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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

Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth (1L)

By: Greg St. Clair | Review Date: 7/9/2009 | Send Email

If you have never tasted this product you must. If you think you know what vermouth is think again; this will absolutely blow you away. Inordiately complex, so full of spice, balanced...it is really good. Try it on the rocks with a twist and a splash, straight up or in a Manhattan.

Price: $34.99

WE: 95

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

By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 7/9/2009 | Send Email

It is hard to miss this wine with its great packaging, but more importantly it is the juice between the bubbles. Ever since I started working for K & L, first bottle I took home was this wine!, I have been a big fan. Broad rich on the palate with a great bead. The flavors lean towards white Burgundy, what's not to like?

Price: $39.99

Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 7/6/2009 | Send Email

Very easy to like - soft textured, citrus and cream flavors. Plump, round and delicious. For someone who usually goes for a bit lean and austere, I'm always surprised I like this as much as I do. It's just delicious stuff.

Price: $53.99

JS: 92

RP: 92

Arette Artesanal Blanco Suave Tequila (750ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 7/1/2009 | Send Email

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, and, now that I'm the spirits buyer, maybe my opinion will hold more weight: Arette makes the best tequila that we carry! The blanco is so elegant and ripe with pure agave flowers, unfettered from any contact with an oak barrel. There are some purists who believe that blanco is the only real tequila, and to them I say, the Arette blanco is tequila in its truest form.

Price: $42.99

WE: 90

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (750ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 7/1/2009 | Send Email

I've heard from a few bartenders that the sign of a quality bar is a bottle of Luxardo sitting on the shelf behind it. It is considered a signal that the bartenders there are committed to using quality ingredients in their libations. It is the only maraschino liqueur that you should ever use and is the ultimate addition to a plate of fresh fruit.

Price: $39.99

WE: 90 - 95

Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 5/26/2009 | Send Email

This is my whiskey of choice when making a Manhattan. The Rittenhouse is spicy, bold, rich, inexpensive, and delicious. I like a kick with my cocktails and I hate to mix expensive booze. I could sip the Rittenhouse, but at 100 proof, it's perfect over ice, or with sweet vermouth and a maraschino cherry.

Price: $22.99

WE: 95

Marolo "Milla" Camomile Grappa Liqueur (375ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 5/20/2009 | Send Email

I was soooooooooooooo skeptical when our Italian expert Mike Parres told me to buy a bottle of this delicious grappa. "Camomile in my grappa? Come on!" I said to him. However, this stuff is exquisite. It's thick, coating, and heavenly with pure notes of fresh camomile gently blended into the more subtle grappa flavors. If you love grappa, you'll love this. If you hate grappa, you'll still love this.

Price: $34.99

Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml)

By: Cindy Westby | Review Date: 5/20/2009 | Send Email

Adding a couple of ice cubes to this 100 proof spirit really tames the beast, bringing out the sweetness and rye-bread aromatics. A wonderful digestif after dinner - with a very reasonable price tag.

Price: $22.99

WE: 95

Ardbeg "Uigeadail" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 5/1/2009 | Send Email

I love Ardbeg, and the Uigeadail is one of the most special expressions that I have had from this great Islay distillery. No other distillery makes a malt quite as peaty as Ardbeg, and this one has an additional twist: sherry wood aging. The sherry wood gives another dimension of richness and weight to this typically light and piercing single malt. I have a bottle at home, and I love it for a cold night by the fire - but Alex Brisoux (the Redwood City store manager) swears by it with oysters! That is a combination that is hard for me to imagine, but I don't doubt a professional like Alex on a topic as serious as pairings!

Price: $79.99

WA: 94

Coniston Brewing Company "Bluebird Bitter" England (500ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 4/17/2009 | Send Email

This hoppy bitter deserves the accolades it has received; which include the Campaign for Real Ale's "Ale of the Year" in 2008. Bright, refreshing bitterness, balanced by high quality but extraordinarily restrained maltiness and very low alcohol make this a true session beer - perfect for occasions when having a few more than one. This will be in my cellar (they suggest 58 degree serving temperature) from now on!

Price: $7.99

Ariston Aspasie "Brut Prestige" Champagne

By: Cindy Westby | Review Date: 4/9/2009 | Send Email

Fun fact about Ariston: their winemaker Paul-Vincent uses the best juice from his younger vines for the Vintage champagne...and the best juice from his older vines for the'Aspasie'! I popped a bottle last night and was instantly transported to Brouillet. Mature old vine flavor, dry and classy! Drink it cool but not ice-cold to capture all the flavors...

Price: $49.99

Wine Club

$44.99

Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne

By: Cindy Westby | Review Date: 4/9/2009 | Send Email

It blows my mind. $32.99, really? Small production grower rose champagne, aged on the lees for 5 years?? Are you sure, only $32.99? Beautiful to behold with its tawny pink color - and a joy to consume with layers of flavor and aroma. Enjoy alongside baked ham, herbed quiche - or even smoked almonds as an afternoon treat!

Price: $42.99

Hendrick's Scottish Gin (750ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/27/2009 | Send Email

Scotland has more to offer than just great whisky... This gin is world class too! Cinnamon and I are both big fans of the old "mother's ruin" and always keep a variety on hand. Along with Fernet Branca and Rittenhouse Rye, this is one of the most repeated bottles of spirits in our liquor cabinet. This is a gentle style of gin, not extra proof or supercharged with juniper, yet it is could never be given the old put-down "vodka lovers gin"- it has far too much balanced flavor for that. The cucumber and rose petal elements in this fine spirit lend a cooling and subtly aromatic touch rather than being overt flavorings. I love it with tonic, and just the smallest corner of one of our homegrown Meyer lemons.

Price: $29.99

WE: 92

Clear Creek Eau de Vie Pomme 8 Year Old Apple Brandy (375ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 3/18/2009 | Send Email

I'm not sure if anyone else read Mr. McCarthy's article in the New York Times about making Eau De Vie spirits, but I was fascinated by the process of how he captured the essence of the Douglas Fir tree in a bottle. This Pomme apple brandy, essentially an American Calvados, is absolutely outstanding and would make the perfect after dinner drink for almost any fine meal. Rich barrel flavors combine with can only be described as the soul of an apple to create a robust, yet smooth drinking spirit. My hat is off to Clear Creek.

Price: $26.99

Fernet Branca (750ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 3/5/2009 | Send Email

Fernet has a following that borders on a cult here at the K&L. The ultimate in "acquired tastes" this herbal digestif is rarely enjoyed by the imbiber the first time. But, in the wine business, we often times have meals that are a little bit bigger than normal, and need a little something to settle our stomachs, and nothing on the planet is better than Fernet. Cinnamon is an evangelical convert to this magic elixir, and having less than half of a bottle of it in our liquor cabinet is an emergency situation. We even have Fernet posters in our living room - no lie! Try this out the next time you need a little help settling your stomach after a big meal... You'll learn to love the herbal taste.

Price: $25.99

Springbank 10 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 3/4/2009 | Send Email

If I'm in the mood for a bit of peat, this is one of my favorites. Scottland's oldest independent, continually-operated distillery, Springbank's 10 year is a great balance of judicious peaty smoke, malty, nutty flavors, a hint of sweetness, and an amazing saline tang on the finish, which lingers a while and then seems to dissolve effortlessly. Powerful and elegant, Springbank is a true original, and every bit as elegant as people say it is.

Price: $109.99

WE: 92

Aperol Aperitivo Liqueur (750ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 2/11/2009 | Send Email

Quite a few Aperol bottles have made it into the Westby family recycling bin by way of our liquor cabinet. Cinnamon and I love to make Champagne cocktails with it, a habit that K&L's own Doug Davidson got us started on. Since Aperol has quite a moderate alcohol content (at 11%, it is even less than Champagne!) it isn't quite as dangerous to drink while cooking as other cocktails we enjoy. The recipe is simple: fill a rocks glass thoroughly with ice, add one shot of Aperol, fill the remainder with Champagne (it is great with the Michel Dervin) and add a twist of orange. It is also great with just plain soda and a twist.

Price: $24.99

WE: 95

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Sparkling Wine

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 1/28/2009 | Send Email

This has a vibrant spiced pear and melon character. It sees little to no malolactic fermentation, giving it a racing stripe of acidity that keeps the wine focused. We also have this beauty, which was awarded 90 points by Wine & Spirits Magazine, in magnum .

Price: $29.95

Arette Artesanal Reposado Suave Tequila (700ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 1/24/2009 | Send Email

I finally ponied up for the Arette Reposado the other night, after promising myself I would buy it eventually. I opened it for the staff before bringing it home, and everyone literally ooohed and ahhhed just smelling the nose in the glass. The aromas of pure blue agave are intoxicating. The delicacy and grace of the tequila as it slowly coats your mouth is even more impressive. By far the best tequila I have ever tasted; and I've had my share. Arette is known for being a hands-on, old-school distiller as well, so their reputation for quality craftsmanship lives up to the hype. I couldn't recommend it strongly enough.

Price: $49.99

WE: 93

Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond 100 Proof Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/20/2009 | Send Email

I can't say that we have anything- spirits, wine, beer or other that delivers as much value as this superlative spirit. When Susan Purnell secured our first allocation of this producer’s rye, I immediately bought a bottle of this and the 21 year old. I loved the 21 year old, which I opened first, and was completely amazed by the standard bottling. If you have never had rye, you no longer have an excuse not to try it- if you love rye, do not let the low price fool you. This is a rich spirit, but does not have any of the bubble gum sweetness that small batch bourbons are often afflicted with. It also has a wild streak- think rye bread- that is hard to pin down. I enjoy the Rittenhouse on the rocks after dinner most often, but sometimes also indulge in an absinthe sazerac with this rye as the star ingredient. Feel free to write me for the recipe!

Price: $22.99

WE: 95

Cadenhead's Old Raj Gin 110 Proof (700ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/20/2009 | Send Email

When is a gin worth $50 a bottle? When it tastes like this! I have far too much English blood in my veins, and gin is part of my heritage... I can't resist the stuff. This is simply one of the best, combing the wild exoticism of saffron with the staid authority and elegance of royalty. Cinnamon and I always keep a bottle in the house; it is a luxury worth indulging in. I love it for gin & tonic, as it says on the label "after the hunt"...

Price: $49.99

Ardbeg 10 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

By: Gary Westby | Review Date: 1/14/2009 | Send Email

How does one judge a fine drink? My father and I have talked about this subject a lot, and one of his key questions is, "would I return to it?" With this expression of Ardbeg, my answer is a big yes. Susan just sold me a bottle of what will be the sixth expression of Ardbeg in my liquor cabinet at present. I love this distillery, and jump at the chance to buy each new bottling that comes our way... Yet I am drawn back most often to the distillery ten. It is the lightest, the brightest, the most untamed by wood and time of all of the Ardbegs we carry. It is full of peat - My wife Cinnamon can often smell it from across the room as I pour and will complain about it. So, don't by it for someone who does not like peat - they will hate it! I am sure that I return to it because it has the peat flavor that I love, but without the oily heaviness that I don't want after a big meal, and after a big meal is when I want Scotch the most. Don’t get me wrong, I love the variety and still drink my other bottles (all of which were more expensive), but I just empty this one fastest. It is delicious, and well worth the modest price.

Price: $59.99

WA: 92

Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 12/27/2008 | Send Email

There is simply no better Blanc de Blanc in the store at this price! Classic Avize minerality with crisp apple-y fruit, lemons, limes and wet stone aspects. A wonderful Chamnpagne with caviar or baked Brie. Too good of a value to pass up. We can also go for months without having this sparkler in stock. Also available in 375ml and magnum. It also comes in a gorgeous 2002 vintage as well!

Price: $53.99

JS: 92

RP: 92

Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne

By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 12/26/2008 | Send Email

Fresh off de boat! Just tried this last Saturday night (4th of July). Those of you who are fans, don't be confused by the new Aspasie label! It's the same wine you have loved for years! Loads of raspberry, strawberry and bing cherry fruit. Hints of minerality hit the tongue and make this a winner for those of you who like the Billecart-Salmon style at a greatly reduced price. We always sell out of this one!

Price: $42.99

Schramsberg "Mirabelle" California Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email

With a high Spectator score, this sparkling wine doesn't really need my help to sell it, but I did really enjoy the style. The wine possesses a strong watermelon and strawberry character with hints of cinnamon. Though not quite as detailed as some higher-end Rosé Champanges this would definitely hold its ground against many of the entry level cuvees for a lot less money!

Price: $27.95

Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 10/22/2008 | Send Email

So smooth you won't think it's bourbon. Honestly, the distiller himself said he has problems selling it sometimes because people don't think it's bourbon, but I can vouch for him. It's bourbon alright, and it's divine. Your friends will be asking where you got it.

Price: $19.99

WE: 93

Rowan's Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 8/22/2008 | Send Email

Incredibly balanced, its zesty aromatics feature some surprising honeysuckle and jasmine notes. The mouthfeel is supple but not thick; there’s also a subdued sweetness with just a touch of pepper and no detectable heat. Attractively packaged and reasonably priced, something this good can’t last forever.

Price: $49.99

High West Rendezvous Rye Whiskey (750ml)

By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 8/12/2008 | Send Email

Who said we had to review just wine? I just remembered that I love whiskey! This High West bottling is a superb blend of two casks that the producer found in the basement of another distiller; a 6 year old and a 16 year old. The flavors are semisweet and caramel-based, but the finish is pure rye. I have to be careful when I pull this bottle out because I might get a little greedy. Then I wouldn't be able to remember how it tasted!

Price: $64.99

WE: 96

WA: 95

Lillet Blanc Aperitif Wine (750ml)

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 7/18/2008 | Send Email

This white wine-based aperitif was created in 1887 in Bordeaux and originally had a high quinine content (presumably to treat malaria). Quinine is synthesized from the Kina-Kina tree, hence the drink’s original name: Kina Lillet. The original recipe was made famous by Ian Fleming in Casino Royal as a key component in the infamous “James Bond Martini.” This blend of fruit liqueurs and fortified wine was originally marketed as a tonic of great medicinal quality. These days there’s a new, friendlier Lillet with less quinine and it still lends itself to making cocktails, like the famous Edith’s Fizz.

Price: $23.99

WE: 92

Don Fulano Blanco Tequila (750ml)

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 7/6/2008 | Send Email

Extreme quality and depth. The foundation for one of the greatest lines of tequila. The agave fruit bursts from the glass. Using only the highest quality blue agave, Don Fulano Plata Suave sets the standard in tequila. Enjoy mixed, sip it straight, or shoot it for a truly outstanding experience.

Price: $44.99

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (750ml)

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 6/18/2008 | Send Email

A first-of-its-kind elderflower liqueur. Wild alpine blossoms are hand-harvested and macerated. Then, through a proprietary fermentation/distillation process the delicate aromatics are released from this wonderful gem, which has a supple but never syrupy texture.

Price: $34.99

WE: 96 - 100

Domaine de Canton Ginger & Cognac Liqueur (750ml)

By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 6/18/2008 | Send Email

Popular with the French since colonial times, this Ginger Cognac Liqueur melds the subtle heat of baby Vietnamese ginger root with the depth of flavor of Grand Champagne Cognac. The addition of spices, honey, and Tunisian ginseng make for a magnificently complex handmade elixir without preservatives or colorants.

Price: $34.99

Rihaku "Wandering Poet" Junmai Ginjo Sake (720ml)

By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 4/29/2008 | Send Email

An exceptional Sake with lots of complexity. The Wandering Poet has a wonderful melon and citrus quality with a hint of anise in the finish. It is one of the best balanced Sakes that we have.

Price: $34.99

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