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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
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
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
Single vineyard, long aged blanc de blancs for this price is unheard of, and the wine in the bottle is even better than the story. This has the high class toasty brioche that only long ageing (7 full years!) can achieve, balanced by a beautiful citric liveliness and a long mineral finish.
Price:
$39.99
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
After seven years laying "Quinconce" (the champenois term for the sardine like way they stack the bottles to age on the lees) this wine has turned into a gorgeous, brioche filled, classy bottle of tiny bubbles. I have to stop letting it surprise me how good this wine is- it is the only non-vintage in our stock to be systematically aged this long besides Krug! I love the balance between the refreshment of the chardonnay, the subtle savor of the meunier, the power of the pinot and the richness of time in this wine. Don't miss it!
Price:
$39.99
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 Margaux, Margaux
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email
On the aromas, 2023 Margaux comes off as very primary, with deep red raspberry and floral notes. But on the palate, there is so much depth and range, with an absolutely seamless texture that builds with cassis, blackberry, and a melange of other red and black fruits. It is layered, pure, detailed, and impressive - the entire package that you expect in top renditions of Château Margaux. The tannins are incredibly fine, the finish is long, it just has that First Growth DNA and is a masterful wine on all accounts. Like many other wines of 2023, it loudly carries the signature of the estate and terroir. When the estate and terroir in question is Château Margaux, it doesn't get much better.
2023 Pichon-Baron, Pauillac
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/4/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/4/2024 | Send Email
Where the 2022 was a bit more bright and ripe, the 2023 Pichon-Baron is back to the classic house profile that's built around darker fruit that's compact and voluminous on the palate. Still, for all the density and structure, it is beautifully textured with a thread of acid that rebounds on the finish and keeps everything fresh. It is finely made and finely balanced. The 2023 speaks volumes to Pichon-Baron, and is another example of the vintage where the signature of the estate shines. This will age gracefully for a long time to come.
2023 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/3/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/3/2024 | Send Email
There’s no shortage of fans of Branaire in recent years, but who wouldn’t be a fan of a wine that performs at this level and still comes in at an all-too-reasonable price. The acidity and brightness that drives the red fruit flavors keeps this mouthwatering wine fresh, while the soft texture screams St-Julien in all the best ways. There’s a weightlessness to it that pulls everything together, finishing long with fine, dusty tannins. This impressed everyone in the room, and will once again be a go-to wine from the vintage.
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
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
Old fan of the K&L Favorite "Baron Fuente Esprit" line? Welcome back! A new name, Quinconce (a name that references champagne bottles stacked head to toe like sardines in a tin), but the exact same classic Blanc De Blanc Champagne! The scent of almond croissants baked four houses down dances on the wind and out of the glass, with a leesy palate of baked apples and pie crust that almost wont finish - an absolute marathon of an elegant champagne. My old friend Esprit is the exact same as I fondly remember it to be, just with a fresh new name. Hello Quinconce!
Price:
$39.99
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
By: Alexandre Tweedie | Review Date: 6/2/2024 | Send Email
Old fan of the K&L Favorite "Baron Fuente Esprit" line? Welcome back! A new name, Quinconce (a name that references champagne bottles stacked head to toe like sardines in a tin), but the exact same classic Brut champagne. Structured, textural, glidingly elegant acid drives this champagne forward, with crisp orchard field fruits and bright pop of candied ginger on the far finish (more of a sensation than a taste). My old friend Esprit is the exact same as I fondly remember it to be, just with a fresh new name. Hello Quinconce!
Price:
$39.99
Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 5/30/2024 | Send Email
By: Michael Benoit | Review Date: 5/30/2024 | Send Email
For years, the champagnes we carry from Baron Fuente have been staff and customer favorites, and especially the long-aged bottles under the Esprit label. These outstanding champagnes have a new name and a new label, but the high quality and incredible value of the wine inside the bottle hasn't changed a bit. This blanc de blancs continues to be sourced from a single 9.5 acre vineyard on the western edge of Champagne, and is perfectly refreshing with a generous, creamy texture. Fresh acidity and delicate toastiness combine beautifully with soft flavors of lemon curd and pastry crust, fading out into a long mineral finish. A great aperitif or a stellar bottle for brunch!
Price:
$39.99
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 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/22/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/22/2024 | Send Email
This estate has been on fire, tilting towards the modern side in its approachability, but leaning classic when it comes to texture, structure, and poise. In fact, it is the seamless texture that really struck me each of the three times we tried it, where a mix of black and red fruits, cedar, and spice highlight weave beautifully through this nuanced LP that carries through a long, mineral-tinged finish. On the darker-fruited side of St-Julien, but doesn’t miss a beat. Fans of the estate will adore it, and folks of any serious Left Bank wine will find plenty to appreciate. They also happened to nail the pricing in 2023 - remarkable value for a property of this caliber.
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.
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!
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 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/6/2024 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/6/2024 | Send Email
A dense and structured Mouton, this is one that developed one nuance after another in the glass. Cassis, black plum, tobacco, and graphite aromas lead to a concentrated and dense palate full of black cherry, cocoa, and grippy but fine tannin. It has a great Mouton signature and First Growth structure - demanding but refined, with the complexity and length that make it so impressive. Most Cabernet (93%) since the 2010 vintage.
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.
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
Alexandre Le Brun "Passion" Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/26/2024 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/26/2024 | Send Email
Although labeled as non-vintage, this has the style and impact of a vintage wine, with a full five years on the lees. This Champagne is composed of half and half Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and tastes much more expensive that it is. If you like creamy, toasty Champagne with depth and richness, this is one of the best that we carry. I find the combination of brioche generosity and the gentle, mineral laden finish entrancing every time I drink it!
Price:
$49.99
Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 3/18/2024 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 3/18/2024 | Send Email
This 18 year old single malt is a deal. It has no smoke aromas or flavors because it has not been peated. It is full bodied, concentrated and complex. I liked it best with a splash of water which brought out some sweet notes and a soft mouth feel.
Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky (700ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 3/18/2024 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 3/18/2024 | Send Email
This single malt is easy to enjoy. The nose is pretty with sweet malt notes. In the mouth, it is light and round with sweet malt notes again. I liked it best with a touch of water which opened it up.
Price:
$79.99
Akashi White Oak "Ume" Japanese Whisky (750ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
This one was quite the surprise! So soft and creamy with whipping cream, poached pear, vanilla. I certainly did not expect that from a Japanese whiskey. Ripe apricot, golden raisins and drizzled honey. I see it as an after dinner whiskey and a fantastic alternative to a liqueur or brandy.
Price:
$39.99
Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky (700ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
The full nose of this malt is alive with orange zest, cocoa powder, oak and light honey. In the mouth, it is full and then spicy with baking spices and lush tropical fruits. The finish is long and spicy and laden with minerals.
Price:
$79.99
Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
I cannot say enough good things about this single malt. It has a stone-fruited nose with butterscotch and light barley malt scents. On the palate, wowza! Light smoke, spice, chamomile tea and butterhorn pastry. Classic Islay finish of smoke, saline and toasty oak. I'll admit that I'm not very fond of heavily peated and smoked single malt. That's why this one is such a treat! It is a magnificently balanced and elegant Islay that really fits the bill for me and should appeal to pretty much everyone.
Ichiro's Malt & Grain (Chichibu) "White Label" Blended Japanese Whisky (700ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
Seeing customers with this bottle in their hands has been very intriguing. I have finally managed to taste it! It does not disappoint. A clean nose with light lanolin, green fruits, lightly roasted caramel. Bigger on the palate with toffee, caramel, baking spices, green apple and apricot. It also has a very long and bright finish. A real treat, this.
Komasa Jyozo Satsuma Japanese Gin (375ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 3/15/2024 | Send Email
Deeeeelightful! Strong scents of orange and cream, very light juniper. In the mouth, spicy oranges, soft pepper, baking spices, (again) light juniper. May prove to be a bit too easy to drink.
Price:
Hidden
2021 Burn Cottage "Sauvage Vineyard" Pinot Noir Bannockburn Central Otago
By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 3/14/2024 | Send Email
By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 3/14/2024 | Send Email
The 2021 Burn Cottage "Sauvage Vineyard" Pinot Noir is as pretty and elegant and complex as they come. The nose isn't so much explosive as it is pervasively intense and nuanced, with each smell offering a new layer of aromas. First, crushed rose and gardenia petals that are followed by a layer of graphite and pencil shavings. Then, red cherry is followed closely by sea brine until bright, ripe strawberries and a touch of peppercorn take the lead. The palate is magnetic, bringing all the florals and fruits and minerals from the nose together in a seamless and never-ending spiral of complex beauty. This is a wine structured for aging, but with so much happening now and soft enough tannins that it isn't required for optimal enjoyment. This isn't bargain wine, but there are few Pinot Noirs as staggeringly thought provoking as this, and the few there are cost far, far more.
2021 Burn Cottage "Sauvage Vineyard" Pinot Noir Bannockburn Central Otago
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 3/14/2024 | Send Email
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 3/14/2024 | Send Email
Being a huge fan of Felton Road wines I am so excited to taste Burn Cottage! It's truly equal in power and complexity of flavors to Felton Road. This Pinot Noir has lovely savory notes of black tea and juicy red cherry at the same time, with layer of very subtle clove and star anise spice mix underneath it all. Finish goes on for ever and ever, it's very impressive! It's a structured wine with firm but light tannins which will help wine age gracefully yet you can certainly enjoy it now with food like duck, game meat and grilled salmon. If you like Pinot Noir, don't miss this opportunity.
Billecart-Salmon "Le Réserve" Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 3/3/2024 | Send Email
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 3/3/2024 | Send Email
When you make internationally renowned champagne for 206 years you don't have to rock the boat, but that's exactly what Grand Marque (Great Brand) Billecart-Salmon has done with the new releases of their flagship non-vintage champagnes. The Brut Reserve NV, soon to be called "Le Brut," remains a blend of 40% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 30% Pinot Noir, but now incorporates a perpetual blend (62%, 2006-2018) for the first time, adding depth and complexity, and the dosage has dropped from 8g/l to 3g/l, resulting in a much drier and refined style of champagne. In addition, the base vintage (38%) is from the fantastic 2019 "solar" harvest, which produced ripe grapes with high levels of acidity. The majority of wines (92%) were fermented in stainless steel tanks and a small but consequential amount (8%) were fermented in oak casks. Finally, the Brut Reserve only went through partial malolactic fermentation to preserve the freshness of the 2019 vintage. Disgorged in the spring of 2023. If you're already a fan of Billecart-Salmon prepare to love them even more. If you haven't tried Billecart-Salmon before, it's time to discover this legendary Grand Maison.
Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 3/1/2024 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 3/1/2024 | Send Email
This was such a pleasure to taste, and worth the long wait for its release- a golden gift from the gods. Heady aromas of sweet grain, orange oil and peach skin float elegantly out of the glass. The palate delivers glazed peach and apricot, almond pastry and Manuka honey. Though unpeated, it is distinctly Islay with its sea salt and slightly mossy profile. The rich texture and sweet, endlessly lingering finish suggest dessert wine casks played a prominent role in the aging of this exquisite spirit. Any Scotch fan will be instantly smitten, and I think this would make an enticing entry into the category, though anyone who starts here would be spoiled for life.
2019 Ramey North Coast Claret
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/22/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/22/2024 | Send Email
This beautiful (and affordable!) Claret is a real gem1 I tasted it at the winery on 19 February and it was a real treat. It is full of dark red fruits, licorice and cedar wood. There are mildly tart tannins, blackberry, light spic and dusty black cherries. A lot going on here! In a really good way.
Damien Hugot Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 2/10/2024 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 2/10/2024 | Send Email
This is fresh bright fruit and slightly salted grower Champagne. It is always a crowd pleaser especially with devoted Champagne drinkers. Candied ginger, spiced apple and pear brioche, finishing dry, extensive and over delivering at this price point.
Price:
$42.99
Damien Hugot Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Andrew Nunes | Review Date: 2/7/2024 | Send Email
By: Andrew Nunes | Review Date: 2/7/2024 | Send Email
Glad I put some of this wine in my cellar! The fruit on this is very open knit with berry and fiji apple through the middle of the mouth. While the nose may be a little tight, that may be due to temperature - I find the nose on champagne starts to show really well at 50 degrees. For all grand cru fruit in these bottles, you can't find a better Champagne value. This is definitely a wine you can pick up a case at this price and quality, and feel great about opening a bottle of grand cru champagne any given day of the year!
Price:
$42.99
Rihaku "Wandering Poet" Junmai Ginjo Sake (720ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
The Wandering Poet sake has a soft nose of cantaloupe, green banana and minerals/sea salt. In the mouth, dry and almost linear with green melon, savory notes and back of the throat spice and herbs. Extremely interesting and different. A good match for vegetarian tempura.
Price:
$34.99
2011 Suduiraut, Sauternes (375ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
Frankly, I am not much of a dessert wine guy. I don't actually even particularly like sweets. A basket of pomme frites or a cheese platter are always my downfall. However, this vintage of Suduiraut is the BOMB! It is so, so, so, so, so delicious and not over-the-top sweet. Lush with pineapple fruit, maraschino cherry, honey and nougat, Wonderful background acidity that keeps it from being too sticky sweet. What a marvelous way to end our staff Bordeaux tasting!
2019 Lamothe-Bergeron, Haut-Médoc
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/27/2024 | Send Email
This is a nicely clean little effort with red fruits with a hint of menthol, minerals. On the palate, darker, with blackberry fruit and a hint of chalkiness. A very easy one to drink right now and it will appeal to a big cross section of people. All in all, a very well put together wine at a great price.
2021 Turnbull "Black Label" Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 1/17/2024 | Send Email
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.
Kanbara "Bride of the Fox" Junmai Ginjo Sake (720ml)
By: Michael Pires | Review Date: 1/14/2024 | Send Email
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.
Price:
$32.99
Mommenpop Blood Orange Aperitif (750ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 1/3/2024 | Send Email
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!
Price:
$29.99
Laurent-Perrier "Cuvée Rosé" Brut Rosé Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 12/27/2023 | Send Email
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!
Domaine Hubert "K&L Exclusive" Pays d'Auge Vieux Calvados (750ml)
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 12/13/2023 | Send Email
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.
Price:
$34.99
Subtle Spirits "STELLAR" Art by Kate Tova Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 12/7/2023 | Send Email
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.
Price:
$59.99
2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou "Croix de Beaucaillou," St-Julien
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 11/28/2023 | Send Email
By: Diana Turk | Review Date: 11/28/2023 | Send Email
Wow! Lovely aromatic nose with hints of menthol and violets, with a soft fruity palate and long finish. The legendary "cailloux" or pebbles, in the property's soil really come through in the glass. This is an elegant, classic St-Julien and, considering its provenance, a killer value.
Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 11/19/2023 | Send Email
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.
2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 11/8/2023 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 11/8/2023 | Send Email
Chateau Coufran, oft called the "Pomerol of the Medoc" with its 85% Merlot content, is a perennial staff and customer favorite here at K&L and offers unbelievable value in the ready-to-drink claret category. 2009 was a beautifully warm, ripe vintage, and Coufran is full of concentrated dark bing cherry fruit, licorice, herbs and leathery nuances. The nose is so perfumed and pretty, and the wine is balanced and fresh with good acid lifting the rich fruit on the finish.
Laurent-Perrier "La Cuvée" Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/8/2023 | Send Email
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!
2020 Casa Castillo "La Tendida" Monastrell-Garnacha Jumilla
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 11/5/2023 | Send Email
By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 11/5/2023 | Send Email
Nuanced and elegant. These are two words that are not typically associated with the Varietal, except those are the first that jumped to my mind. It is vibrantly colored and aromatic, again challenging the expectation for a varietal that is best known for adding color and tannin to blends or for the brooding reds of Bandol. There is nothing in this wine that speaks of power, it is elegant and supple. It could be the percentage of Garnacha in the blend, but this is 85% Monastrell. The tannins are sleek, there is enough acid to give tension but not an edge and persisting berry fruit. There is a fine minerality that appears on the long finish, which is surprising to find in a wine at this price point. This is a Rhone blend, but it speaks more to the elegant expressions of Cote Rote than to anything from the Southern Rhone, not to mention most other wines from Jumilla. Casa Castilla has been redefining that region’s potential for the last two decades and this wine is a marvelous example.