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Staff Favorites - Alex Leonardini

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Reviews

Dérot-Delugny "Milieu Naturel" Blanc de Noirs Brut

Review Date: 04-09-2026

The Derot Delugny Milieu Naturel Blanc de Noirs is more about its pinpoint-perfect texture than it is about any individual flavor profile. 100% Meunier from the oldest grower-producer in this region, the wine is seductively silky, with fine, shiny bubbles and a broad, mouth-filling texture. Neither rich and heavy nor lean and acid-driven, it is layered with juicy pear, golden apple, and French baguette with a hint of raspberry trailing into the silky, creamy finish. This may be one of the most texturally appealing Champagnes I've ever had the pleasure of tasting, and I can't wait to have more.

Price: $39.99

2022 Matthiasson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 02-17-2026

The 2022 Matthiasson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that harkens back to the Napa Valley of old and perfectly encapsulates everything that Napa wine should be. The structure is silky yet lithe, fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins balancing on a pinpoint. Then there's the palette of aromas and flavors, kaleidoscopic in their interlacing breadth. Black cherry, cassis, violet, fresh herbs, anise seed, graphite, eucalyptus--the list goes on and on. This is one of the most complex and focused wines I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. No cellar is complete without it.

Price: $79.95

DC: 99

Damien Hugot "Hommage 1921" Extra Brut Champagne

Review Date: 02-06-2026

The Damien Hugot “Hommage 1920” is perhaps the mostly subtly seductive wine in the line-up. The nose is more restrained, wafting hints of yuzu, apple, and salty ocean air lifting from the glass in slow, lazy pulses. It isn’t shy, exactly, just quietly reserved, hinting at an underlying complexity without needing to show off. The palate is similarly focused, with sea salt, oyster shell, zested yuzu, peach skin, and toasted almond all tracing a linear path across the palate into a precise, mineral finish. This is a bottle that demands you take your time, slowly unpacking all it has to offer. Really impressive.

Price: $49.99

Damien Hugot Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Review Date: 02-06-2026

A slightly leaner yet notably more fruit-driven sibling to the Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs, the Extra Brut bottling shows layers of red and green apple, baked pear, white peach, and jasmine. All the minerality, toast, freshly baked brioche, and leesy richness of the Brut is present as well, and the finish is noticeably chalkier, but the extra fruit profile leads this to be perhaps the more approachable of the two bottlings in this batch. I suppose the only way to know is to try both, preferably side-by-side.

Price: $49.99

Lehmann "Jamesse Prestige" Grand Champagne Mouth-Blown Wine Glass #45

Review Date: 10-22-2025

I get it, you want the best. Well, here it is. The Lehmann "Jamesse Prestige" are ultralight, ultra-thin, and ultra sleek. All mouth-blown in Europe, this is next-level stemware that makes any occasion special. There is no next step, no higher rung, no mountain peak. You can pay more for other high-end Champagne stems if you like, but this is as good as Champagne glassware gets.

Price: $44.99

2017 Launois "Helia" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 10-15-2025

The 2017 Launois "Helia" Blanc de Blancs, which in past vintages would have been bottled as the Special Club offering, lives among the best Champagnes in the store. Crisp green apple and lemon curd harmonize with richer roasted hazelnut and baked sourdough flavors, while the zippy acidity and soft texture find perfect cohesion. If you, like me, have bottles of Launois' Special Club bottlings tucked away for future consumption, the 2017 "Helia" has more than earned its place in the stash.

Price: $79.99

A. Bergère Brut Origine Champagne

Review Date: 06-20-2024

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

Price: $54.99

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

Review Date: 06-20-2024

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

Price: $39.99

2021 Burn Cottage "Sauvage Vineyard" Pinot Noir Bannockburn Central Otago

Review Date: 03-14-2024

The 2021 Burn Cottage "Sauvage Vineyard" Pinot Noir is as pretty and elegant and complex as they come. The nose isn't so much explosive as it is pervasively intense and nuanced, with each smell offering a new layer of aromas. First, crushed rose and gardenia petals that are followed by a layer of graphite and pencil shavings. Then, red cherry is followed closely by sea brine until bright, ripe strawberries and a touch of peppercorn take the lead. The palate is magnetic, bringing all the florals and fruits and minerals from the nose together in a seamless and never-ending spiral of complex beauty. This is a wine structured for aging, but with so much happening now and soft enough tannins that it isn't required for optimal enjoyment. This isn't bargain wine, but there are few Pinot Noirs as staggeringly thought provoking as this, and the few there are cost far, far more.

Price: $74.99

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2024 Château de la Charrière Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Champs Morjot" ($59.99)

2021 Hendry "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($59.95)

2023 Method Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22.95)

2021 Filomena "Massa Vineyard" Carmel Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99)

2022 Cobb "H. Klopp Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($64.95)

2021 Cobb "Doc's Ranch Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($69.95)

2022 Storrs "Christie Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ($29.95)

2023 Eric Kent "Sascha Marie - Roberts Road Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($21.99)

2023 STiRM "Gimelli Vineyard" Cienega Valley Chardonnay ($19.95)

2023 Domaine Frederic Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin ($54.99)

2009 Magdelaine, St-Emilion ($174.99)

2014 Farella "Estate" Coombsville Merlot (Winery Direct Library Release) ($28.99)