K&L Wine Merchants - Craig Morris Reviews

2015 Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 05-28-2026

For me, Billecart makes one of the best non-vintage rose sparklers out there with their Le Rose, so I was very excited when our Champagne buyer Gary Westby opened a bottle of this 2015 vintage for the staff and it did not disappoint. This bottle has such a depth and intensity. It is at once savory and complex, but also bursting with juicy fruit, all with the chalky minerality one expects from Champagne...and for a shockingly low price tag. Champagne fans or those needing something for a special occasion need to pick this up!

Price: $119.99

Damien Hugot "Hommage 1921" Extra Brut Champagne

Review Date: 03-04-2026

From Damien Hugot comes a deeper, more complex style of Champagne! This uses a blend of current harvest grapes for the Chardonnay, but the red grapes are coming from a solera style blend, and this is where a lot of depth and complexity comes from in Champagne. This blending, coupled with some large oak aging, creates an elegant Champagne (as one would expect from Hugot), but also adds softer texture for added depth. It's still full of citrus thanks to the Chardonnay, but the roundness on the palate creates a lovely contrast.

Price: $49.99

2022 Matthiasson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 02-25-2026

New world fruit meets old world philosophy! This is California Cabernet, but picked on the less ripe side, with the overt tension of less alcohol and ripeness. The result is a restrained wine of elegance and purity. This is a less heavy wine than most California cab, providing a freshness and acidity to counter-balance the rich fruit. The tannins are polished and well integrated, resulting in a balanced, crunchy Cabernet you won't be able to put down.

Price: $79.95

DC: 99

Damien Hugot Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Review Date: 02-19-2026

Damien Hugot always impresses me with the acidity and precision of his wines, and this is no exception. Comprised of fruit from Grand Cru sites in Cramant and Chouilly, this wine has that trademark Hugot acidity, but also with lots of citrus and limoncello notes. And although it's an Extra Brut, it is rich and creamy so as not to be austere. It's a balanced, delicious bottle of Champagne at a great price!

Price: $49.99

Paul Clouet Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne

Review Date: 01-09-2026

This wine is exceptional. There's no other way to put it. Golden in the glass, rich and concentrated on the nose, and full of sourdough and citrus on the palate. The acidity here is stunning, and it's balanced against notes of rich brioche, lemon-curd, and almond paste. The finish goes on and on, the citrus and nuttiness just lingering...not helped by the fact that I can't stop sipping. This bottle is grand cru fruit with 8 years on the lees, and all from a base-vintage of 2012! I cannot recommend this bottle highly enough.

Price: $59.99

Dérot-Delugny "Retour en Avant" Brut

Review Date: 11-12-2025

"Retour en avant" literally translates to "return forward," as in, going back to your roots. What roots, you say? Well, this Champagne is made from 100% Pinot Gris. Yes, they are allowed to grow Pinot Gris in Champagne, but it is uncommon nowadays and near-extinct in the region. The founding family of Derot-Delugny were big fans of Alsatian wine, particularly Pinot Gris, so over 30 years ago they planted a small plot and that's where this comes from. So, yes, it is an oddity, but it is also delicious! I was genuinely impressed. Full of brioche with great acidity, and just a touch more fruit than a blanc de blanc, but still elegant. Also, full of minerality! Pinot Gris is tricky to grow in Champagne, and so they do not make this bottling every year, so pick it up while you have the chance. I could not stop revisiting this bottle all evening!

Price: $49.99

2016 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, St-Estephe

Review Date: 10-05-2025

From the stellar 2016 vintage, we have the newest in our Discovery Series, this time highlighting the legendary Bordeaux appellation of St Estephe, home to some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon blends in the world (including the likes of Chateau Cos d'Estournel and Chateau Montrose). This wine is dark and brooding in the glass. On the palate, the mouthfeel is luscious and decadent. There's a nice acidity too, making this a great food wine, particularly red meat. The wine is earthy as well, with cedar, blackcurrant, and a bit of black pepper before ending with just a touch of tannin on the finish. This wine packs a punch and seriously over-delivers at this price point!

Price: $24.99

2019 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, Pomerol

Review Date: 08-27-2025

The next entry in our Discovery Series is this 2019 Pomerol. Now, I do not know who made it, but the thing is Pomerol is a small area, and no matter where this comes from it is in great company. Given that production levels in Pomerol are limited across the board, the fact that we were able to secure any juice is impressive, let alone that we're selling for at this price. Pomerol is on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, and home to some of the finest Merlot in the world, so the expectations here are very high. This wine is rich and full of luscious red fruit, yet still an elegant wine. There's earthiness and minerality, cocoa, violets, and mushroom. It is complex and with some tannins on the back-end, so definitely one with aging potential if you are so inclined. This is just a great introduction to Pomerol and at a price you never see for wines from there. And no matter how nicely I ask, they just won't tell me who the actual producer is, so your guess is as good as mine.

Price: $29.99

Fallet-Dart Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 07-23-2025

One of my favorite direct-import Champagnes in our portfolio. This is a rich and powerful rose, with the intensity no doubt coming from the 60% Meunier. But, the remaining 40% Pinot Noir is there to really add some red fruit. This is a fresh and fruity Champagne, but complex and brooding at the same time. There's red fruit, minerality, and acidity for sure, but there's also candied ginger and spice permeating the entire sip. The result is a shockingly complex Champagne for an absolute steal of a price!

Price: $39.99

2011 Krug Brut Champagne

Review Date: 05-22-2025

We recently opened this bottle for a tasting with Krug themselves (a tasting that also included the Grand Cuvee 172eme and the Rose 28eme). Although there was not a unanimous staff favorite, I believe the 2011 had the most votes for top pick. This wine is remarkable. The depth, the focus, the complexity...the wine is firm and structured, full of that distinct Krug character, but through the prism of the 2011 vintage. Now, 2011 is not a particularly well-regarded vintage, so why release a bottle consisting only of fruit from that particular year? Well, Krug decides vintage releases based on one thing only; taste. So, regardless of what everyone else says about the vintage, they liked the taste, and now having tried it myself, I must say...I like the taste as well.

Price: $449.99

2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart" NFB Brut Champagne

Review Date: 05-11-2025

A lovely Champagne of seeming contradictions...Rich yet elegant, structured yet easy drinking. This wine has a massive 10 years on the lees, so expect a lot of toasty sourdough. The bubbles are very fine, hence the aforementioned elegance, and there's a lively acidity and chalky minerality, as well. This Champagne has it all! The Billecart Salmon name speaks for itself, and 2012 is one of the top vintages of the 21st century. Between the tasting notes and the pedigree, there are just so many reasons to pick this bottle up!

Price: $199.99

Fallet-Dart "Clos du Mont" Brut Champagne (2006)

Review Date: 03-05-2025

This is a lovely and elegant Champagne, and what a great deal given what's in the bottle! Fine bubbles, nutty, full of brioche, candied citrus and ginger, all with a spicy backbone due to the French oak used for fermentation. An amazing vineyard site and a ton of lees aging all go into making this a rich, complex, and delicious wine, perfect for appetizers!

Price: $79.99

2015 A.D. Coutelas Brut Champagne

Review Date: 02-18-2025

This is a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 60 year old vines, all from a remarkable vintage. So, what does all that add up to? A big, rich wine, full of ripe stone fruits, lemon curd, and of course toasty brioche. And then there's the bubbles on this thing...precise, sharp, and seemingly never-ending in the glass. This is a powerful wine that you can enjoy now, if you're in the mood for a big, rich glass (like me), or you can cellar this and see how beautifully it's going to develop over the next several years!

Price: $54.99

A.D. Coutelas "Cuvée 1809" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 02-16-2025

I was blown away by this bottle. There is so much value here for the money. I would put this up against any of the big houses. The quality for the price here is unbelievable. The time and attention this bottle has received is remarkable. Besides the tie around the cork, which is hand-tied in an old, nearly forgotten tradition of Champagne, there is 8 years of lees aging on this bottle! This wine is so rich and complex, full of minerals, and a lovely acidity to balance it all out. Honestly, this wine should be twice the price, but let's not let wine-maker Angelique Coutelas know that!

Price: $64.99

BH: 92

Fallet-Dart "Grande Sélection" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 02-16-2025

Talk about complexity! There is a lot going on here for this pricetag. 70% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, and the real standout for me is the 15% Meunier for some savory complexity. There is fig, apricot, and a hint of clove spice on the palate, with just the right amount acidity to balance it all out. This is a serious Champagne that would love some food so get yourself some cheese and crackers, nuts, and dried fruit and have a wonderful night!

Price: $37.99

1999 Xavier Vignon "1999" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Review Date: 10-10-2024

One of my favorites from the Xavier Vignon lineup of aged wines. This wine is a knockout! It leads with spice, then the berry fruit comes in, and lastly some light florals waft through on the finish. The tannins are light, but still present in spite of this wine being near 25 years old! The takeaway word here, though, is balance. All of these elements are well-integrated and tie together into a wonderful bottle of wine.

Price: $64.99

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