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- David Othenin-Girard (336)
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Staff Favorites
| If you’re going to have Robert Parker or Stephen Tanzer over for dinner, selecting a wine they’ve rated highly will be a nice choice. However, when you’re buying wines for yourself, we’d love to see you find wines that match up your unique palate and pocketbook. We have a large staff of friendly and knowledgeable wine professionals that taste hundreds of wines each week. They can put you in touch with bottles that you are likely to love, often at a much lower cost than the highly-rated gems that often see a run-up in price and frequent availability issues. Like any great group of opinionated professionals, our staff has varied tastes themselves. Often our customers will find a particular staff member with a style that corresponds to their own. That concept works extremely well in our retail stores, and this section is our effort to bring you the same online. Don’t get us wrong, we love the highly rated wines from the press and will continue to offer them, but we think you’re missing out if you’re not augmenting those selections with picks from our excellent staff. Here are their favorites. (Click on a name to see their other selections - or to drop them a line.) Cheers! |
Reviews
2016 Franck Bonville Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/29/2025 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/29/2025 | Send Email
Wow are these 2016 blanc de blancs great! This wine has a light gold color, great brioche and honey aromas and a nutty, saline super mineral flavor. The back end is bone dry and really comes alive with food. I had it last with a great tuna Tetaki dish, which gave the wine something to cut with its super dry back end. If you like a wine with a generous aroma and a super dry finish, this is for you!
Franck Bonville Unisson Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/29/2025 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/29/2025 | Send Email
This is a great example of what grand cru blanc de blancs is all about. With a great nose of dark bake baguette and subtle grapefruit that leads to a rich impression on the palate until finishing clean and chalky- it has it all. Nothing is better in our stock for an aperitif on its own, but this wine also has the structure for pairing with many foods. I had it most recently with an avocado stuffed with spicy tuna- it was exceptional!
2022 Mitchell Masotti Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 1/28/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 1/28/2025 | Send Email
Masotti Napa Cab - back again and bigger and bolder than ever! Last year when we introduced the Masotti wines to our customers there was a scramble to snatch them up at the crazy prices we secured and we expect the same this time around, too! If you missed the 2021 Masotti Cab here's the scoop - These wines are crafted by Mitchell Masotti whose day job is making wines at Bevan Cellars! Mitchel has worked alongside luminary Russel Bevan for more than a decade and works with some of the finest fruit around the valley. Clocking up more than a dozen 100-point wines under the Bevan label, this guy knows how to make rich, powerful, crowd-pleasing wines! The 2022 Napa Cab shows the forward and decadent style of the vintage with ripe dark fruits, blackberry, plum, boysenberry hints, too. Dark roast espresso beans, hints of sweet oak spice, new leather, hot stone. Soft, round tannins meld with lush fruit, it's a real mouthful of of easy drinking Napa goodness. As even sub-$50 Napa Cabs become ever scarcer, we backed up the truck at this super sharp price. However, once folks start buying it by the case there's no telling how long it will last.
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2022 Mitchell Masotti Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 1/28/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 1/28/2025 | Send Email
Opening with aromas of well-steeped black tea and fresh cherry juice, the palate follows with gobs of dried black fruit and pie cherries with hints of cassis and blackberry. There are touches of oak spice and a nice little grip of tannin. This is a good-to-go drinker, and at just $20 a bottle it could be your mid-week solution.
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2020 Phélan-Ségur, St-Estèphe
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 1/18/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 1/18/2025 | Send Email
Phélan-Ségur is on a qualitative tear in the past half-decade, and this is another thrilling chapter in the store of one of Bordeaux's great collectible values. Enticing aromas of black fruit, cedar, tar, and bitter chocolate reveal one detail after another, while the palate is lined with deep fruit, concentrated but never too heavy. There's a great St-Estephe minerality that's followed by sweet, lifting tannins that show the pedigree here. Lots of substance and detail. Like many 2020s, Phélan-Ségur is relatively compact and primary at this stage, but it will age beautifully and I can't wait to revisit it over the years.
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Les Amoureux" Pinot Blanc Champagne
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 1/16/2025 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 1/16/2025 | Send Email
The hidden gem of a Secret Champagne Grape, the sheer lack of produce to fill a press-load each vintage, the absolute purity of minerality and lift - Jean Jacque Lamoureaux's "Le Amoureux" ticks every box for a Special Bottle of Bubbles, and it's finally back in stock after five long years of low-yielding vintages! Sun-dried white flowers dance from the glass, leading to an electric display of green apple purity, touches of bakery warmth and *gentle* toast compliment layers and layers of uplifted marine minerality, lounging between silky and oceanic. A rare treat, a special grape, a delicious bottle!
Price:
$49.99
2022 Château de Beauregard Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru "La Maréchaude"
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 1/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 1/10/2025 | Send Email
"La Marechaude" means hot tide because it sits just below 1er Cru Les Crays vineyard at the entrance into the valley which shields it from the wind creating a warm vineyard site. The 2022 Chateau de Beauregard Pouilly Fuisse 1er Cru "La Marechaude" has a salty, citrus-laced nose suggestive of white flowers in full bloom while the palate is a complex mixture of beautiful orchard fruits tilting towards peach and nectarine with a silky smooth mouthfeel. Harmonious and sumptuous this offering oozes beautiful fruit that goes until the long finish fades from the back of your tongue.
2022 Château de Beauregard Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru "Les Vignes Blanche"
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 1/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 1/10/2025 | Send Email
The "Les Vignes Blanche" 1er Cru vineyard is on the slope above the 1er Cru vineyard "Les Clos" resting on soil similia in composition to soils found in Cote de Nuits like Vosne Romanee Les Reignots. This unique soil creates a wine of elegance with wight, length and a sense of harmony rarely found in a white Burgundy under $40. The 2022 Chateau de Beauregard Pouilly Fuisse 1er Cru "Les Vignes Blanche" has a beautiful bouquet of pithy kumquat, nectarine and peach aromas while the palate is striking in its purity and substance with flavors of orange marmalade, fresh apricot and pear flavors. The complexity and layers here are perfectly intertwined with the intense fruit and bright acidity all of which makes this wine a terrific find!
Scapa 16 Year Old Isle of Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 1/9/2025 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 1/9/2025 | Send Email
Scapa has long been one of those secrets of Scotland that only the very into it Scotch people had heard of. They had an extremely delicious and affordable 14 year old for many years before going NAS only for the longest time. Now they're seemingly back with one of the most incredible deals in the Scotch world. To be perfectly honest I'm still not 100% sure that someone hasn't messed up the prices on these, but for now we're forging ahead. This Scapa in other markets seems to be twice the price, but I've asked the supplier many times if the product is priced correctly and they've confirmed that we haven't been bamboozled. To have a high quality 16 year old malt from an old rare distillery like this hit the market at $60 is truly astonishing in the current environment. The only more shocking question is how the old 21 year is only $100 more. They're neighbors down the road are asking nearly double for their 21. Of course the low price doesn't matter if it doesn't taste good, so let's do it! Bottled at a lovely 96 proof the color is deep copper (1.0). The nose is gorgeous and very full offering salted dried plum, peach skin, almond skins, old furniture, hints of salt and limestone. The palate is gorgeous with lots of fruit up front and a big rich oak spice and deep dark roasted malt moving toward the middle. This is meant to be all ex-American oak, but there's an opulence that makes me think sherry influence here, although it's extremely well integrated. On the finish the ocean-y Orkney character kicks up although there's no discernable smoke/peat to my palate. This is just very very good whisky in a lovely bottle at a ridiculous price. I'm still waiting for the call to tell me they've wildly mispriced this, but for now we're forging ahead. Please don't be left behind.
Price:
$124.99
2016 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 12/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 12/13/2024 | Send Email
This is simply brilliant Cristal, and a grand vin on the world stage. Somehow, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has managed to make something that is singing on release and promises an extremely long life in good storage- if you can keep your hands off it. The intricate bouquet has subtle pastry crust, beautiful Meyer lemon and the elusive hazelnut aroma that I associate with the first village for this wine, the north facing grand cru of Verzenay. In the mouth it has the impossible combination of layered complexity and easy freshness. This is a wine for two people over the course of a meal- the sashimi bowls that we had with it were great, but I can imagine cracked crab working just as well. As for the finish- it was spectacular; expansive, shimmering acidity carrying the deepest chalky minerality out into infinity. This is a great treat, and I feel super lucky to have experienced it.
2020 Joanin Becot, Cotes de Castillion
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
Crafted by the team at Beau-Séjour Bécot, who are making some of the finest wines in the region these days, 2020 Joanin Bécot brings that style and refinement to this brilliant Cotes de Castillon. Floral and raspberry aromas lead to flavors of deep blackberry on a soft and textured palate that is defined by a great elegance and a mineral and saline finish. Easy to love and remarkably affordable, it is one that'll drink well young, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it age beautifully as well.
Old Soul 8 Year Old 10 Month "Tintype #2" 2nd Release Cask Strength Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
These Tintypes are some of the most exciting new MGP juice on the market today. Distilled to the 21% mashbill, aged in Mississippi heat, and adorned with these underappreciated musical legends, this is what its all about. Incredible to taste these two whiskies together, Tintype #1 and this the Tintype #2. They're identical in everyway, but two years apart in age, yet they couldn't be more different. Herman Hitson's funky soulful rhythms vs Captain Luke's rumbling base voice. Here we go. The color is a deep tawny (1.4). The nose is all baked pear, sweet corn, bold oak, and cinnamon. Some red fruit layered on top, with a much bigger vanilla tone than the Tintype #2. On the palate its a big spicy roll in the dusty forest. The sweetness here is black fruit and contrasts the nose incredibly well. We get tons of spice and plenty of body. It's deeper and longer than its younger brother. These are two of the most exciting new American whiskies on our shelves and represent a fabulous way to support American musical legends while enjoying some legendary American whiskey.
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Old Soul 7 Year Old "Tintype #1" 3rd Release Cask Strength Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/12/2024 | Send Email
I most be honest, I've been coveting these Tintypes for some time. Not only because of the awesome labels and great cause, but the idea of having old Indiana bourbon aged in dead heat and humidity of Mississippi makes me salivate. Also, everyone who posted online about snagging a bottle seemed to think it was top tier stuff. So when old school popped up in CA, my first question was "Tintype?!" Now we've got it. Less than a barrel worth for the CA market, only sold at K&L! Into the glass it goes. It's an easy chestnut color (1.2). The nose is lovely and very out of the typical MGP style - starts with a black cherry note before moving toward the candied stone fruit and sweet caramel sauce. Behind hints of herbs, fresh hay, and baking spice remind us that this is indeed a very high rye mashbill. On the palate it has a super fun almost sugar candy note up front with a sweet dark chocolate core and a pillowing dark spice back end. The finish seems to bring back the dark cherry note, almost a bit syrupy, but not in a medicinal way. I'm absolutely loving this and hitting Spotify up for some Captain Luke. Perfect pairing.
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2020 Tenuta di Biserno "Biserno" Toscana
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 12/4/2024 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 12/4/2024 | Send Email
The 2020 Tenuta di Biserno "Biserno" is a testament to the elegance and sophistication that the Tuscan coast can offer by one of Italy's most revered estates, founded by Lodovico Antinori, the visionary behind Ornellaia. Biserno represents the continuation of his passion for creating world-class wines that balance power with refinement. The wine showcases the estate's unique terroir and the ingenuity of Bordeaux where it is grown.
In the Bolgheri region "Biserno" is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot, all beautifully blended together.
The nose is rich and expressive, with notes of ripe black plum and cherry. Hints of cedar, tobacco and graphite, it is incredibly rich and polished on the palate. Fine tannins and lively acidity that keep the wine fresh and vibrant: you find dark fruits, chocolate with a touch of delicious Mediterranean herbs.
Aging in French oak enhances the complexity of the fruit without overpowering its purity. Coastal influences add a minerality and elegant freshness that sets Biserno apart, making it both powerful and balanced.
For those who appreciate the ingenuity of great Super Tuscans, the 2020 Tenuta di Biserno “Biserno” is a superb wine that combines Antinori's cultural heritage with the character of the Tuscan coast. It is a masterpiece that belongs in the closet of any avid collector.
2021 Faust "The Pact" Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/23/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/23/2024 | Send Email
The Pact is Faust's most precise expression of their incredible estate in Coombsville. The very best blocks and barrels are selected to represent the voice of the vineyard in a given vintage. This wine really highlights the volcanic origin of the soils; this part of Coombsville is the caldera of an ancient volcano. The bedrock here is a mixture of fractured basalts, compressed volcanic ash and other igneous rock gravels that have weather down from the surrounding mountains. These intense soils combined with the area's cool temperatures and long growing season make for some very potent and characterful wines. The Pact isn't about big, jammy, extracted fruit like so much of Napa is these days. It's much more focused in its fruit profile and retains wonderful freshness and varietal typicity along with a really strong signature of place. Blackcurrant, graphite, briar patch, hot stone, cedar, alpine herbs. Quite coiled and linear, definitely a wine with exceptional aging potential. That's not to say it's tannic or unapproachable in its youth, it really can be enjoyed now, but it has a feeling, like a young left bank Bordeaux, that the layers will unfurl with time and grow in complexity. It's a beautifully crafted wine that faithfully conveys its sense of place and will be a time capsule for the incredible 2021 vintage for many decades to come.
K&L Logo 6-Bottle Tote (2979)
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/22/2024 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 11/22/2024 | Send Email
Recently, finding myself with exactly six bottles to carry home - I purchased a 6 bottle tote bag that we offer for sale near the register in the Redwood City store. Not only did it have every single one of the 6 holes advertised, there were additional little pocket things on the sides you could slip some beef jerky or a magazine into. The opportunities are as infinite as the number of objects that will fit there. The handle was secure and also has a good length to it. The black color is stealthy, allowing the secure transition of wine or spirits from a car to house in the dark. Overall, I'd say this is a pretty tip-top purchase and if all that isn't enough, it's got our K&L Logo branded on the side. Perfection.
Price:
$4.99
Launois Brut Rosé "Valentine" Champagne
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/20/2024 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/20/2024 | Send Email
Yum! Launois Rose "Valentine" impressive and inviting nose. It shows a wide variety of tree fruits, wild berries and spices in the aromatics. Fuji apple, raspberry, black currant and a spice rack of pink peppercorn and dried hibiscus. Small delicate beads and lingering flavor, this is a delicious rose champagne. Get some before it sells out.
Price:
$44.99
Fallet-Dart "Clos du Mont" Brut Champagne (2006)
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/17/2024 | Send Email
2006 Fallet Clos Du Mont has an expressive nose. There is a luscious presence of brioche, almond paste, and an orchard fruit tart. The taste is just as concentrated as the nose—adding substantial texture, weightiness, and filling length on all edges of the mouth. There is a slightly sweet flavor of apricot and almond scones, but the acidity is right behind with remarkable and endless flavor. The beads are small and graceful. This is pleasurable champagne to enjoy with savory dishes or a cheese course.
Price:
$79.99
2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 11/16/2024 | Send Email
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 11/16/2024 | Send Email
If it's possible for Champagne's prestige cuvees to be more prestige-y than normal, than the 2012 vintage is for you. If you’re a fan of ethereal Blanc de Blancs champagne your ship from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ has just come in! If every champagne tasted like this, nobody would drink anything else. Created in 2018 (vintage 2006) to honor Billecart’s first cellar master and brother of co-founder Elisabeth Salmon, Louis Salmon, the 2012 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Louis Salmon” Blanc de Blancs is racy, sexy, clean, pure, mineral-driven, mind-blowing, and, most importantly, absolutely delicious! Former Chef du Cave Francois Domi and his team, including current Chef du Cave Florent Nys, crafted a masterfully balanced cuvée from the now mythic 2012 vintage. An assemblage of 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay - “Cramant (23%) for minerality, Chouilly (11%), and Oiry (6%)for finesse, and Mesnil-sur-Oger (60%) for the structure and longevity” - a quarter of the vin clairs were vinified in oak casks, aged for 9 ½ year on the lees, and was dosed at a low 3.9g/l. A sophisticated, delicate, and aromatic Blanc de Blancs, the “Cuvée Louis Salmon” has popping acidity, finesse, complexity, and a noble splendor that can only be found in a sparkling prestige cuvée. Almond, hazelnut, fresh bread, peach, pear, tart green apple, chalky minerality, citrus, and a whole meadow of white flowers. The barrel fermentation adds richness, length, and notes of vanilla and sweet spice. Drinking beautifully right now and age-worthy in the cellar. The “Cuvée Louis Salmon” is tasting luxury. I cannot recommend it enough.
2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 11/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 11/15/2024 | Send Email
If Billecart Salmon has one mission in the creation of their champagne it is this: Preserve Freshness. Good lord, this champagne is pure freshness captured from the spring of life itself. A bakery that just turned its lights off for the night, a salted tortilla with just-cut garden fresh Pico, the smell of brine on the beach of a well deserved vacation, mussels in white wine butter, a coral reef.....Cuvee Louis is a sheer master class on how to capture the pure essence a season, with cascading flavors of which none are identical, and complexity is inherent. Once in a while I am shown a bottle like this 2012 Cuvee Louis, take notes, and suddenly my writing on this one wine is a page and a half long list of flavors, adjectives, ideas, even concepts - most of them all: freshness.
Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle" Iteration #26 Brut Champagne
By: Chelsea Herholdt | Review Date: 11/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Chelsea Herholdt | Review Date: 11/15/2024 | Send Email
This iteration is based on 2012 (mostly), 2008, and 2007 and is 58% Chardonnay. Technical data aside, this is one of the most striking Champagnes I have enjoyed in years. The finish lasts for (actual) minutes and I don't want to drink anything else to wash it away. I rarely say this, but I see why it received 100 points. It is incredibly aromatic for just being released, with the bones and elegance to age for decades. I'd say that Grand Siecle ages "like a fine wine" but putting it side by side with anything else almost does it a disservice. #23 had just begun to show any secondary character, and the grace in this wine tells me it will slowly evolve into something potentially even more stunning. This is truly in a class of its own - I would grab as many as you can so you can mark the passing of time by opening them for years to come.
Fallet-Dart "Clos du Mont" Brut Champagne (2006)
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 11/14/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 11/14/2024 | Send Email
An absolute stunner, the 2006 Clos du Mont from Fallet-Dart has all the deep, toasty brioche that a person could ask for. This barrel-fermented beauty spends an astounding 12 years on the lees, yielding a champagne with a complex, alluring nose full of toasted almonds, candied lemon peel, and brioche. On the palate, I love its extraordinarily velvety texture coupled with flavors of ripe citrus. The finish, rich with toast, is nearly endless. Champagne this good will have you searching for any reason to celebrate!
Price:
$79.99
2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/14/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/14/2024 | Send Email
I was lucky enough to taste this wine in the morning, and then drink the same bottle at dinner. What a treat! When we tasted it in the morning, I loved the pale white gold color that still had a flash of green and the incredible bouquet of cream and nougat. The baguette toast I found in the morning tasting turned to a fine brioche by dinner time and showed a preview of what will happen with a little cellar time. While the nose was generous from the start, the wine showed compact, concentrated, and full of spectacular, linear cut in the mouth in the morning, then opened up in the evening with the food. I was able to find a great piece of Ahi, which I prepared three ways, as spicy tuna, tataki, and sashimi to pair with it. The food brought out the citric freshness of the wine and also the unbelievable quality of the finish. This is super long, expansive, chalky and full of lemony drive. After tasting more 2012 champagne than I can count, I am sure that this will go down as one of the greats.
2022 Domaine Renaud Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru "Vers Cras"
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/13/2024 | Send Email
The "Vers Cras" vineyard lies within both the towns of Fuisse and Solutre-Pouilly which coupled with a high proportion of limestone and sediment from a dried up Jurassic lake make this the idea terroir for great white Burgundy. The 2022 Domaine Renaud Pouilly-Fuisse 1er Cru "Vers Cras" is a wonderfully balanced offering tilted towards pure orchard fruits and subtle spice notes along with white flowers. This pure, fresh offering is an ideal white Burgundy for under $40.
Orval Trappist Ale, Belgium (11.2 oz bottle)
By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 11/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Mariah Mier | Review Date: 11/12/2024 | Send Email
Fans of pungent farmhouse styles will love the full-bodied complexity of this rustic unfiltered pale ale. A truly authentic Trappist ale, Orval is pitched with Brettanomyces yeast before allowing the flavor to bloom over a long cellar conditioning period. As this beer is stored over months to years, the lively green aroma of the hops and zesty citrus notes give way to the remarkably complex and soulful mushroom character that it is known for.
2023 Union Sacré Monterey County Pinot Noir
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 11/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 11/12/2024 | Send Email
Tasting Union Sacre's '23 Monterey Pinot here in November has brought me some deep joy through the early winter rains and sudden chill weather, because oh *man* this pinot is just pure summer fun and freshness in a bottle! Pure and pristine cherry drops, splashes of squeezed watermelon juice, with bright pops of wild strawberries and pomegranate zest. If you're reading this under the gloom of Northern-California winter, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Union Sacre's '23 Pinot - at less than $25 for a bottle it's definitely cheaper than a flight to Sunny San Diego, but almost just as fresh and vibrant - a total joy of a wine for when winter wears you down!
2022 Mike & Molly Hendry "R.W. Moore Vineyard" Napa Valley Zinfandel
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
To be honest, I have a hard time with a lot of zinfandels. I am not really into heavy or (especially!) extracted wines. This Mike & Molly Hendry Zinfandel is neither of these. Don't be fooled by the alcohol content, it is quite balanced and 100% delicious. There are generous black fruits, cassis, black cherry, blackberry. This is backed up by pretty outstanding acidity and depth of alternating (and graceful) smooth tannins. Super, duper solid!
2023 Làmurà Grillo Sicilia (Organic)
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
I recently sat down with our new Italian winery buyer Orazio in San Francisco and he asked me to check out these two new, inexpensive Sicilian wines he had just brought in...and wow! Talk about value....organically farmed, very well made, totally delicious wines for under $10!? Grillo is a bright, fresh, aromatic white variety that is the perfect all-around, everyday white wine. Floral, fresh, juicy, great ripe citrus fruit, zippy acidity and way more persistence on the palate that one might expect at this price point. This is the perfect house white for just about any occasion. With this wine you can also feel good about your purchase as it's certified organic, light weight / low CO2 glass, and the case boxes are made from 100% recycled materials. This wine is really great in so many ways and above all else it totally over delivers for the money.
Price:
$9.99
2023 Làmurà Nero d'Avola Sicilia (Organic)
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 11/8/2024 | Send Email
I recently sat down with our new Italian winery buyer Orazio in San Francisco and he asked me to check out these two new, inexpensive Sicilian wines he had just brought in...and wow! Talk about value....organically farmed, very well made, totally delicious wines for under $10!? This bottling from Lamura perfectly captures the bold, easy, fruit you want from Nero d'Avola with great purity, polish and balance. Very easy drinking, with a soft supple textures and vibrant lift. Exceptional for the price. With this wine you can also feel good about your purchase as it's certified organic, light weight / low CO2 glass, and the case boxes are made from 100% recycled materials. This wine is really great in so many ways and above all else it totally over delivers for the money.
Price:
$9.99
2023 Alain Corcia "Saint-Antoine" Chablis Vieilles Vignes
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 11/6/2024 | Send Email
This is the most affordable Chablis I have seen in a very long time. We have stocked the wines of Alain Corcia for many, many years and they never really fail to deliver. In this case, we have a solidly built Chablis that has the required minerality along with some nicely juicy stone fruits and citrus fruit flavors. The mid-palate falls to the fuller side, with very nice white peach and lemon cream flavors. The 2022 vintage of this wine was a huge success and sold out very quickly!
Price:
$24.99
2023 Alain Corcia "Saint-Antoine" Chablis Vieilles Vignes
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Alex Pross | Review Date: 11/6/2024 | Send Email
A great example of how much fun the 2023 Chablis vintage is going to be the 2023 Alain Corcia Saint Antoine Chablis Vieilles Vignes is a fabulous offering. This wine is loaded with aromas of seaspray, citrus and we stone while the palate has electric energy and lift with zippy tannins, notes of iodine and citrus zest. A high-toned and fresh Chablis that is drinking great right now!
Price:
$24.99
2010 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Gran Reserva Rioja
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 11/3/2024 | Send Email
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 11/3/2024 | Send Email
Now this is a special occasion wine that needs no special occasion! Gran Reserva is a special style of wine, they are not made every year because not every year does the wine have the ability to spend the time in oak to qualify for the category and come out the other side as not too oaky. This wine, at 14 years old, has come out the other side of the time in oak and additional time in bottle like it was nothing! What do you mean? There is a crazy amount of still fresh dark berry fruit to this wine. It takes a second to find it, you have to look past the ridiculous complexity of the spice, mixed fresh and dried herbs, leather, exotic woods to find it but it is there, and once you find it, it just grows and grows and grows. What a nose! There are only a handful of wines from around the world that can offer such an aromatically complex nose, and not at this price point! It is on the palate that you get a sense of the age of the wine. It is in the softer tannins, the round mellow settled-in thing that happens with older Rioja. It has an ease to it, you can tell that it does not want to try and impress you. You get it or you don't, that's fine with it. There is still a freshness to the dark berry fruit too. It is medium weight, mellow and complex. This is a wine for hanging out and nibbling on some cheese or a really great, simply prepared cut of meat.
Price:
$29.99
2020 Sons of Eden "Studium" Montepulciano Eden Valley
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 11/3/2024 | Send Email
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 11/3/2024 | Send Email
One of the most exciting wine stories coming out of Australia right now is South Australia’s embrace of Italian varieties. There’s over 28 different producers of Nero d'Avola in the Barossa at this moment. In addition to Sangiovese, Aglianico, Fiano, among others. The Studium series by the guys at Sons of Eden is an opportunity for them to lend their exceptional skills to try and experiment with new varieties, like their "Studium" Montepulciano Eden Valley. The typical hallmarks of their styles are all here: boldness, concentration and generous fruit, and along with elements of charcuterie, plum preserves adorning a vertical structure with acidity that hits at all the right moments. A great example of the unique and exciting Italian variety wines coming out of the Barossa.
2019 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 10/31/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 10/31/2024 | Send Email
Lynch-Bages' 2019 elevates all the elements I adore about the property. Aromatically, it feels like it could come from nowhere else but the heart of Pauillac. On the palate, it is deeply concentrated yet never heavy, with seamless tannins and incredible texture. The wine boasts remarkable length, and while it’s only hinting at its potential right now, it is accessible enough to offer plenty of enjoyment, even at this early stage. Jean-Michel Cazes once told me that his wines should be thirst-quenching and refreshing, leaving you constantly reaching for the next glass. This 2019 embodies that style and serves as a beautiful tribute to what he crafted over the years. The 2019 Lynch-Bages will long be remembered in the pantheon of greats from this remarkable estate, and thanks to the vintage, it is also incredibly reasonably priced.
2023 Làmurà Nero d'Avola Sicilia (Organic)
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 10/28/2024 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 10/28/2024 | Send Email
You don’t have to splurge to enjoy a taste of Sicily—especially when it’s as delicious as the 2023 Làmurà Nero d’Avola, all for just $9.90! This organic Sicilian gem brings bold flavor without the bold price, making it an easy win for any wine lover looking to savor the island’s most famous red grape.
Expect rich aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, and a hint of warm spices, all mingling with a subtle earthiness that transports you straight to Sicily’s rugged landscapes. On the palate, it’s smooth and juicy, with a touch of Mediterranean herbs and a finish that lingers just long enough to keep you coming back for more. Nero d’Avola thrives in Sicily’s warm climate, and Làmurà has captured that sunny energy in this bottle.
Price:
$9.99
2023 Làmurà Grillo Sicilia (Organic)
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 10/28/2024 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 10/28/2024 | Send Email
Who says you can’t get an amazing Sicilian wine for under $10? At just $9.90, the 2023 Làmurà Grillo Sicilia is an absolute steal! Fresh, organic, and Sicilian through and through, this wine brings the sun-kissed vibes of Sicily straight to your glass without breaking the bank.
From the first sip, it’s bursting with bright citrus, juicy green apple, and a hint of tropical pineapple, all wrapped up with a lively, refreshing finish. There’s also a subtle touch of Mediterranean herbs in the mix, adding a little taste of Sicily’s wild landscape. Grillo, one of Sicily’s star white grapes, thrives in the region’s warm climate, and this organic beauty from Làmurà captures its freshness and flavor in the most delicious way possible.
Price:
$9.99
2019 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/26/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/26/2024 | Send Email
The 2019 Bordeaux, as a whole are quite scary! Scary because they are relatively drinkable right out of the bottle! This gorgeous Leoville Poyferre has round black fruited nose with background baking spices and flowers. It is richly beautiful with purple fruits and heady cassis. Milk chocolate with cinnamon spice. Generous but, not too heavy. Pretty much a wowza!
2017 Domaine Economou "Phi" Assyrtiko Crete Greece
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/22/2024 | Send Email
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/22/2024 | Send Email
The wines of Yiannis Economou are singular for sure. Dabbling in Assyrtiko, the vines here are 45+ year vines, own-rooted and planted over limestone, sandy soils. Usually the Assyrtikos of Santorini are the only ones that have this intensity and length on the palate. The complex nose of dried apples, beeswax, salinity and minerality evolve in the mouth. The honeyed richness reminds me of the whites of Lopez de Heredia. They continue to expand as the wine opens in the glass. This is incredible Assyrtiko that ranks in the upper echelon of what is capable of this dynamic noble variety.
Price:
$89.99
Launois "Quartz" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 10/19/2024 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 10/19/2024 | Send Email
I have to say, not only do I love to drink the special wines from Launois, I'm legit proud that we're the only source for this incredible products. The quality-to-price ratio is unprecedented and it's easy to argue that Launois should be considered one of the region's top producers. The fact that we can get this gorgeous cuvée to our customers for less than $50 is nothing less than a miracle. Vibrant, complex and so absolutely quaffable, the Quartz is a go-to for literally any occasion, but is especially fabulous with oysters. Just saying.
Price:
$49.99
2020 Château Gigognan "Bois des Moines" Côtes-du-Rhône Villages
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/16/2024 | Send Email
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/16/2024 | Send Email
On the southside of Gigognan's estate are most of the winery’s oldest vines. These are in the Cotes-du-Rhone Villages appellation and if we were talking about them pre-appellation controlee, they would be considered Chateauneuf. But lines were drawn and sadly this area was left out, so with the "Bois des Moines" you get Chateauneuf quality for half the price. Lots of marl and clay lie under the galets here and the wine has a stout blackberry fruit profile but with notes of garrigue and licorice. It is supple on the palate and should drink beautifully for many years to come.
1999 Xavier Vignon "1999" Châteauneuf-du-Pape
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/16/2024 | Send Email
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 10/16/2024 | Send Email
Part of Xavier Vignon's library selection, the 1999 comes from barrels and tanks across 10 different sources. Yes, the wine has been in tank for nearly 25 years! Be not afraid for it is all the better for it. These long tank aged wines have been around but they are not common anymore. So what a treat when something like this comes along. All the age without the variability and inconsistency of bottle aging!
The 1999 shows complex notes of dried blueberries, figs, strawberry, spice and potpourri, it is elegant and supple. This drinks beautifully now and it can easily age for many more years to come.
Price:
$64.99
1999 Xavier Vignon "1999" Châteauneuf-du-Pape
By: Craig Morris | Review Date: 10/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Craig Morris | Review Date: 10/10/2024 | Send Email
One of my favorites from the Xavier Vignon lineup of aged wines. This wine is a knockout! It leads with spice, then the berry fruit comes in, and lastly some light florals waft through on the finish. The tannins are light, but still present in spite of this wine being near 25 years old! The takeaway word here, though, is balance. All of these elements are well-integrated and tie together into a wonderful bottle of wine.
Price:
$64.99
2023 STiRM "Calcite" Cienega Valley White Blend
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 10/7/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 10/7/2024 | Send Email
The “Calcite” White Blend is STiRM’s crisp, quaffable, everyday white that is infused with the distinctive minerality of this region’s soils. Named after the specific type of limestone found here, Calcite is a racy, mouthwatering blend composed of 72% Riesling from Wirz Vineyard, 16% Chenin Blanc, and 12% Chardonnay from the Gimelli Vineyard that is right next door. The Riesling gets foot-trodden and 36 hours skin contact, while the Chenin Blanc and Chard are direct press. Native fermentation in neutral oak. A low 29ppm total SO2. Absolutely fantastic with oysters, or a panzanella.
Price:
$16.95
2017 Launois "Helia" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 9/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 9/24/2024 | Send Email
How exciting it is to have perennial staff favorite and customer darling Launois back in stock, and with a new offering! "Hélia" shares the Grand Cru quality and provenance of the house's Special Club release, featuring grapes from massal-selected vines. Hélia is bright with lemon fruit, plus a hint of leesiness through the heady, textured palate and long finish. 2017 was a tricky vintage for Champagne, but Chardonnay producers in the Côte des Blancs came out swinging. The latest from Launois is a shining example of that success.
Price:
$79.99
2022 Cristom "Paul Gerrie Vineyard" Eola-Amity Pinot Noir
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/12/2024 | Send Email
What a beautiful nose! Like so many of the Pinot Noir's that I have had from Oregon for this vintage, it is full of black raspberry fruit. There are also earthy elements with mid-palate spice and a very light dose of white pepper. The finish is long, spicy, and floral. One of the best Pinot Noir's that I have had in recent months.
2018 Gramercy Walla Walla Valley Syrah
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 9/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 9/12/2024 | Send Email
Stack a pile of red masonry bricks in your backyard under the sun and let them bake in the solar intensity for a few decades - take a bundle of bok choy, toss it with sesame oil and slap it on a screaming hot charcoal grill - find a slab of mountain sandstone and gently crush it into tiny bits with 2,000lbs of goose feathers - this Syrah is a downright delight, a true feast of Pure Washington aromatics and savor. Deeply crunchy red fruits run up and down the glass, with intense mountain cherries dusted with smoked paprika, blackberries rinsed in violet eau de vie, and a surprisingly lifted tone of brûléed lemon. An incredibly well crafted cool climate Syrah, with a hyper-complex nose that offers new, confoundingly conceptual notes each time you visit, and a silken palate that feels luxurious yet wild at the same time. HUGE fan!
Yamada Shoten "Everlasting Roots" Tokubetsu Junmai Sake 900ml
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 9/7/2024 | Send Email
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 9/7/2024 | Send Email
What a phenomenal Tokobetsu Junmai from Yamada Shoten in Gifu. Notes of rich, Dutch process cocoa powder—dry, earthy, woodsy, with a wisp of smoke and a subtle bitter finish. Light, silky mouthfeel with just the right amount of acidity to evoke a sense of excitement and purity. If this sake were a person, it would be Toshiro Mifune in his film noir days—dangerous, manly, and incredibly sexy. I’m not being hyperbolic here—I would like a lifetime supply of this. The importer, Komé Collective, has consistently brought in some of finest sakes to cross my palate. I also like fact that each bottle is stamped with the date it left the brewery, so you have a sense of age. Hat tip to Toji Masaki Uno for making a sake that makes my heart flutter.
Rice: Hida Homare (milled in-house)
Seimaibuai: 15%
Nihonshu-do : +4
ABV: 15%
900 mL bottle—YES!
Brewed at ambient temperatures without any high-tech anything—made in the ancestral way.
Rice: Hida Homare (milled in-house)
Seimaibuai: 15%
Nihonshu-do : +4
ABV: 15%
900 mL bottle—YES!
Brewed at ambient temperatures without any high-tech anything—made in the ancestral way.
Price:
$29.99
Krug "Grande Cuvée" 172ème Édition Brut Champagne
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 8/31/2024 | Send Email
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 8/31/2024 | Send Email
Krug never disappoints you, and this Cuvee is another proof to it. Powerful in acidity and well structured Champagne, it has beautiful richness of lemon curd on the mid palate with lovely layers of fresh citrus and touch of brioche along with strong minerality. It will age great but it's incredibly delicious to drink now as well!
St. George "Valley" Gin (750ml)
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 8/30/2024 | Send Email
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 8/30/2024 | Send Email
Fresh, clean orange blossom notes immediately bring to mind a Ramos gin fizz. If that is your drink, St. George Valley is the gin. After trying it at home over the course of a few days, my favorite easy-peasy way to drink it is with tonic or as a martini with an orange twist and buttery, briny Castelvetrano olives. Full disclosure—I got the Castelvetrano olive idea from the lovely and amazing Dejah Overby during a staff tasting at the SF store. She has an incredible palate. But back to the gin—it’s soft and botanical. In addition to orange blossom, I pick up hints of citrus and honeycomb. There’s no honeycomb in the distillate but somehow the mélange of 25 botanicals listed below combine to form that sensation on my palate. While everyone’s palate is unique, I’m confident that delicate orange blossom and citrus notes will be unmistakable. As for the rest, the experience will be uniquely yours. If you enjoy soft, refreshing, small-batch botanical gin that’s dangerously drinkable, this is fantastic. If you’re a fan of resinous London dry-style gins, I’d recommend another one of my favorites from St. George—Terroir—which makes one the best old-school G&Ts ever. And as mentioned above, here’s the list of Valley’s 25 botanicals to help your imagination run wild: orange blossom, angelica root, Bergamot orange, caraway, fresh cilantro, California bay laurel, cardamom, coriander, fresh cucumber, fresh dill, dill seed, fennel seed, fresh ginger, grapefruit, juniper, lemon, lime, Malabar black pepper, nutmeg, orris root, pink peppercorn, Saigon cinnamon, Seville orange, star anise, and Valencia orange….whew!
Price:
$29.99
Krug "Grande Cuvée" 172ème Édition Brut Champagne
By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 8/30/2024 | Send Email
By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 8/30/2024 | Send Email
Krug "Grande Cuvee" in almost any edition is a wine so electrifyingly good and kaleidoscopically complex that it's almost difficult to review. The 172Eme, based on the 2016 vintage rather than the warmer, more opulent 2015 base of the previous edition, includes a whopping 42% reserve wines from as far back as 1998. The result is simultaneously tightly wound and incredibly expansive, with a sphere of toasty brioche, roasted nuts, frangipane, and ground nutmeg barely containing the wine's reverberating core of lemon drizzle and green apple. The crackling acidity cracks through, carrying the flavors through a long, fractal-like finish. I find few wines in these upper cost echelons to be worth the money, but Krug, and especially the Krug 172Eme, is one of the very few worth saving up for. The wine just doesn't let up, and it certainly never disappoints.