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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 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 8/26/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 8/26/2024 | Send Email
We've adored 2016 Léoville-Barton since en primeur, and it has more-than fulfilled that promise at every turn since then. With wonderful aromatics that highlight classic Left Bank Cab (graphite, cassis), the palate bursts with energy, showing bright red fruit note that leads do deeper flavors of baking chocolate and black cherry. Extremely fine tannins give it immense structure and delineation, but there's still a luxuriousness that makes it hard to put down. It hits all the notes that make folks flock back to Léoville-Barton again and again over the years, and the vintage just seems custom-fit for the estate. This will probably be considered a reference-point rendition of St-Julien for a long time to come.
There Does Not Exist "Coppergate" Pilsner, California (16oz can)
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/17/2024 | Send Email
Crisp, clean, and dry pilsner that really showcases the quality of There Does Not Exist's lager program.
Price:
$3.99
Kloster Andechs Weissbier Dunkel Hefeweizen, Germany (500ml)
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/17/2024 | Send Email
One of my favorite Dunkelweisse beers to come to the states. A bit of an obscure style of wheat beer, but well worth trying as it tends to be more complex than lighter-style wheat beers. Full-bodied and round dark wheat ale with notes of brown banana, caramel, cocoa, and vanilla bean.
Price:
$4.49
Kloster Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel, Germany (500ml)
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/15/2024 | Send Email
A world-class Doppelbock from the Holy Mountain of Bavaria. Kloster Andechs is a 12th Century monastery that has brewing records dating back to the 15th Century. Full-bodied, round, with malty sweetness up front and a slightly herbacious bitterness in the finish. Notes of dried dark stone fruits, treacle, sweet bread, and cocoa.
Price:
$4.99
Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 8/10/2024 | Send Email
Full bodied and complex whisky with notes of sweet malt, baking spices, orchard fruit, and sea salt. This is a great choice for someone looking for a special malt with no peat influence.
2021 Buehler "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 8/3/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 8/3/2024 | Send Email
Buehler's estate vineyard out in Conn Valley is nothing short of spectacular. It's like a whole entire world unto itself. The vines are scattered in dozens of parcellated hillside blocks looking down onto Lake Hennessy with Pritchard Hill just beyond. The iron rich, red volcanic soils are strewn with boulders and fractured basalt. With some vines dating back to the early 1970s, and a winemaker, David Cronin, who's been making the wines since 1993, Buehler has consistently produced excellent wines for more than 40 years. What's more, the value to be found here is exceptional, hence why these wines have been longtime staff favorites here at K&L. Cronin previously worked at Far Niente and Joseph Phelps, so most definitely knows how to make top quality Napa Cabernet. Preferring to fly under the radar compared to some more well known "celebrity" winemakers around the valley, his skills in the cellar speak for themselves. The 2021 Buehler Estate Cab is bold and powerful with ripe red and black fruits, dusty earth, luxurious oak spices, and a mouth filling texture. Blackberry, dark cherry, baker's chocolate, leather, some graphite. Ripe, fine tannins, smooth, lush mid-palate fruit, with stony, dusty mineral underpinning. This wine delivers truly unrivalled value and QPR in its competitive set with wines on Pritchard Hill just across Lake Hennessy consistently costing 5-10 times this price for a very similar experience! A recent visit to the estate with John Buehler reminded me just how special these wines are and I'm excited to share them with you. Cheers!
2021 Buehler "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 8/2/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 8/2/2024 | Send Email
Rich & dark, filled with layers of blackberry tartlet, floral tinged compote and a stony mineral structure to blanket the abundant black fruit - Buhler's 2021 Cabernet is a classically made and styled Napa wine with a bright, punchy lift that just begs for a big dinner. If you're in the mood for Big & Bold, Buhler balances opulent depth with substantial spice and tannin, fashioning one absolutely classic bottle of Big Napa.
2022 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 7/28/2024 | Send Email
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 7/28/2024 | Send Email
For decades now, Hamilton Russell has been producing the best expressions of Burgundy Varieties from the ultra-cool climate region of Hemel-en-Aarde in South Africa. They were alone in this region when they first began putting in vineyards, but as they have grown in acclaim over the decades, others took note and now there are nearly 16 winemakers in this tiny, cool region of South Africa. The 2022 Pinot Noir hits Hamilton-Russell’s French-driven style right off the bat. With aromas of tobacco, cigar box, floral notes and red cherry on the nose, the palate leads to a more muscular expression than the 21. Brambly fruit with pomegranate and strawberry on the plate offset with a kick of spice. This is sleek and streamlined with plenty of texture and tannin but without a touch of bitterness. A global-benchmark Pinot Noir that is incredibly competitive to French alternatives at its price.
2022 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 7/28/2024 | Send Email
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 7/28/2024 | Send Email
If you were to select one Chardonnay from South Africa, this is the one. Founded in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in 1975, when there were no other producers in the region, Hamilton Russell combined one of South Africa’s best, undiscovered terroirs with French winemaking practices and style. Today, Hamilton Russell is unequivocally the most iconic producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in South Africa. Easily on par with white Burgundies that often cost twice the price, Hamilton Russell continues to deliver exceptional value, even with its extraordinary reputation within South Africa. I loved the beautiful nose on this 2022 vintage. There is a precise level of lime zest among an abundance of white flowers, complemented by what feels like extremely expensive oak. On the palate, there is a lovely note of pear and stone fruit leading to a mineral-laden finish. This is a gorgeous wine deserving of its praise as one of the world’s great Chardonnays.
2023 Adegas Valtea Albariño Rias Baixas
By: John Downing | Review Date: 7/16/2024 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 7/16/2024 | Send Email
Thanks to the slightly warmer location of the vines, the Valtea Albarino offers a bit more texture yet maintains ample acidity. Delicious ripe lemon fruit with a touch of salinity make this especially ideal with shellfish, fish, white meats and vegetable dishes.
Price:
$17.99
2016 Siaurac, Lalande de Pomerol
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 7/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 7/15/2024 | Send Email
Whole lot of wine, for not a lot of money! Spice box aromatics bound from the glass, with herbal edges that cut through the Big Dark Fruit at the heart of this wine. Sage, tarragon, a sprig of rosemary and a dash of Five Spice - savory, chewy tannins wrap up the whole bundle. Drink or save a few for a couple of extra years!
Nikka Coffey Still Japanese Malt Whisky (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 7/4/2024 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 7/4/2024 | Send Email
When people ask me to describe Japanese Whisky in the shop, I typically go on a long winding history about Nikka's founder Taketsuru-san. His vision nearly 100 years ago is largely responsible for the high-quality Japanese Whisky we see today. Of course, in a more simplistic version, Japanese Whisky is basically made exactly like Scotch. Yes, there are subtle differences in technique and style, but the image that Taketsuru-san brought back from Scotland in the 1920s has remained largely unchanged. That's why it's difficult to describe Japanese Whisky without explaining Scotch to someone. But this little whisky is something so uniquely Japanese it stands apart from the rest of the category. The Scottish have certainly tried to distill Malted Whisky on a column still (over the course of the last 150+ years) but almost certainly abandoned the exercise due to the incredible costs as compared to standard grain whisky production. In this case, they've taken the same wort that would go into their Single Malt and run it through the column still. Further more it's aged in high quality recharred and refilled American oak rather than tired old 4th fill hogshead. In a lot of ways this whisky is the most distinctly Japanese product on the shelf (with the exception of the malted rice whiskies like Ohishi and Fukano). The result of experimentation that began with redistilling Ben Nevis Malt Spirit on the old Coffey stills at Nikka. The result is ultra refined and subtle but filled with character. Usually, the term smooth is the most meaningless in the business, but this one definitely qualifies. Easy, but with an edgy earthiness almost savory note and sweet stone fruit to balance. Certainly not high on the intensity meter, but extremely well put together and appealing style. Great cross over from American and Irish Whiskey lovers.
Oka Yuzu Japanese Vodka (900ml)
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
The base spirit for this flavored vodka is distilled completely from rice, and then the producer macerates the spirit with yuzu pulp and peels before being pot-distilled and then rested a further week on the peels. The nose is in a beautiful battle with itself, trying to show off soft and beautiful yuzu florality while also offering a punch of lemon-lime citrus. The palate has a delightful weight, making it eminently sippable, with an intense punch of yuzu shining through while the mouthfeel draws you in, the initial stage of the finish is herbal but ultimately it settles down tasting like tropical yuzu candy, despite no sweetness in the product. I've made a few drinks with this and the yuzu character always shines through beautifully, making the cocktails distinctive and that much more appealing. Truly a winner of a product.
Price:
$24.99
Oka Japanese Gin (900ml)
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
This rice-spirit based gin has a rich nose that's filled with yuzu, orange zest and juniper with edges of sansho peppercorn and ginger with a hint of olive rounding out the nose and keeping it from being unbalanced. The palate hits with loads of fresh citrus and an appealing viscosity, just weighty enough for an ultra-sippable martini. Finishing up with watermelon rind and more savory peppercorn and ginger around the edges, there's a pleasant bite of juniper lingering there. This is an ultra-approachable and ultra-flexible gin that would make a great addition to any bar, especially if you're planning on making a variety of cocktails.
Price:
$24.99
2015 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Reserva Rioja
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 7/1/2024 | Send Email
Lesmos, I know it is Señor de Lesmos, but for more than a decade I have always shortened the name whenever I talk about this wine. The thing is, I have saved soooo many words with that abbreviation, this is one of the all-time best-selling Spanish wines at K&L. I can squander all of those saved words while I am writing up this wine! It is a wine that if you like Spanish wine, and you shop in one of our stores, someone working (any maybe another customer) has recommended this Reserva Rioja to you. This has everything that the Crianza has going for it, old vines, organics, hand harvested, and it has more. More power, more concentration, more presence and more time in oak. This wine has spent 18 months in a mixture of used French and American oak barrels and then has spent all that time resting in bottle! Even if we fudge the math a little, we are looking at almost 5 extra years aging (it needs a certain minimum to qualify for Reserva). What does all that more translate into with this wine? 2015 was a very good vintage (almost as good as the 2019). It was a slightly warmer vintage, and you can feel that in this wine, there is just a little more richness. The dark cherry fruit tones are a little heavier, that black fruit behind that is a little warmer. It is that underlying dark character that I love most about this wine; it is a subtle savory tone that adds extra dimension to the wine. All of that is framed with developing notes of age; there is more leather, spice, that tertiary earthiness, accented with some dried herbal tones. The tannins have started to resolve but they still have presence. This wine over-delivers on every level.
Price:
$19.99
Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
This is my favorite Launois Champagne, perhaps even above their Special Club release, for its combination of value and artistry. The Veuve Clémence takes everything that's gorgeous about the Cuvée Réserve and elevates it: delicate bead, a steely core of minerality, estate-grown Chardonnay from the chalky soils of legendary Grand Cru village, Mesnil-sur-Oger. It gets four (nearly five!) years of aging on the lees (versus the Réserve's three) and is sourced from older vines. This is a powerful, almost vinous Champagne, with added toastiness from the lees that you don’t find in younger Blanc de blancs. But fear not if you’re a fan of brighter wines: Veuve Clémence dazzles with laser acidity and vivid lemon fruit, tempered by textured mouthfeel and a long finish. It is absolutely worth the extra ten bucks to taste this beauty.
Price:
$49.99
Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
Crisp and linear with an almost creamy texture, the nuanced Launois Cuvée Réserve overdelivers every time. This Champagne is magical: Grand Cru Chardonnay from chalky soils shows minerality, but that racy backbone is balanced by moussy elegance. There's a sparkly acidity that will impress Blanc de blancs connoisseurs while still pleasing a crowd. I've even paired it with weeknight takeout and it's been perfect.
When we say buy as much as you can now, we mean it: Launois sells out incredibly quickly! I am proud to support Séverine Launois and her family's tradition of exceptional wines. We are talking Le Mesnil-sur-Oger fruit for under $40! Do not miss this top-quality, value-driven favorite.
Price:
$39.99
Fallet-Dart "Clos du Mont" Brut Champagne (2006)
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/24/2024 | Send Email
Twelve years—TWELVE YEARS—on the lees for less than $100? Less than $75, even? Incredible. This is a sophisticated yet hugely accessible Champagne, with depth, texture, and a honeyed quality that's saved from being too rich by its snappy 80% Chardonnay. There is a backbone of acidity balanced by easygoing apple fruit on the palate, with that coveted toastiness through the finish. I first met Paul Fallet at K&L's Champagne Tent Event in 2017, where he charmed with his shy, sincere personality, then dazzled us with high quality wines. Fallet Dart is a great family-run Direct Import to support, but even without the backstory, I'd want to drink this delicious, complex Champagne. Plus, it's sourced from a clos, and based on the excellent 2006 vintage! We always have customers come late to this party, only realizing how special Clos du Mont is once our limited quantity is gone. Don't let that be you.
Price:
$79.99
Launois "Severine" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 6/17/2024 | Send Email
Perhaps the most polarizing Champagne at our recent Blanc de blancs in-store tasting, Launois' Séverine is unique in their lineup in that it's aged in oak, and that wood comes through! While the fruit is just as citrusy and bright as Launois fans are accustomed to experiencing from this Grand Cru grower-producer, the all-Mesnil-sourced barrels give the Champagne a more hedonistic feel, with notes of baking spice and a Sherried quality. The texture is rich and layered, but the expected Côte des Blancs snap of acidity remains. This food-friendly release is a must-try for Launois fans (so, pretty much everyone) looking for a different take.
Price:
$59.99
Fallet-Dart "Cuvée de Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 6/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 6/15/2024 | Send Email
I have always been a huge fan of Pinot Meunier heavy Champagnes, this one has a delightful nose of sweet pastry dough caramelized peaches the Pinot Noir aromas come in with wild strawberry and blood orange. The yeasty nose stands out as being aged on the lees for a lengthy four years. This is a food champagne paired with roasted bone in pork chop and herbed farro with lemon zest.
Price:
$34.99
Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila (700ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 6/12/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 6/12/2024 | Send Email
Spicy nose with roasted green chili scents. On the palate, lightly peppered with cinnamon and back of the throat black pepper and citrus. Very nice style!
2023 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/10/2024 | Send Email
Every once in a while, I get the chance to taste in the humble cellars of Vieux Chateau Certan, where Alexandre Thienpont lets the wines speak for themselves, and they not only speak with volume, but also great harmony. The 2023 is such a wine, one that just puts a smile on your face. Thienpont called this vintage "back to Bordeaux," capturing the classic notes of a fine VCC. The most vibrant wine aromatically of perhaps the whole vintage, it had wild aromas of bright fruit, florals, and a deep clay minerality. On the palate it is layered, with perfect fruit, balanced and seamless texture, and refreshing acidity. The finish is long, and each smell/sip brings another nuance. It's a wine you want to spend time with. 2023 Vieux Chateau Certan is a brilliant Pomerol and a success by any measure.
2023 Montrose, St-Estèphe
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/10/2024 | Send Email
With a high proportion of Cabernet (75%), the structure and tensile nature of a classic vintage of Montrose is very apparent in their 2023. Black fruits, forest floor, and dusty minerality surround the generous aromas, while the palate is all about texture and primary red-to-black fruits. There's a spiciness at the core that mingles with the purity of the fruit, combining in a complex Montrose that has the estate's indelible signature. This will be a long-distance runner and a celebration of Northern Médoc Cabernet that could be from nowhere else.
Petiau "Cuvée Prestige" Brut Champagne
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 6/9/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 6/9/2024 | Send Email
Stunning at twice the price, the Petiau Cuvee Prestige combines the quality of old vine fruit from the Perle Blanche de la Montagne de Reims with the wonderful influence of over 6 years of aging on the lees. A blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, this champagne has deep flavors of golden apple, lemon and sourdough, and an amazingly creamy texture. The gentle acid profile makes this bottle a surefire crowd-pleaser, and I think this works perfectly as an aperitif or for a toast.
Price:
$49.99
Launois "Severine" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 6/7/2024 | Send Email
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 6/7/2024 | Send Email
Launois is one of our most sought after Grower-Producer champagnes. Everything about the "Severine" (named for proprietor Severine Launois!) sets it apart from other Launois offerings. It's a "mono-cru" (single village) with 100% of the grapes sourced from the Grand Cru village Le Mensil-sur-Oger, renowned for producing chiseled Chardonnay with racy acidity and chalky minerality. Though it is not indicated on the bottle, it's all from 2010, so it's a vintage champagne that's 14 years old. Lastly, it's barrel fermented and goes through malolactic fermentation, both of which add body and weight. Full bodied, rich, dark toast, lees, with notes of orange, grapefruit, dried apricot, pear, and lemon-lime.
Price:
$59.99
Moncuit-Delos Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
This is a great treat for us to have on our shelves and hands down one of my favorite grower Champagne houses. Since 1977, Nicole Moncuit, mostly involved in the vitculture and vinification side, while her brother Yves runs the commercial side of the business. Today, they are joined by Nicole's daughter Valerie. This all estate bottled-estate grown chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, smells of granny-smith apples, D'Anjou pears, ginger and yellow tea. The mouthfeel is delightful adding a racy minerality and very fine bubbles in its long and lengthy finish.
2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/5/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/5/2024 | Send Email
This is one of the most exciting wines in Bordeaux, thanks to it's treasured terroir and singular profile. The 2023 is a blend of 50% Cab Franc, 30% Cabernet, and 20% Merlot. Cool blue and red fruits dominate expressive and compelling aromas. On the palate there is notes of clay, cassis, and blackberry. Textured and fresh, it finishes long, with fine mineral-laced tannins and mouthwatering black fruits. Quenching. They have really tuned things in over the last few years, and Carmes 2023 continues to be as compelling as ever.
Price:
$119.99
2023 Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/5/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/5/2024 | Send Email
The highest proportion of Cab ever in Rauzan-Segla at 85%, a symptom of the vintage but it makes for a very complex and structured Grand Vin. Blackberry and leather aromas lead the way to a spicy and layered palate that reveals notes of juicy black fruit. The tannins are intense but fine at the same time, and the wine develops beautifully with more time in the glass. This is a wine that will require patience, but its pedigree is undeniable. Among the best in Margaux, once again.
Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
Quick facts: 100% grand cru estate chardonnay, 100% old vine massal selection, 110% fantastic - the Launois Cuvee Reserve. An opening nose of absolutely classic Mesnil chalk and green apple, padded with expressions of citrus pith, with a delicate kiss of crisp orchard fruit. There are 18 reviews below mine here, and all will echo my thoughts all the way back to 2009 - $34.99 for a bottle of pure grand cru champagne is near lunacy in todays soaring sparkling market. Simply astonishing, complexly rewarding.
Price:
$39.99
Petiau "Cuvée Prestige" Brut Champagne
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
Six years on the lees for $49.99 is *not* a common sight here in the U.S., but one that Petiau views as absolutely key to their identity and their champagne. Deeply layered lime crema with fresh & leesy dough on the nose, Petiau has yet again shown the wonders that greatly extended lee contact will have on their wines. Rich and filling, yet dexterous and full of motion, extremely fresh fruit still surrounds the warmth of the bakery hidden within this bottle. Cheers to Petiau, and cheers to the beautiful chardonnay of Reim's White Pearl!
Price:
$49.99
2023 Laroque, St-Emilion
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/24/2024 | Send Email
What Laroque has accomplished in the past half decade deserves any wine lover's attention, and this 2023 is no exception. Engaging aromas of red plum and tobacco lead to a palate with remarkable refinement and detail that speak to a caliber that defies this wine's modest price. A melange of bright red and black fruits carry a palate that is lifted by bright acidity, fine tannins, and a long, limestone-tinged finish. The complete package, this is one that will find fans of traditional Bordeaux, or complex reds from anywhere in the world.
2023 Phélan-Ségur, St-Estèphe
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/24/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/24/2024 | Send Email
Véronique Dausse is on a roll, making some of the best wines of the estate’s storied history in the past half-decade, and some of the better values on the market today. The 2023 picks this up and runs with it, showing a freshness that doesn’t sacrifice depth or complexity. Blackberry and raspberry mingle on a textured palate with fine tannins. This is going to be easy to enjoy on release and will age well.
2023 La Gaffelière, St-Émilion
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/23/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/23/2024 | Send Email
One of the best wines in our first tasting, 2023 La Gaffeliere continued to win the day every time we had the chance to taste, which was at least four times during the week. With red plum, tobacco, and slightly floral aromas, the wine leads to a brilliantly textured palate that is endlessly mouthwatering. It has a long finish that delivers one nuance after another, along with layers of red fruit. So refined yet explosive, it is a wine that I was glad to taste again and again, and it never disappointed. One of the brightest spots of the Right Bank, and once again one of the go-to wines of the vintage for its all-too-reasonable price point.
2022 Smith & Sheth "Cru" Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Marlborough
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 5/22/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 5/22/2024 | Send Email
A richer style of NZ Sauvignon Blanc with white fruits, orange, lemon, lime, light minerals. The acidity is more subdued but very present. The finish is clean and the citrus flavors linger.
2023 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/17/2024 | Send Email
This is a wine that speaks loudly to Cos d’Estournel’s modern-era style. Bright, precise, and incredibly fresh, with low alcohol. A mélange of high- and deep-toned red fruits coats the aromas and palate, with a fine-cut texture, and a long, penetrating finish. This is a wine that is full of character and unyieldingly quenching. There’s a density to the fruit that promises a graceful evolution, but no heaviness to speak of (including the sub-13% alcohol). Very, very finessed, in a style that will be hard to resist for many.
2023 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/17/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/17/2024 | Send Email
Every once in a while, Ducru leaves me staggered by the quality and caliber of their wines En Primeur. 2023 was such a vintage, bringing their luxurious profile font and center, while making sure they keep it balanced and focused. The 2023 is built around a beautiful core of red fruit, mouth coating with pixelated tanning. It still leaves room for subtlety, with floral notes, and fine minerality. Powerful but balanced, luxurious and bright, 2023 Ducru-Beaucaillou hits on all levels.
2023 La Mission Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
La Mission Haut Brion struck all the right chords in 2023 and crafted a wine that speaks beautifully to their style and treasured terroir, perhaps with a bit more immediacy than is usually on display at the estate. A floral, red cherry, and herbal tea nose leads to a with of impeccable texture and density, with great lightweight purity. Deep blueberry coulis leads to a long, extracted finish that’s lined with a mélange of black and red fruits, minerality, and fine tannins. Regal and superb.
2018 Gramercy Walla Walla Valley Syrah
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
This is such a fun, bright, and energetic rendition of Syrah. Honestly, it took me by surprise in a very refreshing way. With brambly berries and red florals on the intense aromatics, it hits the palate with lively red plum, blackberry, and black pepper notes. All surrounded by mouthwatering acidity, it speaks to a cool climate and finessed Syrah. This is a charmer that's going to be difficult to keep from popping corks at our current one-time pricing.
2023 Léoville-Barton, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/13/2024 | Send Email
This is more in the classic, subtle, and nuanced vein that folks often expect with Léoville-Barton, especially when compared to the flashy (but delicious) examples of 2019 and 2022. The violet and peony floral aromas almost invoke Margaux, as does the deeper fruit on the nose. But on the palate, it is all Barton, with a great roundness, density, structure, and core of red fruit that always seems to be a signature at the estate. There’s a subtle depth here – not an obvious wine. While there’s structure to spare, the tannins are also refined and balanced.
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 5/8/2024 | Send Email
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 5/8/2024 | Send Email
Every year this is one of our most popular Blanc de Blancs Champagnes -- and for good reason! Hailing from the chalky soils of the world-famous Cotes de Blancs, known for its Grand Cru Chardonnay, Olivier Bonville delivers a sumptuous, medium bodied, rich style bursting with peach, pear, cream, vanilla, pineapple, golden apple, lemon-lime, and saline. Based on the ripe 2020 vintage, but with a full 50% of the blend from 2019, characterized by its elevated acidity, the result is a champagne with balance and finesse. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, 100% malolactic conversion, aged for a full 3 years on the lees like a vintage champagne, and a dosage of 8.3g/l round out its pedigree. Disgorged: March 2023. Verdict: outstanding!
2011 Krug Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 5/7/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 5/7/2024 | Send Email
For me, this 2011 is the biggest surprise of all the releases this year. While the 2011 vintage is not topping the list of anyone's vintage charts, this wine has been perfectly executed by the team at Krug, and shows just how incredibly they can work in less than perfect circumstances. The key word for this wine is selection, they did not make very much, and they will be on to a new (and still secret) vintage release by 2025. I love the Puligny like lime note that lends brightness to the generous brioche on the nose and in the mouth of this wine, and the medium/ full texture. The back end is crisp, long, chalky, and has a touch of citrus pith that lends a lot of complexity to the wine. A huge treat for now, or for later!
Yamazaki 12 Year Old Japanese Single Malt Whisky
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 5/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 5/6/2024 | Send Email
Yamazaki has undeniably set the standard for Japanese whisky for the past century. While there is no shortage of contenders popping up today, it seems that Suntory, and Yamazaki in particular, are poised to be the standard bearer for the category for the foreseeable future. This latest batch of the 12-year-old single malt pours a solid gold. The nose is a complex array of ripe stone fruits, warm cereals, freshly churned cream, vanilla, tropical fruits, and spices. The Mizunara oak is seamlessly integrated. Candied ginger, lemon grass, and sun-dried raisins are carved in relief against a background of sweet baking spices. On the palate, the fine balance makes it somewhat difficult to pull obvious notes at first. With a little more time in glass and after several sips, the beautiful weight and texture unfold into toasted coconuts, grilled peaches drizzled in honey, lemon curd, and nutty granola. The finish reprises the complex wood profile provided from a mix of cask types, the lovely spices of which linger on the palate for a long time.
2023 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 4/30/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 4/30/2024 | Send Email
Compared to the more flamboyant 2022, this is a more classically sculpted LLC. Either way, it speaks to the refinement, density, and purity that have folks often speaking of the estate in First Growth terms. Very expressive and dynamic red fruit aromas lead to a palate that balances very fine tannin, sweet cherry and plum, and a long, succulent finish that builds around a beam of acidity. This doesn't feel like a big or concentrated LLC, but instead a wine of layers and density that will unfold as it ages.
2020 Garage Wine Company "Bagual Vineyard - Lot 116" Cariñena-Garnacha-Monastrell Valle de Maule
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/18/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/18/2024 | Send Email
I just love the wines from Garage Wine Company. From the funny name to the not funny taste. This Lot 116 has red cassis, black cherries and a nicely chalky finish. As always, an extremely solid and reliable red wine that is both interesting and unique.
2018 Lilian Ladouys, St-Estèphe
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 4/14/2024 | Send Email
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 4/14/2024 | Send Email
Composed of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot aged in 35% new French oak barrels. Blackberries and blueberries are balanced by savory touches of dried sage and wet gravel. A soft, mocha kiss on the finish puts a smile on my face.
2020 Domaine Benedetti "Larmes Papales" Châteauneuf-du-Pape
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/13/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/13/2024 | Send Email
One of the best CNP's that I have tasted so far this year. A dry beginning with tart and dry tannins. With a bit of air, dark red cherries and red cassis flavors flesh out. There is a nice minerality to balance the juiciness. The finish is long and lingering.
2022 Nga Waka "Lease Block" Pinot Noir Martinborough
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 4/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Thomas Smith | Review Date: 4/10/2024 | Send Email
Of all our New Zealand Pinot Noirs, this is the one I am the most excited about. Founded by Roger Parkinson in 1988, Roger continues to hand craft every vintage of this exceptional Martinborough producer. But the “Lease Block” is easily their best Cuvee. From a 1.5 acre parcel situated in ground zero for Martinborough’s best wines, the Lease block is in a league of its own. Planted right on the Martinborough Terrace, the Lease block is surrounded by illustrious neighbors: Martinborough Vineyards to the South, Ata Rangi to the East, and Escarpment’s Te Rehua Vineyard to the north. If you were to average the US prices of each of those wines the results would be nearly $80 per bottle. From a fruit stand point, this makes Nga Waka’s “Lease Block” Pinot Noir an incredible value.
Eigashima Shuzo "Kamitaka" Mizumoto Junmai Sake (720ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 4/6/2024 | Send Email
This nicely tart sake has scents and flavors of green pear, whipping cream, anise (at the back of the throat), clean acidity and light ginger spice. Quite a bit going on here for very little $. Extremely delicious!
Price:
$24.99
2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 4/5/2024 | Send Email
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 4/5/2024 | Send Email
If you were one of K&L’s lucky customers to taste Billecart-Salmon's 2010 Brut Rosé Champagne and were appropriately blown away by its unique depth and complexity, then I am thrilled to announce the release of their 2012 “Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon” Brut Rosé Champagne. The 2010 Rosé was intended to be “Cuvée Elizabeth”, but the house believed it didn’t have the aging potential they wanted. To be clear – the 2010 Brut Rosé is NOT “Cuvée Elizabeth!” It’s a different champagne, but a magnificent tease of what is possible at rosé champagne’s highest level, which has now been achieved with the electrifying 2012 “Cuvée Elizabeth.” First, the pedigree. In 1988, this cuvée was created to honor the 206-year-old Grand Maison’s elegant co-founder Elisabeth Salmon. The cool 2012 Champagne vintage was declared epic at harvest and age has only added to its legendary reputation. The “Cuvée Elizabeth” is an assemblage of 55% Grand Cru Chardonnay (Chouilly, Avize, Mesnil, Cramant) and 45% Grand and 1er Cru Pinot Noir (Aÿ, Ambonnay, Mareuil-sur- Aÿ), with a little less than 10% of the Pinot Noir sourced from old vines in Billecart’s home of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ’s Valofroy vineyard to give the rosé its color and special character. Just under 3% of the wine was vinified in oak casks to add richness and aromatics, it was aged on the lees for 9 ½ years, and finally, after disgorgement in early 2023, was dosed at a low 3.8g/l. Second, the achievement. A royal golden salmon color, tight brisk bead, and layered aromatics are a premonition of the champagne’s artistry. Racy acidity delivers flavors that are simultaneously rich and bold but light, soft, and plush on the palate. It has an enormous depth of ripe but subtle red fruit, hazelnut, almond biscotti, saline, stone fruit, flowers, spice, green apple, sea air, and an undertow of chalky minerality that you would expect from Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. A long, refined, and dry finish lingers on the palate. There’s no question about the aging potential of this “Cuvée Elizabeth.” It's exquisite and opulent today but will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years. This is a monumental rosé champagne from a remarkable vintage that should not be missed!
Krug "Grande Cuvée" 171ème Édition Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/26/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/26/2024 | Send Email
A kaleidoscopically complex, yet easy to drink masterpiece, whenever you open a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée, it is in contention to be the wine of the night, no matter what anyone else brings to the party! Because this edition’s youngest wine is 2015, the hottest vintage to that point in history, the reserves have been called in to add freshness as well as intrigue, and the results are dazzling. The subtle brioche, the citric brightness married to deep savory character, the chalky class, the power and the elegance are all here. This is one of the great wines of the world!