K&L Wine Merchants - Staff Favorites

Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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: $44.99

Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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

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

A. Bergère Brut Origine Champagne

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/22/2024 | Send Email

The Origine from A. Bergère comes from a rarely-exported sub region of Champagne just southwest of the Côte des Blancs centered around the village of Etoges. The wine is a beautiful example of a chardonnay dominant, brioche filled style, yet still finishes crisp and dry. I loved this on its own as an aperitif!

Price: $54.99

A. Bergère Brut Origine Champagne

By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 6/20/2024 | Send Email

The A. Bergere "Origine" Brut Champagne may be new to the shelves of K&L, but the Bergere family has been fastidiously tending vines on the slopes of the Valee du Petit Morin since 1849 and making their own Champagne since 1949. The wine is composed of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 10% Meunier, all of which is fermented in barrel with reserve wine making up 30% of the final product. The result is a wine of dual personalities: succulent, unctuous texture and dry, mineral-driven freshness. There's so much weight and leesy, toasty delight through the midpalate, but the wine manages to finish with an almost chalky minerality, balancing the best of both worlds. This one is well worth trying for yourself.

Price: $54.99

Baron Fuente "Quinconce" Brut Rosé Champagne (formerly Esprit)

By: Alex Leonardini | Review Date: 6/20/2024 | Send Email

The fan-favorite Baron Fuente "Esprit" Rose is back and better than ever under it's new "Quinconce" name. This 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Meunier still utilizes the Saignee method of making rose to craft a Rose Champagne with richness and texture. Creamy cherry and strawberry fruits are underpinned with crushed, dried rose petals and a subtle suggestion of toast, and the rich texture and hint of tannin structure lend a wonderfully food-friendly nature to the wine. This makes an incredible case for being the best value alternative to Laurent-Perrier Rose.

Price: $39.99

Launois "Severine" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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

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

2014 l'Esprit de Chevalier Rouge, Pessac-Léognan

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 6/13/2024 | Send Email

I took a flyer on this, knowing that Chevalier made a brilliant Grand Vin in 2014, and their l'Espirit is always sneaky good. Tasting it, I immediately had a smile on my face, as it delivered on all accounts, and then some. Good deep red fruits on the nose, which follows on the palate with cherry, blackberry, and cedar. But what really stands out is how serious this wine is - the texture, flavor, depth, and finish all speak to a wine that far above this price point. At ten years past the vintage, it is drinking perfectly, but I wouldn't hesitate to see how it continues to evolve over the next decade. A sleeper value of the highest order in aged Bordeaux.

Price: $34.99

Tempus Fugit Kina L'Aero D'Or Vin Aperitif Du Quinquina Aperitif Wine (750ml)

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 6/12/2024 | Send Email

Extremely pretty nose of orange rind, and light herbs. On the palate, full and lush with a light bitterness and flavors of decadent orange marmalade. Yum!!!

Price: $34.99

Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila (700ml)

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!

Price: $39.99

WE: 94

2023 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol

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.

Price: $299.99

2023 Montrose, St-Estèphe

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.

Price: $199.99

Launois "Severine" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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

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 Nature Champagne (formerly Esprit)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 6/6/2024 | Send Email

My favorite zero dosage champagne in the store! I love the fact that this wine would be impossible to pick out as sugar free, such is the perfect balance of this patiently crafted wine. The trick is time- it has been aged for seven years on the lees, and the finished product just doesn't need any added sugar, as the long contact with the lees in the bottle has given it natural richness. If you love a dry style brut, this is one to try for sure, it has great sourdough toast and fine citric zip.

Price: $39.99

Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)

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

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.

Price: $59.99

2023 Margaux, Margaux

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.

Price: $599.99

2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan

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

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.

Price: $114.99

2023 Pichon-Baron, Pauillac

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.

Price: $174.99

2023 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien

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.

Price: $54.99

Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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" Brut Nature Champagne (formerly Esprit)

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 same classic Brut Nature Champagne. So evocative and pretty on the nose, with a bright limestone core holding up crunchy, freshly picked green apples on the palate, and a tingly, acid driven finish lead you back for a second glass. 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: 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

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

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

Baron-Fuenté "Quinconce" Brut Champagne (formerly Esprit)

By: Philip Roufail | Review Date: 5/25/2024 | Send Email

Pale gold in the glass with a brisk perlage, Baron-Fuente's new release of its Brut Champagne is indicative of its house style - big and round, but crisp, fruit forward, but with racy acidity, and bursting with orchard fruit aromatics. Fresh ripe apple and pear with notes of fresh dough, apricots, and ginger. It finishes with sweet vanilla, lemon, and lime.

Price: $39.99

2023 Laroque, St-Emilion

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.

Price: $34.99

2023 Phélan-Ségur, St-Estèphe

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.

Price: $54.99

2023 La Gaffelière, St-Émilion

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.

Price: $59.99

TWI: 96 - 98

JD: 94 - 97

VN: 94 - 96

2022 Smith & Sheth "Cru" Sauvignon Blanc Wairau Valley Marlborough

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.

Price: $23.99

2023 Brane-Cantenac, Margaux

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/22/2024 | Send Email

With beautiful, expressive aromatics and astonishing purity, everything is in the right place with Brane Cantenac’s 2023. A thread of black fruit weaves deftly through a textured and fruit-driven, intense palate that relents to fine, pixelated tannins and a mineral touch on the long finish. Complex and impressive, it is another smashing success from a property that seems like it can do no wrong, and is quickly becoming an upper-echelon Margaux that will rival the region’s top releases in any vintage of the past half decade.

Price: $79.99

2023 Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien

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.

Price: $109.99

2023 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe

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.

Price: $164.99

2023 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien

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.

Price: $174.99

2023 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 5/15/2024 | Send Email

This is a big Lynch Bages that nails the house style that so many adore, but offers a bit more classic structure and tannin than the previous few renditions. Layers of sweet dark red and black fruits surround and impressive texture, spicy acidity, and fine grain, grippy tannins. There's a long, building finish and a full-throttle profile that belies its modest 13.7% alcohol. This will be a long-distance running from Lynch-Bages, the third vintage in their new winemaking facility and one that speaks to a great combo of traditional and modern Lynch.

Price: $139.99

2018 Gramercy Walla Walla Valley Syrah

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.

Price: Hidden

Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

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!

Price: $53.99

JS: 92

RP: 92

Yamazaki 12 Year Old Japanese Single Malt Whisky

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.

Price: $174.99

WA: 93

2023 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

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.

Price: $549.99

2023 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien

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.

Price: $199.99

2020 Garage Wine Company "Bagual Vineyard - Lot 116" Cariñena-Garnacha-Monastrell Valle de Maule

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.

Price: $39.99

2020 Domaine Benedetti "Larmes Papales" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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.

Price: $49.99

JS: 95

RP: 94

JD: 93

2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon" Extra Brut Rosé Champagne

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!

Price: $219.99

Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)

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.

Price: $169.99

WA: 94

Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whisky (700ml)

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

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

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

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