Locations
Login
Reviewers
- - Operations Culver City (1)
- Aaron Hughes (10)
- Alex Leonardini (54)
- Andrew Nunes (1)
- Cary Herrman (3)
- David Othenin-Girard (339)
- Dejah Overby (147)
- Eric Goldstein (1)
- Gary Westby (541)
- Jacques Moreira (703)
- Jason Marwedel (73)
- Joel Nicholas (29)
- John Majeski (296)
- John Downing (80)
- John Flanigan (1)
- Jonathan Parnell (3)
- Kai Pedreno (3)
- Kate Soto (11)
- Keith Mabry (433)
- Kerry Kennell (1)
- Kirk Walker (276)
- Lilia McIntosh (44)
- Matthew Landau Hassan (5)
- Michael Benoit (7)
- Michael Pires (14)
- Michael Hulihan (1)
- Orazio Campoli (5)
- Rachael Ryan (2)
- Ralph Sands (222)
- Ryan Woodhouse (899)
- Ryan Moses (628)
- Scott Beckerley (306)
- Scott Turnbull (61)
- Simon Li (3)
- Stephanie Manning (2)
- Tom Martinez (1)
- Will Blakely (27)
K&L Email Alerts
Sign up to receive custom alerts, new arrivals and the latest happenings from K&L Wines
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
Fukucho "Moon on the Water" Junmai Ginjo Sake (720ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/19/2022 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/19/2022 | Send Email
Week two of sake Saturday! Another pretty one, just like last week. A nose of lychee and a hint of anise. Remember a cocktail called a Melon Ball? Well, the scents from this sake reminds me of that. On the palate, it is very clean and crisp with more melon, green banana, and the white Good & Plenty candies (vanilla and licorice). Yes, that's not a technical description but, that's what it reminds me of. Sake Saturday has now become my favorite day. Just as good as Champagne Friday!
Price:
$36.99
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut Champagne
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 2/18/2022 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 2/18/2022 | Send Email
A blend of the three main grapes of the Champagne region; pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay in equal proportions. Raised in wood with four years aging on the lees gives us a powerful wine that is well balanced and all to easy to drink. This has richness yet retains elegance and complexity on the palate and is very well balanced. A fun wine for sure!
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut Champagne
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/16/2022 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/16/2022 | Send Email
The first thing that wafts out of the glass of "Trilogie" is whipped cream. That is followed by green apple, pear, and a nice, light minerality. On the palate, the Pinot Noir and the Pinot Meunier shine through with additional creaminess, more weight, golden apple and baking spice. The lingering finish brings back the fine minerality and spices. This is one of my favorites from Jean Jacques Lamoureux!
Wakatake Onikoroshi "Demon Slayer" Daiginjo Sake (720ml)
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/12/2022 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 2/12/2022 | Send Email
Happily, as of today, we are back to tasting sake and this is a grand place to start! It has a very pretty nose of banana, lychee and melon. A real pleasure just to smell. In the mouth, it has a rich mouthfeel, with additional banana, vanilla cream, and a (light) hint of apricot. There is a nice dryness to counteract the overall richness of the taste. I tasted this chilled but, not especially cold. I can't wait to see what we will taste next week!
Price:
$49.99
Don Julio "1942" Añejo Tequila (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 2/8/2022 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 2/8/2022 | Send Email
Tasting Don Julio 1942 is always a SHOCKING experience. It truly doesn't compute how they're able to create something so heady and sweet using just highland distilled agave and oak barrels in the quantities that they do. The nose is an explosive mix of sweet coconut, fresh vanilla bean, chocolate nibs, and tropical fruit. On the palate, the richness is jaw-dropping, I can't help but let out a guttural exclamation. Uhhhhhh ... what the hell did they do here? Yes, it's sweet, but it's so decadent you almost want to compare it to Sauternes or Quart de Chaumes. Baked tropical fruit, smooth silky texture, and a long, lingering finish. I tasted this next to slow-barbecued cacao crusted short ribs and couldn't imagine a better pairing. We've also got this at a killer price, so there's that too.
Ariston Aspasie "Cépages d'Antan" Brut Champagne
By: Giovanni Bueno | Review Date: 2/5/2022 | Send Email
By: Giovanni Bueno | Review Date: 2/5/2022 | Send Email
This is not just a wine for the wine nerd. Cepages d'Antan could very well be portal from the past into the future of Champagne, using once forgotten about grapes native to Champagne. Cloy and veiled initially, this wine really starts to open up with air, so if you're not one to decant Champagne, try it out with this special blend. You will be rewarded with a bouquet of different citrus from a touch of mandarin peel, to plucky lemon and even some buddha's hand? Then the butter cracker comes through and the extended lees pays off as swirls of heady savory herbs come into the finish. Who knows if climate change means we move back to some of these forgotten varietals, but at least you'll know what everyone had been missing when we get there.
Price:
$119.99
2019 Far Mountain "Fission" Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 2/3/2022 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 2/3/2022 | Send Email
Phenomenal mountain Cabernet, one of the finest I've tasted in many years. This is the real deal. Sourced from vines high on Moon Mountain planted in 1971! These gnarled old vines bring forth a genuine character of powerful, brooding, mountain grown Cabernet. Dense black / purple fruit - blackcurrant, mulberry, damson, briary tones, mountain chaparral, crushed rock, cigar box, leather. Wonderfully expressive fruit, quintessential of the varietal. Good structure and noble tannin provide an excellent frame for the wine to adhere to. Drinking great now as a young expression, but I'm sure this will be a stunning 10 year wine...and probably will see 20 years in good form too. A steal in terms of value for money vs its Napa neighbors.
W.B. Saffell Limited Edition Batch #1 107 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (375ml)
By: Giovanni Bueno | Review Date: 2/1/2022 | Send Email
By: Giovanni Bueno | Review Date: 2/1/2022 | Send Email
Andrew and David do a great job of delivering you the heady nuances of this whiskey--I'm just here to hype. This bourbon is everything you want in an American whiskey, leaping across the room from any glass it's poured into to smack you with deep caramel notes and fragrant earth and spice. Even taking small tasting sips like we do at work, this whiskey lingers on your senses, creating a cacophony of smells and flavors that will be sure to delight even the casual lover of whiskey. If you've already got a bottle of this, grab another, you never know when you might run out.
Price:
$49.99
W.B. Saffell Limited Edition Batch #1 107 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (375ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 1/5/2022 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 1/5/2022 | Send Email
It's no secret that I'm a total Wild Turkey fan boy. I've been pining for this whisky for the better part of two years. While this batch was released in most markets in 2019, we didn't see it in California until two years later. While most other markets have sold out and the few stores that still have it are asking nearly double the original price, we've done everything in our power to purchase every single bottle we could find. There's simply nothing on the market as delicious and available as this incredible product. If you ever wanted to taste what pre-prohibition bourbon might have tasted like, this is about as close as you're going to get. The nose is never ending in its complexity. Every trip back is a different story. First it offers tons of sweet corn, rich caramel and brown sugar. When you return, now a powerful spice focused on cinnamon, but more complex and some added herbal savory character. Finally, zesty burnt orange peel and freshly toasted vanilla bean. On the palate, that fab WT earthiness, which I'm certain comes from the old 12 year element (of course distilled at the now demolished Old Ripy plant). Sweet oak, peppery spice, caramel syrup, it's full bodied but not obtrusively heavy, with a vibrant zesty-ness no doubt thanks to some excellent work by the blender. This is a whisky I'd like to be drinking all the time in perpetuity. It simply never gets old. After days with this bottle it continues to grow on me. There will be a the occasionally hater that quips about the price, but considering the junk that people throw money at these days, this is about the best bourbon we can sell to you dollar for dollar. This gets my highest recommendation!
Price:
$49.99
W.B. Saffell Limited Edition Batch #1 107 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (375ml)
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 12/31/2021 | Send Email
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 12/31/2021 | Send Email
Tantalizingly close to perfection. Painstakingly recreated from the study of historical notes, careful tasting of pre-prohibition bottles, and the ingenuity of the Russell's - The recreation of W.B. Saffell's famous whiskey is finally here. Bottled at 107 proof it's seamless, powerful, and graceful all at once. The nose is a stunner: fresh gingerbread, candied corn, sweet succulent grassy notes like a burst of springtime, butterscotch, vanilla, creme brulee, dark cocoa, toasted oak and fresh saw dust, caramel, it's got the whole nine yards. And that's just the first nosing. The palate is down right glorious. The combination of sweet corn, spicy rye, and toasty barrel is on point. It drinks like the very oldest Russell's barrels we've ever sold but with a softer silkier palate. The proof is dialed in just right. The finish is long and sweet with a hint of heat on the back end that is the exact reminder you need that this was made at Wild Turkey. It's maybe the easiest drinking AND most fully flavored Bourbon I've tasted all year.
Price:
$49.99
Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Champagne
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 12/8/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 12/8/2021 | Send Email
Now officially one of my favorite Blanc de Blancs! The richness of the Grand and Premier Cru Chardonnay shines through with no added dosage and the balance is impeccable. Citrus-y apple fruit, floral aromas, a touch of nuttiness, subtle smoke and toast from the lees contact and a bright, long finish with no cloying sweetness. One glass was not enough on this one.
Mars Shinshu "Iwai" Japanese Whisky (750ml)
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/27/2021 | Send Email
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/27/2021 | Send Email
This is a light and delicate whiskey, extremely pleasant to sip before an evening meal. The nose evokes a cup of black tea sweetened with honey. That warm honey note gets stronger on the palate changing to a honey/lemon hard candy and follows through all the way to the finish. "Nuanced" is the best word to describe this whiskey. There are no hard edges or heavy flavors, just a pleasant afternoon drinking experience before the sun the sun goes down.
Price:
$26.99
Old Bardstown Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 11/26/2021 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 11/26/2021 | Send Email
This is a lot of whiskey for the price. It has a delicate and pleasant sweet nose. In the mouth it is on the light side , tasty and sweet. It will be great alone or in cocktails.
Price:
$22.99
Willett Family Estate 4 Year Old Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
A robust cask strength rye that warms with every sip. The nose pulls heavily from classic rye spices and citrus zests. The taste opens up to a host of sweat breads, dried fruits and roasted nuts, the finish lingers for a quite a while. At 4 years, this drinks like a much older whiskey, one of the finest in the Willett line.
Price:
$64.99
Rowan's Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
A hearty mid-proofed bourbon with a spicy herbaceous nose. Strong woody notes on the palate and nice crisp oaky finish. This is a solid choice for nightcap or a bit of elevation for your cocktail.
Price:
$49.99
Noah's Mill Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/24/2021 | Send Email
This is the type of bourbon that warms you up from the inside. The sweet honey tea aroma grabs you immediately and stays in your nose for a nice long time. On the palette you are treated to rich, round flavors of hot caramel, honey-drops, and candies cherries. Just like the nose, the finish goes on for days!
Price:
$69.99
Redwood Empire "Grizzly Beast" Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/22/2021 | Send Email
By: John Flanigan | Review Date: 11/22/2021 | Send Email
This is everything you want from a Bottle-In-Bond bourbon. It's strong, nuanced, layered, and has taste for days. A 5-year distillate of their own making (a true grain-forward expression), this bourbon has strong cherry and honeycomb notes with a long buttercream finish. Perfect as an everyday sipper or as an after meal treat, Redwood Empire's "Grizzly Beast" is a fantastic choice as a gift for a bourbon lover looking for something new. As an added bonus, Redwood Empire plants a tree for every bottle sold!
Price:
$89.99
Highland Park 15 Year Old "Viking Heart" Isle of Orkney Single Malt Scotch Whisky
By: Austin Jenkins | Review Date: 11/20/2021 | Send Email
By: Austin Jenkins | Review Date: 11/20/2021 | Send Email
This single malt is an absolute treat -- extremely mellow on the nose: this whisky invokes scents similar to fresh vanilla, hot honey, and soft touches of maple. The palate offers flavors reminiscent of a decadent angel's food cake. On the middle palate, there's the acidity and sweetness of fresh pineapple that's tied up by a soft cinnamon finish. Sweet and delicate - Highland Park has produced a whiskey at a great age statement, a must-buy for anyone looking to enjoy a subtle bottle by a well-seasoned producer.
Price:
Hidden
Laurent-Perrier Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Champagne
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/20/2021 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 11/20/2021 | Send Email
This Laurent Perrier bottling is of my favorites in the Blanc de Blanc realm. A crisp and clean Champagne that leads towards lemon, fresh ginger, honeycomb, white peach and fragrant white flowers on the nose and palate. The finish is full, present and lengthy. This is a perfect Champagne for a lover of bright lifted flavors with med plus acidity. Enjoy this with escolar nigiri.
Inverroche "Amber" Gin (750ml)
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 11/18/2021 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 11/18/2021 | Send Email
Whenever people ask for unique gins either to offer as gifts or expand their collections, my first instinct points immediately to Inverroche. The amber especially offers a complex and intriguing profile that you won't find elsewhere. Somewhere between an Old Tom style gin and a barrel aged dry (though there is no wood involved here), it offers all the juniper and floral character of the brand's Classic gin but with added weight, fruit and spice. Golden apples, teak wood, cinnamon, anise, and honey all meld together to create something indescribably satisfying and wonderfully distinct. Though the cocktail applications are nigh endless, I would love to have this in a modified cobbler where it replaces the amontillado.
Price:
$40.99
St. George "Baller" Single Malt California Whiskey
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 11/12/2021 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 11/12/2021 | Send Email
This whiskey marks a particular milestone for me in my spirits journey, as it was one of the first esoteric bottlings that challenged my preconceptions about the category. At once delicate and brash, this project showcases the creativity and innovation at work in St. George's oeuvre. Salty, sweet and tart all at once, it boasts nectarine and pluot tang appointing a body of golden cereal malt with a savory and satisfyingly smoky finish. The first sip takes you past the fruit, revealing its softer floral tones that compliment that rich malt, all the while warming the palate with pleasant spice. A cocktail enthusiast's dream, to be sure, this also makes a great gift for any fan of fun whiskey who is looking to branch out.
Price:
$49.99
Billecart-Salmon "Le Rendez-Vous #2" Pinot Noir Extra Brut Champagne
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/2/2021 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 11/2/2021 | Send Email
What a powerhouse! This Champagne is a statement on Pinot Noir from the region, and combines the hazelnut elegance of Verzenay's north facing slopes with the black cherry savor of Ambonnay's south facing slopes. Not only does it have presence and structure, but it also has a dry, lifted and chalky finish. Sadly, we only have a precious few bottles, and this will not be made again. Maybe next year it will be Chardonnay?
Price:
$109.99
Inverroche "Amber" Gin (750ml)
By: Greg Dudley | Review Date: 11/1/2021 | Send Email
By: Greg Dudley | Review Date: 11/1/2021 | Send Email
A great cocktail gin. On the nose I find the usual juniper notes, a nice herbal bouquet and a hint of honey sweetness. On the palate I find more of that honey sweetness and a slight herbal bitterness that just begs for a dash of St. Germain and tonic. Be sure to reach for this next time you're enjoying an Aviation, French 75 or Tom Collins.
Price:
$40.99
St. George "Baller" Single Malt California Whiskey
By: Greg Dudley | Review Date: 11/1/2021 | Send Email
By: Greg Dudley | Review Date: 11/1/2021 | Send Email
The Baller shows impressive complexity for it's age. At only 3 yrs old this "California take on the Japanese spin on Scotch whiskey" is very nice and dangerously drinkable. The nose shows plum and floral notes with just a hint of smoke. On the palate these notes are joined by malty sweetness and a slight nuttiness. With a hint of plum and a light smokey note on the finish this is a very pleasant take on Scotch whiskey.
Price:
$49.99
St. George "Baller" Single Malt California Whiskey
By: Austin Jenkins | Review Date: 10/30/2021 | Send Email
By: Austin Jenkins | Review Date: 10/30/2021 | Send Email
A mildly complex single malt: St. George “Baller” Single Malt Whiskey is an array of floral flavors and scents, ranging from wildflowers to dried rose petals – this sweet, and decadent whiskey has a lighter body, velvety texture that delivers flavors like citrus zest, baking spices, and delicious chocolate malt chased subtly by a lingering plum finish. A perfect whiskey for drinking straight or making its name’s sake: The Highball.
Price:
$49.99
2016 Labégorce, Margaux
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 10/28/2021 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 10/28/2021 | Send Email
A wonderful Bordeaux that is showing well now. The nose is soft and inviting. It is robust and complex with a good balance between fruit flavors and classic dry finish. It will be best with food.
2016 Labégorce, Margaux
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 10/28/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 10/28/2021 | Send Email
This wine is incredibly good! Located right next to first growth Margaux, Margaux with freshly rebuilt winemaking facilities, Labegorce is one of the best deals in Margaux right now. The 2016 is full bodied with rich, pure dark cherry, blueberry and cassis fruit and great minerality. The ripe tannins are seamlessly integrated, and subtle toast from oak aging is right on point, not overdone. As good as this is now, it will surely age well for multiple decades.
San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 10/23/2021 | Send Email
By: Dejah Overby | Review Date: 10/23/2021 | Send Email
When enjoying this Prosecco recognize that is made with such familiarity and experience for this family as ties in the Valdobbiadene that go as far back to the sixth century AD. Their expectations when harvesting quality Glera combined with consistency in flavor from bottling to consumer is why K&L's relationship has lasted so long, they're just about part of our family. The suppleness of granny smith apples, ginger-pear sorbet, dried apricots in this version finishing with almond paste and the subtle brininess is lengthy and truly delightful on the finish. Feel free to apply your fruit puree of choice, this can be a great partner to passion fruit or prickly pear for bellini cocktails.
Price:
$15.99
Compass Box "Orchard House" Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 10/21/2021 | Send Email
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 10/21/2021 | Send Email
Compass Box strikes again. It was a devastating loss when Oak Cross went away from their core lineup, but the gaping hole that was left behind has finally been filled. Orchard House delivers the goods - a bushel full of them. The whisky has been purpose driven since being laid down in barrel to showcase the incredible fruit profile of the distillery components. It's a blended malt that highlights all of the beautiful ripe fruits in the pantheon of Scotch flavors. It's branches sit heavy with apples of every shade, stone fruit from succulent apricots and peaches to candied nectarines. Ripe pear abounds. It's truly incredible. All that fruit however - is still grounded by a full and complete whisky. This is where Compass Box really shines. Their mission is to build a whisky that is more than the sum of its parts. In a classic 1+1=3 magic trick they've paired all that fruit with ex-Oloroso sherry butts and their custom French oak barrels for a robust palate with more than a sprinkle of spice. Cinnamon and nutmeg, a touch of ground black pepper, rancio complexity in just enough force to be the perfect touch - like that extra pinch of salt from a chef. Vanilla and honey pair perfectly with the malty goodness that is of course the foundation for any Scotch. It's a masterpiece at a bargain price and fully deserving of a prominent spot in the core lineup of Compass Box.
Price:
$44.99
San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/20/2021 | Send Email
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/20/2021 | Send Email
Absolutely delicious Prosecco! It has an amazing floral aroma and light delicate bubbles with soft flavor of Liberty apple and bright citrus notes. It's very easy to drink and it's a great sparkling wine to use in many cocktails.
Price:
$15.99
Tequila Tapatio "Excelencia" Extra Añejo Tequila
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/16/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/16/2021 | Send Email
If you're looking for a high end Tequila then this is the one as the Tapatio Excelencia has everything you want in an extra anejo. I find a nice saltiness and good agave flavor despite its age. This is very easy to drink with flavors of agave, herbs and some mangoes and banana in the background with a very smooth finish. Another great thing about this Tequila is that it is not sweet which can be a bit too common in the extra anejo category. A wonderful Tequila that is also well priced when you look at its competitors. Highly recommended!
Price:
$199.99
| Limit of 1 per customer |
Tequila Tapatio "Excelencia" Extra Añejo Tequila
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 10/15/2021 | Send Email
By: Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 10/15/2021 | Send Email
The Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva is one of the greatest Tequilas ever produced. Dollar for dollar, there is nothing better available on the market today. We struggle to keep this Tequila in stock, but finally managed to grab a large parcel. The production of this spirit is insane and the extra time and care in making it shows with every nosing and every sip. This is decidedly NOT your big rich sweet style of extra añejo laden with additives - this is pure Agave flavor perfected meshed with quality oak for four years and then - like the world's finest eau de vie - allowed to rest for years before bottling. Nose: a complex mélange of fresh agave, blue fruit compote, freshly cut cherry wood, pencil shavings, and leafy herbs. On the palate the wood profile is rich and round, but not overpowering of the agave itself. Vanilla and caramel fill the mouth tempered by a spicy cracked pepper and fine tannin structure. Roasted and candied nuts, fresh saw dust, apple sauce, and raw sugar cane stalk all blend into a wonderful transition from mid-palate to finish. It's got length for days. If you're a lover of Tequila and are looking for extra añejo outside the cloying sweet style - you simply cannot do better than this bottle.
Price:
$199.99
| Limit of 1 per customer |
Compass Box "Orchard House" Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
Such a beautiful and inviting Scotch! As soon as you pour a dram of this, you can tell that you're in the company of a friend. True to it's name, Compass Box's new blended malt, Orchard House, is redolent of multiple orchard fruit aromas. Apple, pear, peach, and cherry step to the front of the line. When nosing this, from time to time it almost smells like Calvados, though never fully giving up its base cereal notes. Whipped buttercream floats through, cut by just enough spice (one of the contributions of Clynelish in the blend, I'm guessing). The palate keeps playing with the fruit and ups the ante with a bright citrus pop, though they are certainly grounded by earthy and leathery flavors providing excellent balance. I hear that Orchard House will be replacing Oak Cross in Compass Box's core lineup, so while I was sad to see Oak Cross go, I'm pleased that it's being replaced by this absolute stunner of a blended malt.
Price:
$44.99
Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
Red apple skin and lemon notes are the most prominent flavors of this Champagne. It's full-bodied and powerful with firm structure and acidity. Serious wine that should be paired with richer seafood, like lobster, tuna or swordfish. It opens up a lot in the glass as you drink it and shows more sides of it. Definitely a unique Champagne.
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
By: Lilia McIntosh | Review Date: 10/6/2021 | Send Email
I never get tired of tasting and drinking this Champagne every time it comes back in stock. It's that good! Brilliant and tremendously complex, it's one of the best expressions of Blanc De Blancs . On the palate you get delicious combination of light lemon curd and some chalky minerality. On the nose - meadow flowers and citrus blossom. No wonder it's always gone so fast from our shelves!
Compass Box "Orchard House" Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 10/2/2021 | Send Email
By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 10/2/2021 | Send Email
I would have bought this whisky at double the price. This offering from Compass Box is one of my biggest surprises of 2021, so much gentle fruit, deftly balanced with concentrated, natural malt and subtle rancio complexity. This is so much better than most single malt at the price and my favorite new release in many years. This is seamless and involved stuff!
Price:
$44.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/1/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/1/2021 | Send Email
This is a staff and customer favorite for very good reasons. It's just delicious Champagne that is very easy to drink. I find it really well balanced. It is rich yet has good acid and is very rounded overall. It's basically the house Champagne at K&L that we frequently drink for our celebrations. One key part of the cepage here is that the Ariston's include 30% Pinot Meunier, an unusally high amount and I think it comes through when you drink the wine. Buy a bottle, you won't be disappointed.
Price:
$37.99
Baron-Fuenté "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/1/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 10/1/2021 | Send Email
Champagne for $25? Come on now, it's a no-brainer. The long list of reviews below mine tell you all you need to know about this wine. It's just a terrific deal for a Champagne of this quality. A crowd-pleasing style that hits all the right spots. It's a best seller for a reason and not just because of the price.
Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
It's Billecart, so you don't need me to tell you this wine is great - some assumptions are not foolhardy in the slightest. I was initially struck by the pretty florality of the nose that flows into aromas of light vanilla cream, soft breadiness, and citrus notes. The palate has amazing texture with weight lifted by elegant bubbles. Flavors of plum and apple mix with the citrus elements and baking spices. The oak aging really transforms this Champagne, adding complexity without applying a heavy hand.
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
This delectable all-Chardonnay Champagne has a wonderful little secret: at least 50% of what's in the bottle is reserve wines. So even though it's non vintage, Bonville is utilizing a lot of its premium older wine for this Grand Cru. This Champagne comes at you with bracing minerality and acidity. There are notes of green apple, lemon tart, and enough chalk to get stuck in your teeth. That pucker factor along with a velvety soft mouthfeel makes this one of my favorite go-to Champagnes.
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
The Aspasie Reserve has been one of my favorite go-to sparklers since I started working at K&L (back when it was called Carte Blanche). The name may have changed, but luckily the quality of the juice is exactly as high as it has always been. For me, Aspasie Reserve is all about freshness and balance, and it's amazing that it delivers so fully on those characteristics for under $35. That price is even more impressive when you know that this wine spends five years on the lees and contains 15-20% reserve wines. Yellow apple floats on top of fresh lemon for the nose. There's a great mineral base accented by a touch of toasted buttery brioche, golden raisins, and light honey. The palate has baked apple and pear notes that lean towards richness, but never crosses over that line. The fruit maintains its presence and the acid keeps just a little edge going. Wonderful!
Price:
$37.99
Baron-Fuenté "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
This is the best value I've ever seen from Champagne. This flagship from western Marne producer Baron Fuenté is aged for a full three years on the lees, giving it a richness unheard of under $25. It has expressive flavors of apricot, Gala apples, and honeysuckle with a touch of spice and herbs and a rich toasty creaminess on a finish that just keeps going and going. What a value for the quality!
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
A great amount of effort and care goes into Aspasie Reserve, and it is instantly clear when you taste it. Low temperature macerated in small volume, then lightly filtered and aged for an impressive five years on the lees, it is a true wonder that the cost is not much higher than it is. Bright, pure flavors of Anjou pear, granny smith apple, toasted pastry dough, and hisbiscus, with a light creamy texture and crisp acidity never fail to impress even the most discerning champagne drinkers.
Price:
$37.99
Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
For those who enjoy the added nuance and luxury a subtle addition of oak lends to champagne, the Sous Bois is a superbly executed example from an excellent champagne house. The base of bright Anjou pear and granny smith apples is enhanced by nuances of vanilla, baking spice and a touch of cocoa. The added frame of oak gives great weight and added luxury to an already excellent wine.
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne (375ml)
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Alex Schroeder | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
A great amount of effort and care goes into Aspasie Reserve, and it is instantly clear when you taste it. Low temperature macerated in small volume, then lightly filtered and aged for an impressive five years on the lees, it is a true wonder that the cost is not much higher than it is. Bright, pure flavors of Anjou pear, granny smith apple, toasted pastry dough, and hisbiscus, with a light creamy texture and crisp acidity never fail to impress even the most discerning champagne drinkers.
Price:
$19.99
Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
You'll be hard pressed to find a better deal in Blanc des Blancs Champagne than this offering from Franck Bonville. It is fresh and acidic with a fine chalk-filled core and a terrific texture that comes at a price that anybody can afford. Plus its all Grand Cru fruit from top quality terroir in the Côte des Blancs!
Billecart-Salmon "Sous Bois" Brut Champagne
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/29/2021 | Send Email
The 'Sous Bois' is a barrel-fermented offering from Billecart-Salmon that uses fruit from Premier and Grand Cru sites in the Cote des Blancs. The three main Champagne grapes are used in equal proportions and all fermentation and ageing is done under wood (sous bois), with 6-7 years on the lees to add complexity. The aroma is very captivating in the way that only barrel fermentation can produce. There is definitely some comparison here to Krug and for those that would like to see what oak does to Champagne then this is a wine that you should try. There is some rich toast and brioche notes yet the wine is well balanced with some good acid lift that keeps it from being heavy or ponderous. I think this is a very fine Champagne that could be versatile for any occasion.
Saint Benevolence Clairin Rum (750ml)
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 9/27/2021 | Send Email
By: Jeffrey Jones | Review Date: 9/27/2021 | Send Email
This rum has a lot to offer for fans of rums made from fresh sugar cane juice. The nose has a nice grass and savory aromas. In the mouth it is a dry rum but there are nice fruity notes with savory undertones. It is easy to drink and enjoy.
Price:
Hidden
Lustau "East India Solera" Cream Sherry Jerez
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/22/2021 | Send Email
By: Tim Telli | Review Date: 9/22/2021 | Send Email
Lustau is an incredible producer of sherry. The East India Solera harkens back to the day when trading ships would sail around the world with casks of wine and sherry onboard, whose flavors would be influenced by the warm tropical weather on trips to places like the East Indies. Each wine (Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez) is matured separately in its own solera for 12 years. Once blended together, the resulting sherry is returned to barrel for another 3 years ageing. The resulting blend of sherries is just hugely complex. You get the sweetness of the px and the nuttiness and rancio of the oloroso that has so many flavors going on that every time you smell it you pick up different notes. I think this would appeal to lovers of Madeira as well as sherry lovers. The wine is perfect with nuts and aged cheese or just drinking on its own after a meal or an evening nightcap. I also find that it actually improves and gains more funky complexity after being open a few weeks. An excellent wine!
Frey Ranch Bottled In Bond Nevada Estate Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/15/2021 | Send Email
By: Neal Fischer | Review Date: 9/15/2021 | Send Email
I like ryes that make spice the star (sorry, no softies for me please), and Frey Ranch's offering fits that bill. Great spice hits right off the bat featuring dill, fennel, cinnamon, dark vanilla, and clove. There's a little bit of funk that reminds me of Jamaican rums which is a curious - but welcomed - feature. Butterscotch and salted almonds round out the picture on the nose. This rye has exciting and fun spice without alcohol burn and tingles the tip of the tongue. On the palate, the spices have a brighter and fresher quality and get herbal, making this dram all the more exciting. The dill comes more to the foreground with other green flavors like eucalyptus. Cinnamon bark, polished leather, and bright lemon flavors emerge as well.