By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 1/17/2024 | Send Email

The creme de la creme of parcels from all of Turnbull's incredible vineyard holdings go into the revered Black Label bottling. Turnbull is one of very few properties in the valley that sticks to a multi-vineyard wine as their flagship bottling believing that having more components at your disposal can ultimately result in a more complete, more complex, layered wine. Winemaker Peter Heitz takes his very favorite micro-blocks of Fortuna and Leopoldina Vineyards and then selects the very finest barrels from them to create one of most iconic wines of the region. Fortuna Vineyard on the eastern edge of Oakville Valley floor makes up 66% of the wine with the remaining 34% coming from the steep, hillsides of Leopoldina in the Vaca Mountains to the east. Luxury and decadence meets power and intensity. Lush polished fruit layers over intense rocky, mountain fruit minerality and structure. The 2021 Black Label is a brooding, powerful wine with incredible depth and intensity on one hand, but beautiful refinement and velvety texture on the other. Creme de cassis, warm blackberry, mulberry compote, dried mountain thyme, exotic oak spice and dark chocolate. The only thing that will stop this ageing 30+ years is someone drinking if before then! A huge wine of density and power, but one that hard to resist for it's purity and delicious primary fruit today.

By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 1/14/2024 | Send Email

A complex and savory Niigata sake with a name that draws inspiration from the legend of fox weddings around Mt. Kirin. Rich and dry style sake with notes of ripe banana, jackfruit, mushroom, and malted barley. This would pair wonderfully with most meats, including pork, steak, fish, or poultry, and savory dishes.

By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 1/3/2024 | Send Email

A sake mimosa that is ready to go! Heiwa Shuzou's Tsuru-Ume series was created to showcase the wonderful fruit grown within Heiwa Shuzou's home prefecture of Wakayama. The focus of this one is orange varietals. Lower in alcohol than most sake (coming in at 7% ABV) and rich in dry curacao flavor.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/3/2024 | Send Email

This wonderfully delicious Apertif has big and rich orange flavors and a "just right" amount of bitterness, sweetness and tart blood orange. It is also all natural and has about 1/3 (or less!) the calories of the competition. The entire line of these Apertif's also do not have any artificial coloring. I tried it both "straight" and with its perfect mate, Prosecco. It makes a superb spritz that is not overly sweet and is much more subtle and just plain delicious. I can also see it being mixed with soda water or vodka, or both!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 12/30/2023 | Send Email

This sake has a very floral and very pretty nose. The nose also has loads of juicy passion fruit and cotton candy/pink bubble gum. On the palate. very nice spice notes amid the green melon and green banana flavors. It is a little viscous on the finish, which is clean. Yum!

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 12/27/2023 | Send Email

This all Pinot Noir Champagne is entirely made from Grand Cru fruit and lighter than most that are made in this style- it is macerated with all of the skins in contact with all of the juice. The cellar master always judges the length of the maceration on the aromatics and he often has to sleep next to the tanks to get it right! The result is a rose with character that is still completely elegant. The LP Rose has set the standard for rose Champagne for many years, and for good reason!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 12/16/2023 | Send Email

A nose of marshmallow and melon, with light spice. On the palate, luscious mouthfeel with honeydew melon, lush pear, lychee and more marshmallow. A lingering finish with very light spice and cream. Delicious!

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 12/13/2023 | Send Email

It's been a decade since we started importing this gem and remarkably the price is the same today as it was then. Incredibly the quality has only gone up in that time as quality farming practices and barrel management continue to make incremental improvements to what was already an incredible product. There is nothing else like this available anywhere. It's pure and bright and yet so complex. The nose is an amazing mix of fresh apple, snapping it's so crisp. A basque cider quality is distinct on the nose - apple with a yeasty hint of the fermentation that brough us all the complexities on top of that fresh apple flavor. Spices abound but play second fiddle to the tart and sweet ripe fleshiness of the apple notes. Never overly woody, these brandies have been treated to such gentle aging nothing is overpowered. The palate is incredibly soft and supple. At 42% ABV, there is enough hit to make this inexpensive bottle a go to for cocktails, but the texture is ample enough to demanded careful sipping after a hearty winter meal.

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/7/2023 | Send Email

This gorgeous little bourbon is a bit of a sea change for the wonderful little brand started by Spirits Guru Joshua Thinnes. A larger and more affordable than previous batches, it's still extremely small batch. What distinguishes from previous batches is that Thinnes has been able to utilize more tools to show off his blending prowess. Turns out he's prettay dern good at it. The wine barrel influences are so deftly integrated into the whole that you'd be hard pressed to pick them out without prior knowledge, but it certainly doesn't feel like any old MGP here. Let's taste it! The nose is a pungent basket of red fruit and freshly toasted spices. Not quite minty, but with a gorgeous cinnamon tone and a wild sweet cherry compote. Add brown sugar melting and toasted vanilla now! On the palate the red fruit is met nicely with a dollop of old wood, roasting herbs and sweet baking spice. Medium bodied with a long tingle on the spicy finish. It's a well composed whisky of excellent balance. Just the way I like them.

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 12/5/2023 | Send Email

Tessellations of flavor abound in this exceptional release from Ardbeg. The heads of the barrels were deeply grooved and heavily toasted before being put back on the barrels for this batch. The end result is a more chocolatey profile that bolsters the sweet smoky, herbal and spicy components of Ardbeg. The nose is a sultry mix of succulent beef burnt ends, roasted apple skins, maple and brown sugar oatmeal, sea salt, bruised pears, and pure peat smoke. The palate is beautifully sweet. Tons of golden malt and waxy candy corns mixed with sea spray, kelp, and vanilla pod. Coffee pod and cocoa nib come through on the finish. It's a big hit from Ardbeg and surely a malt that will keep you coming back to it for new notes over and over again.

By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 11/19/2023 | Send Email

Gosset is the oldest Champagne house. It was established in 1584 in Ay, which is 145 years before Ruinart, the oldest all sparkling producer, opened its doors in 1729. When you make wine for 439 years you know a thing or two. The Gosset Grand Reserve Brut NV is drinking beautifully. It's 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 10% Meunier and it is aged three years on the lees (the minimum requirement for vintage champagne). This has great viscosity, a creamy full bodied texture, delicate pastry crust, and loads of tropical fruit. Easily one of the best NV champagnes from the big houses. At the immaculate price of $49.99 the Grand Reserve is a mind blowing steal.

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/8/2023 | Send Email

Several years ago, Laurent Perrier was fortunate enough to acquire a small Champagne group that owned vineyards and had some very good contracts in the Côtes de Blancs. It took more than five years for the first batch that includes fruit from these marvelous sites to be released, and the wines are a revelation- truly one of the best non-vintages on the market from a grande marque. They have increased the proportion of chardonnay in the blend to 55% (the balance is 30% pinot noir and 15% meunier), and now only use the first and most delicate portion of the grape pressing, while increasing the aging minimum to over four years on the lees. The result is a Champagne with a near blanc de blancs character, singing with Puligny Montrachet-like lime and vibrant chalk. If you like your champagne fresh, clean and light but still with interest and depth, this is one not to miss!

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 11/6/2023 | Send Email

I've been fortunate to be around some really great wine in the past few years, but few wines have left a consistently strong impression as 2019 Léoville-Poyferré. Tasting last summer at our UGC tasting, it was one that I went back to again and again. I've had it two more times since then, and each time it has been just as brilliant. Perfectly balanced, with deep cassis, fine minerality, and incredible texture, it is a wine of substance and depth. From the aromas to the mid-palate to the long finish, it goes from one nuance to the next. I can't wait to see how this ages, but it is a wine that has so much to give even at this young stage. I can easily imagine that this will go toe-to-toe with the estate's reference-point renditions from 2009 and 2010, but for now it looks like one of their best kept secrets. Don't miss it.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 11/1/2023 | Send Email

This non-vintage brut is the perfect representation of what English bubbles offer for a relatively great price. It is made of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay in equal portions and features a symphony of beautiful flavors like lemon and tangerine citrus, fresh gala apples, jasmine, honeysuckle, sourdough toast and pronounced chalky minerality. While satisfying and expressive, it is still crisp and refreshing, really threading the needle of balance.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 11/1/2023 | Send Email

The wines of Wiston are a prime example of how good British bubbles can be. The chalky soils of the south of England are a continuation of the same Kimmeridgian strip that runs underneath Champagne, which, with the warmer weather climate change provides, makes it a prime site for bubbly production. This is a decadent blanc de blancs with bright Meyer lemon citrus, wild honey and sourdough toast, flinty smoke and chalky minerals. It has a rich texture, ample fruit balanced by great acidity and an impressively long finish. Enjoy with crab cakes or a nice shrimp cocktail.

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 10/27/2023 | Send Email

The Speymalt program has always been a favorite at K&L, but when they came to us a few years ago with an opportunity to buy single casks we were absolutely floored. The breadth and quality of the Macallan they've got is second only to the distillery itself (although it's hyperbole, they might even own more old Macallan than Macallan itself). This years barrel was an easy choice. This is a perfect age for Macallan in active sherry. It's tamed by decades in the barrel, but not overdone or tannic. The color is an impressive polished mahogany. The nose is pure old oloroso, roasted hazelnuts, clove, sweet plum puree, mocha, aged tobacco, hints of flinty smoke and cacao. On the palate, very rich and weighty, offering tons of sweet toffee, espresso, big baking spices, salted & roasted pecans, slightly industrial, but not smoky. A big rich and inviting sherry that absolutely explodes with a tiny drop of water adding dried stone fruit to the nose, old leather and a zesty freshness that's a bit surprising. This one straddles the line of the old style, which is of course what everyone wants, but is becoming more and more rare and expensive with each passing day. In any regard this is an exceptional malt that will sooth the soul, and while it's not by any means a value bottling, it does represent incredible value in a current atmosphere of endless price increases from the distillery.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/20/2023 | Send Email

Like the NV Brut from Wiston, the Blanc de Blanc leans toward a clean style with green and golden apple flavors. It differs in that the B de B's style is a tad softer and creamier. Lemon cream, white peach, ample chalk and a nice bit of minerality followed by a whiff of creme caramel. Lovely.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/20/2023 | Send Email

I have put this bottling into a blind sparkling wine tasting and nearly two dozen people claimed this bottling to be Champagne. There is a reason for this. This Wiston Brut is very clean with soft lemon flavors, minerals, sea salt and a touch of Granny Smith apple and key lime. Bracing, without being overly acidic and a real pleasure of a bubbly.

By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 10/19/2023 | Send Email

Producer's Notes: "This delightful Blanc de Blancs marries excellent depth of character – all the citrus, crisp pear and floral aromas of chardonnay – with charm. Properly dry, but very harmonious, thanks to the excellent balance of citrusy freshness and creaminess. Long, clean finish, accentuated by the lively mousse. A cuvee of 2/3rds 2018 with a third of vintages between 2016 and 2011, disgorged in July, 2021. Drink now."

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 10/17/2023 | Send Email

It's hard to dance around the fact that many American palates find Biajiu (pronounced bye-joe) impossible to drink. And yet - it is the world's most popular liquor. As someone who is personally and professionally dedicated to exploring the great spirits of the world, I cannot ignore a category that is beloved by hundred of millions of people. I also cannot clam to be an expert in this particular category. In truth, the first time I tasted baijiu, I was surely in the same boat as most Americans - I found it strange and wild, overwhelming, and nearly impossible to shoot down (the customary way to serve it). However, thanks in large part to the dedicated importer of, among many other Baijius, Moutai, I found myself with a broader and more regular exposure to the category than the average American. It has grown on me tremendously. I have come to find it buguiling and complex. It offers much of what I love about the other great spirit traditions of the world - immense flavor, generations of history and cultural customs, quirks of individual production, beauty and design, and companionship and connection over a glass of liquor. While I feel I must offer a 'caveat emptor' disclaimer on the intensity and wholly different flavor profile of this spirit to the portion of K&Ls customer base that is uninitiated in the flavors of Baijiu, I also couldn't resist the opportunity to bring to our customers one of the world's most important spirits at nearly half off its regular price for the past few years. If you know, you'll know this opportunity was too good to pass up. Now, as to how it drinks: the aromatics are insane - a combination of sweet and savory unlike really anything else in the spirit world. Moutai is famous as an example of 'sauce aroma' Baijiu, and indeed there is a lot of soy sauce like flavors in the nose. A complex and nutty fermentation to be sure. But its really so much more than that. It is sweet, like incredbily overripe tropical fruit reminiscent of some clay pot agave distillations. It's funky, like the screeching of a car tire. Toasted sesame seeds and garden fresh snap peas come to mind, not unlike some of the craziest Jamaican rums. Some gnarly kombuchas comes close to mimicking the wilder aspects of the aromas. Indeed, production involves a very much alive ferment with a mix of yeasts and fungi like koji all in operation together. Instead of a mash or wort like whisky production, fermentaton and distillation take place on wet yet solid grains (sorghum and wheat). Direct steam injection into the fermented mass lifts the alcohols and they are run to a condenser. The spirit is then aged ranging from just a year or two on up to decades, mostly in sealed pottery. The process refines and blends all these flavors together. When you get around to tasting it: holy smokes. Texturally it feels almost like two different liquids. It is at once very soft and mouth coating (again clay pot agave distillation comparisons are hard to ignore), and yet the alcohol (53% ABV) gives it pinpoint focus and bite at the same time. The flavors range from sweet citrus, peel, pith and juice on down the line to complex compost/forest floor and overripe bananas. While Moutai has the undeniable reputation of being the very best, I don't feel I personally have enough breadth and depth in the category to make that claim for myself. What I can say with certainty is that it is the most "complete" spirit I've tasted in the category. By that I mean it is compelling at every stage of tasting and exudes hallmarks of quality - complexity, texture, weight, heady aromatics, clean but lengthy finish, and it leaves an impression. If you are a fan of Baijiu, you should not miss the chance to grab this bottle at the best price we've seen in years. If you regularly give it as a gift, time to case up. If you are interested in exploring the wide world of spirits but have never had Baijiu before - this is starting at the top of the pyramid.

By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 10/16/2023 | Send Email

$50 for a Grande Marque? Incredible! While I typically choose grower-producer Champagnes (especially since K&L's Direct Import program is so strong), this Gosset Grande Réserve Brut is always welcome, and even feels like a bargain, considering the quality of grapes and the house's history (which dates back to 1584!). A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (from Grand Cru village Aÿ), with a touch of Meunier, this nonvintage release includes about 20% reserve wines, solera-style blended, and spends six years on the lees. If you're after a big name that delivers, make sure Gosset is on your list.

By: Clyde Beffa Jr. | Review Date: 10/6/2023 | Send Email

I have had this wine over the years and lastly in Sept 2023 with seven other top 2009s (including Pichon Lalande, Lynch Bages, Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, and Pontet Canet) and seven top Bordeaux from 2010 (same wines plus Leoville Poyferre). I must say the Cos d'Estournel was the top wine tasted that night. Perfect wine - maybe even 101 points - with a long way to go, but SO good now. Rich, thick, sweet, perfectly balanced. Better than 99% of the fabulous 2009s, including the first growths.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/26/2023 | Send Email

This totally fun Bordeaux-style white blend has an appealing nose of pear compote, creamy lemon and edamame. On the palate, it is initially zippy with lemon zest and light saltiness. As it warmed slightly in the glass, the flavors expanded and became more yellow and white fruity with notes of lemon verbena and creamy pear. Very nice bright and lingering finish. Probably a bit too easy to drink!

By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 9/26/2023 | Send Email

Beautiful ripe apricot and lemon aromas burst from the glass of this delicious Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend. The wine's crisp acidity is balanced by a wonderfully round mouthfeel. This is a delicious, easy-drinking white, perfect to pair with seafood dishes or for leisurely sipping on the porch during the last warm days of the year. With our fantastic pricing, grab a case today and make it your new house white!

By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/25/2023 | Send Email

A stunning value in everyday drinking Sauv Blanc! Thomas our Aussie buyer just landed an incredible deal on some wines from Voyager Estate in Margaret River. This is a very special part of the world to grow grapes. The ancient soils, combine with the powerful Australian sun, but also the tempering breezes from the cold Southern Ocean. This wine from Voyager captures the intense coastal energy and freshness you get from this place. Lots of zesty citrus elements, lime leaf, lemongrass, snow pea. Then the significant portion of Semillon weighs in and gives great texture and density to the snappy Sauvignon Blanc fruit. I actually really enjoyed letting this wine warm up and open up in the glass, don't drink it ice cold, you will get more flavor and texture if you let it sit in the glass for a while. Fantastic value for money!

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/18/2023 | Send Email

Being made from some of the best vintages of this millenium (2012, 2008 and 2007), this iteration of Grand Siecle was always destined for greatness. But tasting it, just wow! It has so much depth and complexity, richness and freshness. It is loaded with subtle flavors of stone fruits and citrus, toasty lees, candied ginger and nuts with a hint of matchstick smoke. The longer it's open the more flavors explode out of the glass. On the palate, the richness is buoyed by precision, fine bead from resting on the lees for such a long time, and a nearly eternal finish.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/18/2023 | Send Email

This is a Grand Marque that you can count on every time for meticulous quality that has remained steadfast through the years (centuries, actually). It has an expressively rich profile of pear, lychee, golden apple and Meyer lemon with toast from an impressive five years on the lees, yet it remains so bright and easy with silky bead and great minerals and a crisp, acid-driven-yet-balanced finish

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/18/2023 | Send Email

This is a vintage champagne from one of our portfolio's best producers (which you know if you've had the "Cuvee Louis Victor") and from a critically lauded vintage. It is half Chardonnay, half Pinot Noir, entirely from estate owned premier cru vineyards. It has a rich profile of citrus, melon, golden apple, honey and almond, lifted by great minerality and an impressively long, acid-driven finish.

By: Chelsea Herholdt | Review Date: 9/14/2023 | Send Email

It doesn't get much more classically Champagne that Gosset. From the blend of mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with 10% Meunier, the 6 years on the lees, all the way to the use of both stainless steel and oak, you get a bright, textured, and somehow strikingly unique wine. The nose reminds me of fresh cut summer melons, while the palate is regal and long. One of the best QPR values in our stores.

By: Chelsea Herholdt | Review Date: 9/14/2023 | Send Email

2015 was a warm vintage in Champagne, and some harnessed it well, while others struggled with shut down vines. A.D. Coutelas did an excellent job of harnessing the warmth and producing a welcoming vintage wine that is far from a shame to have open now. Candied citrus meets a classic palate with balanced freshness. If you ever wonder what to pair with curries or other spice driven foods, this is your answer.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 8/24/2023 | Send Email

The first whiff of this elicited a veritable collective "Wow!" from the staff. The nose is incredibly bright and full of profuse lemon meringue, stone fruits, chalky minerals, toasty lees, honeysuckle and almonds. It's rich and sumptuous on the palate, with a razor sharp acid line and super fine bead from the extended aging time. This is up there with the great luxury prestige cuvees in terms of quality but not in terms of price. Get yours while it lasts.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/16/2023 | Send Email

After tasting the full line of Gosset champagnes in early August, I was able to re-discover just how nice they are. The Grande Reserve Brut has a lightly toasty nose and straddles the line between a toasty and a clean style. It leans a bit more toward a cleaner style with bright yellow fruits, almond, fine saline and light spice. Consistently fine bead and lingering finish!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/12/2023 | Send Email

I pretty much always have a bottle of this available at home. It's always been good and it will always be good! Round and unusual with a nicely tangy finish. Rich and focused with red apple, cherries, saline and roasted almond. Very versatile and just plain delicious. That perfect champagne for both wine geeks, traditionalists and those looking for something very special.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/12/2023 | Send Email

There's a definite reason why this champagne sells so quickly. It's excellent and affordable. An intriguing character that is both bright but, very nutty. Almonds and hazelnuts with clean lemon and citrus. There is even a really cool mineral spice on the lingering finish. Yuuuuum!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/12/2023 | Send Email

One of my favorite Blanc de Blancs, of all time. A toasted almond nose with light smoke and lemon cream. On the palate, very solid, with richness of lemon cream pie, granny smith apple and light peach pit. Very nice graceful acidity and a lingering finish. Always the hallmark wine from Ruinart!

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/12/2023 | Send Email

Looking for a Brut Nature that won't break the bank or take the enamel off of your teeth? Well, here it is! A cool nose of rose petals, Bing cherries and juicy peach. In the mouth, dark raspberry and cherry fruit with rose hips and strawberry cream. Generous and rich! Very low in sulfites, too,

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/12/2023 | Send Email

If you think that Ultra Brut is always bracing and overly acidic, you haven't had the LP. With a white flower dominated nose (lilies, elderflower) to lemon mousse scents, it is fragrant and accessible. On the palate, there is lemon/key lime, green apple and sea salt. So perfect with sashimi!

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 8/10/2023 | Send Email

2019 Gloria has a ton going for it, and is one of the more accomplished Left Bank wines for this kind of price. Graphite, blackberry, and cedar line aromas that hint at one nuance after another. The palate is coated with pure black fruit, a hint of pepper, and lingering tannins that lead to a long finish with a tinge of salinity that adds a bit of liveliness. It has a lot to offer at this stage, but also feels like a serious wine that will develop wonderfully over the years to come. I'd recommend a long decant or some time in a cool cellar, but I'd also recommend loading up while it's available at this price.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 8/9/2023 | Send Email

Although I do specialize in Champagne, sometimes I do need to buy a bubbly in quantity that won't break the bank. This little Alsatian gem has a red fruited nose with dominant cherry fruit, followed by strawberry and minerals. A wonderful creaminess and heady mousse make it a pleasure to drink. It has a nice finish of minerals and cream. Don't report me to the Comte Champagne!

By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 7/28/2023 | Send Email

To make a long story short, not only is this is the best blanco tequila under $30, but it also outperforms most brands at twice the price or more. The long version involves going back to the beginning of tequila as a regional style of spirit. Jose Cuervo was the first major tequila producer in the middle of the 18th century, and at the time, most of the agave was coming from the lower lying regions now known as El Valle. One hundred years later, the valley was saturated with agave fields owned by large companies, so producers trying to enter the market were increasingly looking to plant agave in the previously undeveloped mountain areas. The Camarena family began doing so in the 1880's, ultimately leading to building their distilleries and the brands we see today. El Tesoro de Don Felipe and G4 are headed by two Camarena brothers who struck out to build their own tequila brands, while the main family estate makes Casco Viejo, and they do it in the most traditional style you'll find at an everyday price point. Roasted in brick ovens rather than high-pressure steam vats, fermented over the course of days and weeks rather than hours, and bottled without the use of chemical additives, this is pure and authentic tequila. As we typically get from the highland style, the flavor cooked agave comes accented with lifted citrus and subtle floral tones. A hint of pepper and dried mountain herbs brings some savory influence, and the finish is clean and refreshing. It hits all the right notes. Not just margarita fodder, it's unbelievably enjoyable to sip neat, even more-so to serve as ranch water. When the cost of everything coming from Jalisco is only increasing, treat yourself to something that turns back time, delivering historic quality at a long-forgotten price point.

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 7/27/2023 | Send Email

This superb 18 year old release is as smooth as silk! Remarkably smooth, with golden apple fruit, a hint of caramel, baking spices and a little bit of apricot pit. Even at 10 a.m., my palate was enjoying this immensely. My preference is to have it neat and not to adulterate it with an ice cube or water. No reason to miss out on any of its wonderful flavors!

By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 7/27/2023 | Send Email

Refreshing and deep in equal measure, the Boulard-Bauquaire "Carte Noire" entices with its nose of cherries, strawberries, and almonds. Flavors of black cherry and fresh herbs mingle together to create a deep, complex impression. The robust carbonation of this champagne gives a lifted feeling to the long finish. This is a full-bodied, rich, tasty bottle, and such an interesting counterpoint to their blanc de blancs.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 7/24/2023 | Send Email

Boulaird Bouquaire’s Carte Noir is made from half Pinot Noir, half Pinot Meunier and is full of depth and power. The texture on the palate is round and rich, with succulent flavors of ripe red fruit, honey, baked apple pie, cloves, hibiscus, lemon zest and stone fruits. The finish is long, supple and lifted by the creamy mousse and perfectly honed acidity. Another phenomenal value from the K&L Direct Import Champagne program!

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 7/22/2023 | Send Email

The quality of the Raasay malt is off the charts. It's beautifully peaty with bright clear fruit and malt on the nose. The palate has a lot of rich vanilla and dried candied fruit sweetness with a lingering salty peat on the finish and a very pretty malted chocolate note at the very end. If you're looking for a new staple malt from Scotland, this should be it. They've managed to produce a super compelling malt as their first core release and I can't wait to see what else comes out of this special distillery in the coming years.

By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 7/22/2023 | Send Email

When a producer sets out to make a Blanc de Noir, they have to use an especially delicate pressing method to ensure none of the color from the skin bleeds into the juice. With the Boulard-Bauquire Carte Noir, "delicate" is definitely the byword. This sparkling wine is so clean and elegant in its delivery. It's quite floral, but always hinting at darker fruits and mixed berry notes, with just a little something tropical. Those darker notes come through more directly on the palate as black cherry and blackberry, but always with a kid-gloved approach. A light toast eases into an elegant finish, with the glimmer of those delicate dark notes.

By: Miles Philippe | Review Date: 7/21/2023 | Send Email

Wonderful exotic fruit on the nose; pineapple and melon were the two main ones for me. Clean sweet citrus on the palate; meyer lemon and golden apples. Along with a really lovely supporting cast of honey and saline notes, this champagne does it all! Fruit forward and delicious, this wine will disappear very quickly from your glass.

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 7/19/2023 | Send Email

Rum is the wild west of the spirits world. It can be so many things from essentially cane based vodka to insanely weird and wild pot still hogo funk to grassy vegetal Agricole to doctored food lab concoctions and everything in between. While I find most of these styles can have their purpose and place, I'd say the question I get asked the most in the rum world is for a good "sipping rum." In this context, I find Appleton, particularly the 21, to be simply perfect. It offers a proper age statement with all the complexity that affords to aged spirits. It has a blend of column distilled spirit and super funky Jamaican pot distillate. It is expertly blended by one of the world's greatest palate, Joy Spence, to give a balanced and nuanced drinking experience and it's not pumped full of sugar and flavoring agents. In short, it brings all the best elements of rum together in a single bottle and delivers amazing value and pleasure. Let's taste: The color is stunning. Rich aged mahogany in the glass, it has immediate visual appeal. The nose is powerful. The aromas jump out of the glass in a bouquet of vanilla, butterscotch, baking spices, orange peel, candied pecans, toffee, dark cocoa, and just a hint of tobacco leaf. On the palate it is rich and sweet without ever stepping into cloying. The 43% ABV is perfect for neat sipping - robust enough for the hardcore and supple enough for the uninitiated. The finish is long, surprisingly dry, and supremely enjoyable.

By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 7/18/2023 | Send Email

Expertly crafted and underpriced are not two things that go together often, but when we see it, we like to go big. This is a screaming deal, especially when stacked against the two major players in the blended Japanese category - Nikka Days and Suntory Toki. This has all of their softness, lush fruit, sweet caramels, and just a little bit more weight and texture - presumably from a decent malt content. Gentle sweet spice and just the right amount of oak balances the orchard fruits and nuttiness in what feels like a very classic Japanese whisky. Use this in highball with a lemon twist for a refreshing summer sipper or simply enjoy neat or on the rocks for something you can quaff late into the evening.

By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email

The Chardonnay used in this Blanc de Blancs comes from premier cru vineyards on the Montagne de Reims, and the quality of the fruit is evident. Lovely aromas of roasted almonds, butterscotch and fresh lemon meringue lift from the glass; on the palate a soft chalky minerality rides alongside nicely balanced acidity. Another home run from our DI Champagne program.

By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 7/5/2023 | Send Email

The Benede Catarratto has a vibrant nose. The freshness of youthfulness comes across in a lemon and passionfruit, with some wet stones and saline. This is a classic styled Catarratto finishing with bright acidity, citrus notes and saline finish. Super delightful to drink.