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Staff Favorites - Aaron Hughes
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Reviews
Fallet-Dart "Heres" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Amazingly floral nose, really rich with white and yellow flowers, underneath that there's golden apple, fresh brioche, lemon zest, lemon curd, and this chalky note that pushes through everything. The palate is bright and crisp, green apple, red pear, more lemon curd, and lingering minerality with each sip, There's more than enough acidity to push through each time, but the floral notes really help accent the notes in the pear and bring out the more floral parts of the lemon, giving everything a really lovely harmony. The finish on this is this juicy apple that slowly turns more and more floral as the finish pushes on and lingers.
Boulard-Bauquaire "Carte Noire" Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
There's this super pretty ripe raspberry note that just won't leave me alone when I smell this, and I'm here for it. There's some blood orange, red apple, lemon flower, and lemon zest accompanying that raspberry on its wild ride up into my nose. The palate has really excellent breadth, spreading deliciously everywhere very bright high toned reds, little flashes here and there, and then there's the more classic red apple and lemon that dominate the palate and more than enough acidity to push this along the palate, a very appley finish lingers and lasts most pleasantly. Very good, but I already knew that, Boulard Bauquaire is always good.
Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Another one of my favorites, yes I have a lot of favorites in Champagne, this one is always an easy suggestion for a gift as well, it comes in a lovely fluted bottle and has a classy label, but what's inside is the real story. This is Old Vine, Premier Cru, Blanc de Blancs and it's just a nearly magical bottle. As Mick said during the tasting today this one is "hard to spit out" and such is the tragedy of tasting not drinking. The nose has this elegance, hyacinths, golden apple, and some soft lemon. The palate is really bright and has a load of fruit, apples, pears, and lemon candy with this ephemeral floral bouquet circling around everything. There's a punchiness and richness to the fruit on the palate that I really love. This is really fantastic and for this price it's hard to beat. Not impossible, just hard.
Price:
$44.99
2018 Fallet-Dart Extra Brut Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Really lovely and pretty nose, there's always an elegance to Fallet-Dart Champagnes that shows even more in these vintage offerings. Lovely toasted baguette, green apple and pear, lemon flowers, and some roundness on the finish make so many promises for the palate. The palate is fantastic, ripe pear, red apple, lemon candy, lemon juice, and a lingering minerality round this whole thing out just perfectly. This is exactly the type of Champagne that I love to drink, and this is one of the first bottles we bought and tried as a staff after hours when they came in. This is fantastic and I look forward to seeing what else is coming out from Fallet-Dart in time.
Price:
$49.99
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Les Amoureux" Pinot Blanc Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
This has long been a go-to bottle for when someone wants "something different" in the mystical land of Champagne, and often hits the right mark. It's a glorious nexus of price and intrigue, where most people are happy to put down this much at least for a new experience. The fruit has this white peach note at the very outset, then we get into some apples, some lemon, and a little bit of white flowers. The palate is a little juicy, but also incredibly dry with great acidity pushing through the whole palate, driving forward green apple, white peach, a myriad of lemons, candy, juice, and zest. I enjoy this a lot and get a couple bottles every year, and it never fails to deliver a slightly different Champagne experience.
Price:
$49.99
Franck Bonville Unisson Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
This is just phenomenal stuff, it was one of the highlights of the whole tasting for me which says something since it was the second wine we tasted. The nose was great, pretty with baguette, bright apple, some pear, and that luscious lemon candy with a flower stuck in it. The depth on the palate is really what impressed me the most, it was just so deep that I kept sinking down further and further with each sip, finding myself in the dark depths with this glorious fruit and really lingering minerality. Absolutely one of my all time favorites.
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Cuvée Gabin" Brut Zero Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Really beautiful and floral nose with jasmine and honeysuckle that almost has a little bit of spice in there, especially when I let it sit and the aromas build up in the glass. Underneath that is some golden apple and lemon, with something slightly sweet at the very end. The palate is bright and crisp, really nice line of acidity pushing through and letting you know that it truly is Brut Zero. Green apple, lemon candy, chalk, and a little bit of that spice from before on the palate and the acidity ensures that it pushes through and cleans everything leaving your palate rejuvenated and enriched by the experience. Yummers.
Price:
$44.99
Maison 76 Côte des Blancs Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
What an absolute treat, this inaugural selection for the Westby Collection by K&L brings you Maison 76, such a wonderful project with a wonderful result. Lots of beautiful fruit on the front of the bouquet, soft apple, ripe pear, lemon curd, and some very pretty jasmine and white flowers. The palate has a little touch of brioche, and then more apple and pear, lemon juice, and this beautiful minerality on the winding and lingering finish. I had this with some tortellini with broccoli and sausage in a cream sauce, and unsurprisingly to me, it worked beautifully. The beautiful line of acidity that pushes through the whole palate cut through any richness in the dish and left me with something that urged me both to take another bite and another sip. This is one of the best private label new releases we've had, and yet again Champagne Gary Westby has proved that spending more than $45 on a bottle of Champagne is a choice, not a necessity, I mean sure it's a choice I frequently make but that's not the point. This drinks just as well, if not better, than anything comparable even at two or more times its price point. This is easily one of the best decisions you can make this season, or next.
Price:
$44.99
2017 Franck Bonville "Belles Voyes" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Through different vintages, the Bonville Belles Voyes is something we've carried longer than I've worked here and it was one of the first Champagnes that blew me away. The nose is almost a little touch savory, there's definitely some light red apple, lemon water, soy sauce, and white flowers. The palate is crazy good and crazy deep, there's been real evolution since this morning and all for the best, it's opened up amazingly and has this completeness. Green apple, golden apple, underripe pear, lemon candy, and lemon pith all work together, there's this really amazing savory mid-point in the palate where the fruit turns and then comes back at you, the pith on the finish give it this really lovely and entrancing touch of bitter that pulls everything together in the very best way and really makes you take that next sip or next bite of food, it's just fantastic and this is a Champagne that will pair with almost anything you want it to. Love this so much.
2017 Boulard-Bauquaire "Les Fervins" Verzenay Grand Cru Brut Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2026
Always one of my favorite offerings that we carry, I really enjoy the style of this producer and also it comes with a "hand" tied bottle and a tiny pair of Champagne branded scissors to cut the thick rustic string holding down the cork. Who doesn't like little scissors? That said, what really matters is what's in the bottle, and that's top notch as well. There's a little yeastiness on the nose and underneath is this lovely jasmine that just jumps out and brings the fruit with it, bruised golden apple, lemon curd, more white flowers, and then chalk in the finish. The palate has a touch of richness to it, lots of breadth as the acid coats and a finish that just won't quit. There's more apple, lemon candy, lemon zest, and really lovely chalky notes that carry through. This is really just fantastic stuff, and honestly one of the better "gifty" bottles in the price range.
Price:
$119.99
2015 Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 05-28-2026
This is absolutely glorious, coming from what would normally be the Cuvee Elizabeth from Billecart-Salmon, but their choosing to declassify it give us the best 2015 Champagne I've ever tasted and probably the best Champagne I've tasted so far this year. The nose after opening for a little while is full of plump alpine strawberries, white plum flesh, blood orange zest, the middle of a loaf of fresh brioche, and a whisper of hyacinths. The palate unfathomably dense and deep, the fruit is spritely and bright with white strawberry, blood orange pith, and a little bit of green apple. This is not just a Champagne, this is an experience. This is something you want to sit and dig into the whole time, slowly peeling it back layer by layer, and every time you think you have it figured out something else comes to the forefront. This is like the best book you've ever read, the one that made you just turn page after page after page until you had finished it, and then when you were done you felt like something was taken from you. This bottle is a transcendent magical portal that will take you into a newer and better future, because you'll have had this bottle.
Price:
$119.99
2022 Lagar de Costa "Calabobos" Albarino Rias Baixas
Review Date: 05-26-2026
The nose is so perfectly round and there's these little bright and perfect touches of fruit that expose themselves as you keep taking in the bouquet. Really ripe and perfect pear, white peach, yellow plum, bruised golden apple, and jasmine. The palate has this really great weight to it, the fruit mirrors the nose especially with the bruised golden apple coming out a bit more in front, there's this really great acidity that pushes through and a very slightly saline finish. This is really top tier white wine, both really well made, but also supremely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend decanting this because while I liked it this morning, it's taking a huge step up with some air. The fruit has taken on this kind of honeyed quality and the whole nose is a lot more expressive. Super super good. Maybe my favorite wine from the whole tasting today.
Price:
$29.99
2024 Lagar de Costa Albarino Rias Baixas
Review Date: 05-26-2026
Really pretty and almost crystalline nose. There's white peach, ripe pear, a little lemon candy, and some white flowers. This is a little bit more light and pretty and less juicy than some of other other Albarinos but no less amazing, and definitely with a little bit more elegance. The palate is still fairly juicy with more white peach, apricot, lemon zest and pith, and more pretty and lovely white flowers coming through. This is really fantastic and a super crushable bottle for the summer time, when you want to crush something of quality.
2022 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero
Review Date: 05-26-2026
The florals on this are going crazy with a few hours open and it's got this really perfumed red fruit thing going on that I am totally vibing with right now. The fruit is pretty and ripe and really plush on the nose, with the perfume giving it this kind of glossy aura. It makes sense in my head. Gosh it is a deep one too, dark and inviting. There's some really good structure with moderate tannins and really nice acidity framing the really pretty and dark fruit, this is really interesting as it's bigger than wines I often like, but I really am just into it right now.
2022 Dominio de Atauta "Parada de Atauta" Ribero del Duero
Review Date: 05-26-2026
Big and ripe nose at the very outset, but I am not deterred, there's this kind of hibiscus floral note in the very back that has hooked its finger into my nose and keeps me riveted in place. Really plush with cherry, bramble-fruit, plum, and some really pretty purple flowers. The palate is big and just a little bit chewy, there's definitely a firm grip of tannin but nothing that fat can't fix. There's my tip for today, if your wine is too tannic just eat some butter before each sip, it'll be fine. You might get a tummy-ache depending on how much butter you eat, though. There's really nice fruit, but also some good mid-palate umami notes that kind of slip between the fruit, like a savory little ninja. The finish is lingering and full of barrel spice and oak toast with little bits of fruit still hanging around the edges but it's a very barrel-forward finish. I really enjoyed this, all this Atauta wines have been great.
2021 Dominio de Atauta "La Celestina" Crianza Ribera del Duero
Review Date: 05-26-2026
A really friendly and accessible nose, there's some creamy fruit on the very front, dark and a little seductive there's a nice depth to the nose that pulls me in a little bit further each time. Black cherry, Red Vines, blackberry, purple flowers, and some barrel spice. The palate has a really nice heft to it, allowing you to really dive down into the fruit, there's some oak around the edges of your palate the whole time, but blackberry, black cherry, ripe raspberry, and little touches of cranberry skin around the very outside bleeding into the oak. This doesn't taste like a $20 bottle of wine. It's better, in case that wasn't clear.
2022 Wine & Soul "Manoella" Tinto Douro
Review Date: 05-26-2026
I really liked this wine at the tasting and now coming back to it, the nose has gone crazy but I'm really into it. There's this intense punch of bright fruit, cherry, strawberry, orange somehow, intense raspberry, oil cured olives, and then perfume-y floral notes come in. The palate is relatively big and dark, there's touches of red fruit around the edges and a strong floral finish, but it's really interesting the whole way through and really compelling in a slightly weird way. I wouldn't say this wine is bonkers weird, but it's definitely got a big personality and isn't afraid to show it. Very fun wine.
2019 Miguel Merino Gran Reserva Rioja
Review Date: 05-26-2026
I really love the French oak on this, it's one of those things that sounds a bit weird, especially when you're talking about Rioja, but ends up making complete sense. The French comes at it with a bit more subtlety than American oak would, but ultimately has no less presence. Oak and toast on the front of the nose, and then underneath that cherry, bruised strawberry, dried herbs, and then the deep barrel spice. This is just so incredibly pleasant to drink even by itself, I want some food but my mouthbuds aren't demanding it instead they're just drinking in every flavoroid and enjoying the depth and length of this wine that each sip brings. This is absolutely amazing and I'll probably be picking up the single vineyards to try they have to be just outstanding as well.
2019 Miguel Merino Reserva Rioja
Review Date: 05-26-2026
The whole nose just is so classic Rioja and it's absolutely delightful. The American oak shines through with little touches of menthol, coconut, and little touches of dried herbs. The fruit is really clean underneath that, dusky and lush with black cherry, blackberry, dried herbs, brambles, and just deep and lush barrel spice as you let yourself mentally fall into the glass, swirling down and down into the depths. The palate is relatively rich, more dark fruits, and then some plum skin and raspberry coming in to join the party. The finish is mostly barrel and spice, but there's little vestiges of fruit and a really decent acidity that pushes through the whole palate. Definitely a step up from the Jovenes and a really compelling bottle of wine. One of my top picks from today's staff tasting.
2022 Miguel Merino "Viñas Jóvenes" Rioja
Review Date: 05-26-2026
I'll just say it and then we can move past it, this wine smells like being in a really comfortable plush box. I have no clue what that means, but it's the first thought that came to mind as soon as I smelled it so here we are. Also, I asked Mick and he agreed, so it's not just me. There's a real generosity and roundness to the fruit on the nose, it's really opened up delightfully since the tasting this morning. Blackberry, black cherry, and overripe strawberry all pop on the nose with this roundness edging its way through as well, and little touches of barrel spice and fresh peppercorns. The palate is really fantastic, there's some fruit on the front but also a lot of really lovely structure with firm but forgiving tannins and really great acidity pushing through the whole thing. The fruit is higher toned with raspberry, pie and black cherries leading the way, and then the barrel comes back in and it finishes with a combination of tannin and fruit with acidity urging the whole thing forward again into the next sip. This is just phenomenal wine at a super reasonable price.
2022 Viña Zorzal Graciano Navarra
Review Date: 05-26-2026
A really elegant and high toned nose with really bright red fruits. There's cranberry skin, ripe raspberry, red licorice, and a little bit of spice on the finish to round it out. The palate is a little crunchy at the outset but then it deepens with some darker fruit, including a little touch of purple here and there. It begins with cranberry and pomegranate, before it gets this touch of purple fruit and then some underripe cherry. This is a really easy and pleasant little bottle of wine that overdelivers for the price.
2025 Big Salt "PNK Salt" Oregon Rosé
Review Date: 05-19-2026
Year to year this has been one of my favorite wineries, both Big Salt and Ovum behind them just make killer wines in Oregon. This is just really lovely bright cherry, freshly cut strawberries that you shouldn't have cut just yet, rhubarb, and some flowers. The palate is really deep and a little punchy with moderate acidity but this really juicy fruit is almost heavy on the palate for a rosé. It's both surprising and really enjoyable, giving this a really fun gravitas but making it super crushable since it could take some food but each sip is super fun just by itself, there's a little bit of hyacinth and green there but it's really integrated and gives it a little bit more complexity. I remain a big fan, which is a huge relief for me, kind of awkward otherwise.
Price:
$17.95
2025 Marine Layer "Carina" Sonoma Coast Rose
Review Date: 05-19-2026
This is such a really lovely kind of princess pink in the glass, it's just visually striking and like they say, we drink with our eyes first. The nose is really plush with this really bright raspberry note shining through the top, then some white strawberry, and underripe white peach. It's really lovely and makes me think of spring for some reason, even though we're really much closer to summer as of the writing of this. The palate has this really outstanding weight, with this really fresh and bright cherry on the front, turning into raspberry, and then into the underripe strawberry as the acidity pushes the fruit through your palate. Lovely, just top tier and something I could see having with some finger foods, there's too much going on here to just crush it by the pool, but you know what? Please just live your best life and do what makes you happy, how and when you crush a rosé just be joyous while doing it.
Price:
$32.95
2024 STiRM "Gimelli Vineyard" Cienega Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 05-19-2026
I cannot even tell you how excited I was when I saw there was a new vintage of the Stirm Gimelli Vineyard Chardonnay. My heart leapt and I heard the horns of Righteousness and Goodness echo in my ears and I knew that it was true, there was justice and wonder left to be found in this world. We will be okay. The nose is a little more subtle, but there's this whisp of jasmine swirling around the fruit, super appealing and just a little touch of the exotic. The fruit is this really ripe and perfect apple, soft pear, lemon candy, and lemon zest, with just this little touch of pith in the far back. The fruit pops on the palate with this really juicy brightness, really ripe apple drenched in lemon curd, and a little bit of white flowers and pear blossom on the finish. It's just so delicious, and it's happened again. Aaron loves it, still loves it, is going to continue to love it. I would help Ryan Stirm hide a body I like this wine so much.
Price:
$19.95
2025 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Rosé
Review Date: 05-19-2026
When I first stuck my nose in the glass it was like I had somehow pushed my nose inside of a freshly picked strawberry, still cool from the morning. I really liked that. As I kept going, out came some of the watermelon candy, also just a little bit of lemon curd and wet stone. The palate is really exceptional, bright underripe raspberry, pie cherry, grated cranberry, and more of those kind of wet stone notes with a little hint of salinity on the lingering finish. Another rosé with really good acid, seems like a pretty good year for it overall, and it's overall got a nice depth as well, this is top tier rosé from a top tier California producer and it delivers exactly how you would hope and expect. Yum.
Price:
$34.95
2025 Anonymous Wine Collective Contra Costa County Rosé of Mourvedre
Review Date: 05-19-2026
Good lord the nose on this is gorgeous, there's this bright red raspberry, but also really luscious and juicy white peach, some alpine strawberry, and maybe hyacinths, just this kind of light pink floral note. I love Mourvèdre so please understand this review will be very biased and subjective, just like all of the other reviews that I do. The palate is a little juicy, with watermelon rind, underripe raspberry, cherry water, and really great acidity, pushing the fruit through towards the end, with a mid-weight for a rosé. This is a quintessential porch wine, something that I want to have some nibbles with, especially some kind of goat cheese crostini with like some kind of something savory/sweet on top of the goat cheese. Yeah, I want that. Anyhow, this is a really well priced and well placed rosé that has everything you're looking for, at least that I'm looking for, I'm assuming you're just also a person of quality and taste.
Price:
$14.95
2025 Red Car Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir
Review Date: 05-19-2026
One thing I love about wine is how your experience can change from bottle to bottle of the very same wine. The first time I tried this rosé I wasn't the biggest fan, but I really love it today. There's this really gorgeous white peach gummy that's accompanying the watermelon candy on the nose, and then underneath that there's this kind of steeliness that I'm really digging, each inhale is this sensory treat. The palate walks that really fine line between being a little juicy and having the crispness that you sometimes really need from a rosé. This has that crisp line of acidity pushing through like a wave with little surfer fruit on the crest just doing a pipe tube or whatever. I feel like I blew it at the end, but you get it, it's rad, and really delicious and dry with this super pretty raspberry note on the palate, along with touches of the watermelon. Definitely a go to recommendation.
2022 William Harrison Estate Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 05-19-2026
A plush and lush nose, it's really expressive right now with really pillowy kind of aromas, just really comforting for some reason. There's a little bit of blue fruit somewhere in the back, but mostly there's darker fruits with blackberry cobbler, black cherry, raspberry flower and ripe raspberry, some plum flesh, and a fair amount of barrel in the back. The fruit is dusty and has a couple turns of black pepper passed over it, there's more leather, some black olive, and then more barrel before fruit comes back in and twines and twists with the barrel notes. This is really nice and classy Cabernet Sauvignon but with a little more structure and food friendliness than some of the bigger and fatter Napa offerings. Really really good.
Price:
Hidden
2023 Domaine de l'Amandine Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret
Review Date: 05-19-2026
This has such a fresh and pretty nose lots of lovely fruit on it, bruised strawberry, bright cherry, blueberry compote, and some nice white and purple flowers. The palate has a really nice line of acidity pushing through the whole thing, the mouthwatering easily beating the drying tannins. The fruit is a little further along than the nose, there's touched of dried cherry and strawberry, but ripe raspberries and blueberries mixed together, and then some earth comes in along the finish, with some barrel roundness and just a very very light touch of spice. This is just such an easy choice for this price, easy and the kind of wine that you love to open up because it's always impressive when you tell people how much you paid. Low key strutting. Enjoy it, it deserves to be enjoyed.
2018 Sportoletti "Villa Fidelia" Rosso
Review Date: 05-19-2026
This wine surprised me a lot more than I thought it would. I always trust our buyers, they have amazing palates, and bring in some monster deals, but this one still caught me off-guard. This is a classic BDX-style blend, with really dark and intense fruit while pulling back and being just shy of full bodied. For just $15, this is a wine that really shouldn't be ignored by anyone who comes to us in part for our aforementioned monster deals. You get a lot for the price, there's a little touch of rustic barn on the nose, but right after there it gets intense quick. The fruit is dark and inky, compote of blackberries, a little stewed cherry, and a long touch of barrel spice. The palate is dark and chewy at first, but the great acidity stops it from being too much and delving too deep. More blackberry, cherry, a little bit of raspberry, dried green herbs, and then a healthy bit of chewy tar on the very finish. This is a dark and brooding wine that has a little bit of lightness its the midst of it, kind of like me after a long weekend. This is just top notch table wine, made to be had with whatever you want to have it with. I'd probably go red meat or braised meats, but I could see this working with chicken or pork with the right sauce. Fantastic value.
Price:
$14.99
2023 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana
Review Date: 05-19-2026
There's such a graceful elegance to this wine, a kind of subtleness that makes me tilt my head like a curious dog, because subtlety and nuance are my key hallmarks for true luxury. There's really soft but clean fruit on the nose, cherry, ripe raspberry, some plum skin, and an oaken roundness tying everything together and sanding off any sharp edges. The palate has a bit higher acidity than I expected, but it's so welcome, it makes the fruit a bit higher in tone, brighter cherry, riper raspberry, but there's still this understated elegance and harmony that's just really lovely. The tannins are really soft and super well integrated, this might be the best vintage of this wine that I've tried.
2021 Boroli "Villero" Barolo
Review Date: 05-19-2026
This is just so joyously pretty and elegant, and just a little touch shy, when you really get in there it just unravels so gloriously. There's this whole alluring thing going on with raspberry flower, alpine strawberry, crushed rose petals, dark cherry, and just a little cranberry skin. The palate has more cherry, tart raspberry, bruised strawberry, and this gloriously long and silky finish, the tannins are soft and very integrated and even just a 5 years old I think that with the right food this would be so incredibly ready right now. Braised short rib. I kept saying this the whole tasting, half as a joke because I'm very funny but also because that just works with so many things. Fantastic, A+/10.
2023 Charles Père et Fille Volnay Clos de la Cave"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Really beautiful and compelling aromatics, there's a lot of purple flowers and this really lovely deep-fruited core with ripe raspberry, dark cherry, and a little bit of bruised strawberry. There was some reduction when it was first opened, but it's totally blown off by now so a healthy decant would do it well unless you're into that kind of thing. The palate is mid-weight with a really nice tension and complexity, there's a delicate balance between the acidity and the tannin and they're warring over the fruit and yet again it's us that's winning. The palate has a rich and dark cherry, ripe raspberry, underripe strawberry, and some pretty aromatics and some barrel spice rounding it all out. This is really an impressive bottle for the price, super well done and definitely going home with me a few times.
Price:
$49.99
2024 Nicole Chanrion Côte-de-Brouilly "Domaine de la Voûte des Crozes"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Really lovely nose on this, it might be my favorite of the tasting, it's just so fresh and lovely and inviting and there's almost this innocence to it, it doesn't even know I'm about to drink it. I feel bad, but it's the job. I think that "innocence" is just this kind of powdery floral note that surrounds the fruit almost giving it kind of this fuzzy glow. The palate is crunchier than the nose lead me to believe, and I feel slightly lied to, but it's fine. It's bright and crunchy and has really great acidity pushing through the whole thing, cranberry, underripe raspberry, white tea, pie cherry, and some light white flowers.
2024 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Bright crunchy red fruit on the nose, with some dried herbs, bay leaf, and then a little blackberry. The palate is bright with a really nice acidity, some underripe cherry, pomegranate seeds, and a little bit of ripe cherry on the finish, along with just this little touch of barrel spice and roundness. Easy and friendly, this is a go to bottle year and year from this fantastic producer and of course one of our favorite importers, Kermit Lynch. Just great stuff through and through.
2024 Château Thivin Brouilly "Reverdon"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Slightly herbal nose with some bright red and black fruits, the herbal notes become more bay leaf the longer it sits in the glass. There's a pretty roundness to the fruit, not quite fully ripe but not quite crunchy to the nose. The palate has some juiciness, very slightly crunchy with some pie cherry, cranberry skin, and barely ripe raspberry. This is easy and friendly, a reasonable amount of tannin but nothing crazy and it could take a chill but I wouldn't really throw it into the category of unequivocal chillable. There's a great acidity here pushing through the whole palate, and it works with the tannin balancing itself out. I'm thinking about some braised short ribs with this maybe, both with this in the glass and in the dish. I know you often want something deeper or bigger, but this acidity and pretty fruit might just work. I'll let you know if it doesn't.
Price:
$25.99
2024 Domaine Marcel Lapierre Morgon (Non-Sulfur)
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Really fantastic nose, little bit of cinnamon hiding in there, but raspberry and then cherry come out towards the end. There's something comforting about the nose that kind of reminds me of a candle I smelled once and really really enjoyed, but I can't really place it beyond that. Either way, this nose pops. There's such a clean purity of the fruit itself. The palate has a juiciness, but also some black tea tannins, definitely more spices mingling with the fruit, there's some clove and mace, I think, working in as well with really crunchy fruit, pie cherries, cranberry skin, pomegranate, and underripe raspberry, with some white flowers in the mix as you crunch that fruit. This is really phenomenal stuff, and one of my top picks from today's tasting.
2025 Domaine Marcel Lapierre "Raisins Gaulois" Vin de France
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Crushable and chillable red alert! Alert! Oh good, you heard the alert. We've got another great contender for best chillable wine for the summer with this little number. The nose is bright strawberries, crazy bright florals like a bouquet in the glass, stewed rhubarb, bubblegum, and black pepper. The palate is light and bright, super crunchy red fruits, not a lot of tannin, and a little touch of those carbonic bubblegum notes, but it has enough acidity it really finishes cleanly. I really like this and it's definitely going in a bunch of hands for people who want that next chillable red.
Price:
$23.99
2023 Domaine Guillaume Curveux Pouilly Fuisse 1er Cru "Les Menestrières"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Very pretty and floral on the nose, this has opened up so really nicely with this really kind of winding nose that goes down into this fruit baskets that's surrounded by flowers, lemons, apples, pears, and white peaches all nestled together being all seductive and stuff. Like, palate seductive. Anyhow, so on the palate there's a really lovely line of fruit and acid pushing through the whole palate, there's touches of barrel spice and roundness. This is really easy to drink, and easy to love, with enough fruit for people who think that's a requirement like me, but nothing overdone, it's really a lovely bottle of wine.
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2023 Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé "Autour de la Roche"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
There's an almost waxy quality to the nose, and it's really compelling in all the best of ways, I feel like it's a promise of texture and weight on the palate, but first let's work on this bouquet. Underneath the light waxy note, there's golden apple, lemon zest and lemon juice, this super light umami touch in the middle of the nose, white flowers around the edges, and dry stones. The palate has a nice little pop at the front, green apple with lemon, then wet river rocks, lingering sort of white peach and roundness. It is as hoped really lovely and textural, with a serious and lingering denseness that sticks with you, maybe not on your palate but in your mind between sips. It's very fun to drink, and what else could you want from a wine?
Price:
$49.99
2022 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru "Les Fourneaux"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Light, almost ethereal on the nose even after several hours to open up, I don't think it's shy I think it's just this style of much more elegant wine than we're sometimes used to, not you though K&L customer - you know elegant that's why you're with us. It's very apple and lemon, with some white flowers when it shows itself, and there's this lithe gracefulness that really is appreciated. By me at least. The palate has just really great acidity pushing through the whole thing, and there's some savoriness mid-palate with a touch of pithiness on the end, this is a trifecta of super tasty pairings. I really like how the fruit on this one pops just a bit on the finish, there's this bruised apple and lemon candy note that comes back around and it really lingers beautifully, a really great finish to an incredibly enjoyable wine.
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2022 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru "Les Lys"
Review Date: 05-12-2026
Incredibly classic and incredibly alluring nose, there's a ripeness to the lemon that kind of coats that bruised golden delicious apple, it's a little sweeter and more welcoming lemon, a friendly lemon. Around the edges of the nose, I get a little bit of ocean spray, and there's some roundness. The palate has this really amazing texture, and some mid-palate phenolics that give this a more serious and savory tension. The fruit is on the front and on the end, a dense lemon twist with apple and a little hint of floral pear. This is serious and intense Chablis, definitely heavier than some, it's really delicious and that savory note will make this such a fun and easy wine to pair with.
2022 Eyrie "Estate - Sisters Vineyard" Dundee Hills Pinot Noir
Review Date: 05-07-2026
There's this very slight matchsticky reduction on the nose, and just incredibly pretty and perfect where it is, which is confusing since I don't normally care for it but here, I'm totally into it. This is so lovely and elegant, the fruit seeps in around the edges and then is front and foremost, almost as if I could lean into it and touch the fruit itself with the tip of my nose. Underripe raspberry, bright cherry, and slightly bruised strawberry, the fruit runs the entire gambit back and forth and then there's a dark earthiness around the edges, almost in my nasal peripherals, which are a real thing. Don't look it up, though. The palate brings us back to a light and pure elegance once more, the fruit has a little crunch, but the texture and the gentle and integrated tannin structure is just really enjoyable with each and every sip. This is the kind of Pinot Noir that I really get into, something with grace that feels like it's dancing across my palate. It's just great all the way through.
2018 Billecart-Salmon 250th Anniversary Vintage Champagne
Review Date: 05-07-2026
Yet another crazy delicious Champagne from the House of Billecart Salmon. I feel like there's this intense roundness on the nose that is starting to define Billecart for me more and more, but maybe I'm also deluding myself, it's entirely possible. Either way, I've had the opportunity to try this a couple times, and it's just been outstanding for both of them. The first time, we just opened and shared the bottle as a staff and remarked on how good it was, definitely thought that it wouldn't hurt to lay down and kind of just get a little more of that savory character developed. The second time, it was after Gary had opened the bottle earlier in the day and put a cap on it so it wouldn't go flat, and gosh, it opened up so incredibly nicely, I would definitely suggest laying it down for a few years all that development from it opening really helped encircle and showcase the fruit so prettily, making a little basket for it to delicately rest on. Just phenomenal.
Price:
$119.99
2023 Eyrie "Estate" Dundee Hills Trousseau Noir
Review Date: 05-07-2026
We here at K&L love us some Trousseau Noir, but it's not super often we see one on the domestic side of things, but of course it's our friends at The Eyrie Vineyards that brings us this beautiful little creature here. The nose is so ephemeral and lovely, soft and highly nuanced there's a dozen different directions it comes from, with light and lovely red fruit undertones and overtones, white and red flowers, a lingering savory umami note in the midst of the bouquet and then a long dusty red-fruited note as I find myself at the bottom. The palate is bright and lovely, amazing acidity with this savory note in the middle again, bright crunchy fruits fleet across the palate, and there's a little bit of a light grip in the back and this would be perfect with a little bit of food, I can easily enjoy it by itself and definitely with a little chill it would be even that much better and pair that much easier. Just fantastic, thank you guys for making such a lovely wine.
Price:
$29.95
Scarlet K&L Exclusive "Fernet Cask Marriage Peated Cask #21" Japanese Amaro (700ml)
Review Date: 05-05-2026
Look at this smile, oh right. You can't see me, well my picture is somewhere nearby look at that and my smile, the one I have on now is even bigger. This feels like more what I was originally expecting when I tried Scarlet's traditional Fernet, not that I came away disappointed before, but this is just wow. The nose is intense but alluring, I can't stop just going in deeper and deeper, trying to get ever more. There's mintiness, cola, medicinal herbs, and just so much going on, with this touch of that brine in the background. The palate is drier with just a little touch of heat, but really excellent bitterness that's fighting and pushing against the sugar the whole way, but the balance is impeccable this razor's edge brilliance with some chewy smoke in the background as it continues the long and inexorable finish. This is great, I love it, I'm going to marry it I love it so much (I'm kidding, Kristen) but yeah it's very good.
Price:
$109.99
| Limit of 2 per customer |
2019 Doisy-Védrines, Sauternes
Review Date: 05-05-2026
First, you need to stop being worried about getting a full bottle of Sauternes. It will last in your fridge for ages, and is just a great excuse to indulge twice. This has that kind of fresher and younger Sauternes smell where there's a little touch of that noblest of rots, but it's also super clean and brightly fruited still, pineapple, guava, yellow peach, and sultanas. The palate is bright and fairly light, not rich or cloying at all with amazing acidity that tries to gaslight you, the sweetness is mild and this is something I would definitely pair with something savory, this really feels like a cheese plate or foie gras or something indulgent because we're worth it. This is really nice and an easy cheat code for Yumtown population you.
2024 Chantegrive Blanc, Graves
Review Date: 05-05-2026
It's really a big shame that not enough people prioritize Bordeaux Blanc for their summers, because it's really awesome stuff. It's got a little more weight depending on the amount of Semillon, but that also gives it a little better mouthfeel, a little kind of gentle roundness. This has some grapefruit zest, white peach, and some gooseberry on the front of the nose with a little chalkiness following, and then the palate is just pure fun times. More peaches come to the party along with a little bit of weight, lemon candy, grapefruit zest and pith, and then a little bit of honeyed peel . This has great acid, totally dry, and for this price drinks surprisingly fun and complex. It's really great, why don't you drink more Bordeaux Blanc?
2022 Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 05-05-2026
I think this might be my favorite Bordeaux Chateau? I don't know, it's hard to pick a favorite but I've never had a bottle of Chevalier that bums me out at all, and there's really nothing nicer you can say about a winery, right? This is classic and rich, there's this really lovely depth that spirals down towards something I can't quite touch. There's ripe and fairly rich fruits, dark cherry, blackberry jam, bruised strawberry, and then there's a little bit of something floral and the barrel spice comes in. The palate is much the same, but more enjoyable because I think tasting is more fun than smelling, not to say I get more from it but yeah, I have opinions I guess. Either way, this is just fabulous and made me crazy happy when we had it. Big smile all day.
2019 Laforge, St-Émilion
Review Date: 05-05-2026
Brambly cassis, raspberry, a strawberry someone punched, and then a little bit of tomato leaf and some barrel spice. The palate is easy and clean, really nice fruit and a lengthy finish that's still finishing. It fills that niche of a kind of crowd pleaser bottle, which isn't damning with faint praise or anything, it's nice to have something that you know you can just bring out for anyone.