most of it! A tiny 3-acre site planted in 2005 with an historic wooden barn still standing in the center, this estate is beautifully understated, even diminutive, but one sip of the wine and you'll see how special it is. The wines have been made since the first vintage in 2007 by acclaimed winemaker Aaron Pott who learned his craft from luminaries like John Kongsgaard and Michel Rolland and at properties like Troplong Mondot and Quintessa. The nose on the 2018 vintage is all mulberry and cassis fruit with dry tobacco leaf and camphor mingled in adding a beautiful savory nuance to the suave and sophisticated fruit profile. Blackcurrant leaf, subtle bay laurel tones, and plenty of that oh so special Rutherford dust soil profile. The structure is refined and polished, but leaves you in no doubt that this wine has incredible ageing potential. A simply stunning wine that can, and will, hold it's own with the finest Cabernet based wines on the planet.

By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 4/11/2025 | Send Email

Simply one of the best Prosecco's and sparkling wines I have gotten to enjoy - coming from Valdobbbiadene (try saying that three times fast), this stunner is an absolute STEAL for the price. Coming from the best glera in the region, Foss Marai puts together a technical, complex, and very serious wine - elegant on the nose you get notes of white flower petal, light brioche, and sharp green apple skins. On the palate, you have zingy aciditiy, notes of lemon and acacia flower blossoms, and stunning minerality with a lingering finish - an amazingly pretty wine.

By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 4/11/2025 | Send Email

WOW! What a wine - had the pleasure of getting to try this gem, and it simply blew me away. I think its easy to overlook some of the wines from Turley, but they are a staple and benchmark producer in California for a reason - don't be intimidated by the higher alcohol content here, the winemaker and team have masterfully integrated this into the wine with extended barrel aging, giving you a complex and layered drinking experience. Notes of prune, smashed blueberries, and lovely notes of earth and leather make this a perfect wine for food pairing - as I was tasting it I was craving a big rack of BBQ ribs. Hits all the notes I want out of a big and jammy Zin.

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/3/2025 | Send Email

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!

By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 4/2/2025 | Send Email

I have been told this is the best selling Champagne in the USA.

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 3/31/2025 | Send Email

I mean this wine doesn’t need much introduction. It is a monumental Sangiovese, and it is one of Italy iconic label. The first vintage was 1980 and it became a legendary wine immediately. Paolo De Marchi wanted to make a statement back then, Sangiovese deserved to stand on its own, without the strict DOCG appellation requirements. Since then, this is a benchmark of the potential of this grape. The 2021 vintage might be one of the best ever released with its thrilling combination of power and finesse. A spectrum of dark cherry, violets, leather, and sweet spice, that get balanced by tons of minerality with secondary notes of graphite and balsamic herbs. The palate is bold but elegant, it’s a wine that force you to get back to the glass to get more aromatics. Aged in French oak (about one-third new), this wine is a perfect balance between oak and fruit. Cepparello isn’t just a Super Tuscan or super chianti if you will—it’s a Sangiovese masterclass.

By: John Downing | Review Date: 3/31/2025 | Send Email

Although this wine has a rather unassuming label it's quite impressive. It truly reflects the unique terrior of Pessac-Leognan while delivering a medium-to-full-bodied palate of concentrated black fruit, smooth ripe tannins and a delicious finish. This wine is singing at the moment and offers a lot at the price.

By: John Downing | Review Date: 3/31/2025 | Send Email

This is one of the better outstanding value 2022 reds we've tasted of late and it comes with a good deal of positive feedback from customers as well. It's made by Chateau Carbonnieux from declassified juice as well as from young vines. This delicious wine leads with pleasant aromas of bright red fruit, cassis and cedar followed by a juicy palate with mild ripe tannins and a vibrant, fresh finish. It's sure to please those looking for tremendous value red Bordeaux as well as first timers.

By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 3/30/2025 | Send Email

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.

By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 3/28/2025 | Send Email

What a deal on this wine! The 2014 Bibbianaccio from Tenuta di Bibbiano is a unique expression of Sangiovese. It comes from the best vineyard of this producer, and I love to see that they chose to go with the traditional blend in the Chianti area: Sangiovese (60%), Colorino (34%), and a small but fascinating inclusion of Malvasia Bianca del Chianti and Trebbiano (6%), which are both white wine varieties. This is the blend they used to use before international varieties were introduced in the region. I love to see that such high-quality wine still uses them. Situated in Castellina in Chianti, Bibbiano is one of Chianti’s oldest estates, dating back to the 11th century. They practice organic farming throughout the estate and use a combination of small and large oak cask for this wine. The 2014 vintage, often overlooked in Tuscany, at this point in its life offers a beautiful fresh and aromatic profile. The secondary fruit is starting to come out: you can expect cassis, red berries but the characteristics aromas of mint found in older Sangiovese bring everything together so nicely. The presence of Colorino brings depth and color, while the white grapes offers lift and aromatic nuance. This wine is fun, old enough to experience an older Sangiovese without breaking the bank.

By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 3/28/2025 | Send Email

Billecart Salmon delivers incredibly complex and refined cuvee Nicolas Francois! Perfectly aged and nuanced, it's shows deep texture and savory mineral notes with touch of toasted almonds, orchard fruit, hints of honey and white blossom. It's dry and focused and full bodied without feeling heavy. It changes and opens up in the glass as it gets warmer with an amazing bouquet of meadow flowers and fresh pastry on the palate. Wonderful Champagne for any occasion!