Locations
Login
Reviewers
- All Staff Reviews
- Matthew Snyder (1)
- - Operations Culver City (1)
- Aaron Hughes (10)
- Adam Winkel (96)
- Alex Pross (787)
- Alex Leonardini (54)
- Andrew Nunes (1)
- Cary Herrman (3)
- David Othenin-Girard (336)
- Dejah Overby (146)
- Gary Lai (55)
- Gary Westby (537)
- Jackson Kelly (9)
- Jacques Moreira (698)
- Jason Marwedel (73)
- Joel Nicholas (29)
- John Flanigan (1)
- John Downing (80)
- John Majeski (295)
- Jonathan Goldstein (2)
- Kate Soto (11)
- Keith Mabry (433)
- Kirk Walker (273)
- Lilia McIntosh (44)
- Matthew Landau Hassan (4)
- Michael Benoit (6)
- Michael Pires (14)
- Orazio Campoli (5)
- Rachael Ryan (2)
- Ralph Sands (222)
- Ryan Moses (591)
- Ryan Woodhouse (900)
- Sal Rodriguez (34)
- Scott Turnbull (39)
- Scott Beckerley (302)
- Simon Li (3)
- 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 - John Archuleta
|
Reviews
2022 Le "C" des Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 05-07-2026
What an incredible hidden gem in the sea of fantastic wines that hail from Pessac-Léognan.
The nose is elegant and refined, with notes of sour cherries, rose hip, and fresh berry bramble. On the palate, I was immediately blown away by the acidity of the wine - almost felt at first as biting into an underripe bing cherry.
Amazingly layered here, the initial red and blue fruit notes give way to a mid-palate of rosemary, thyme, a hint of gravel and pencil lead.
The finish was superb with even more back palate notes of bright red fruit and currant. If you're looking for something incredibly flirtatious, refined but still playful and fun, you should definitely reach right for this bottle here.
2024 Laberinto "Cenizas" Sauvignon Blanc Valle de Maule
Review Date: 04-14-2026
I seriously do not know what took me so long to review this wine - ever since first tasting the line up from Laberinto, I have been HOOKED.
This wine really rivals some of my favorite - and higher priced, I might add - sauv blancs from Sancerre. On the nose, you get a bit of salinity and flinty mineral, with a hint of light green herbs like lemon thyme and and very faint rosemary - all rounded out with this nice white tea note.
On the palate you get notes of underripe peach, nectarine, river slate, and just really nice racey acidity - a perfect wine for the upcoming hot days.
If you are like me and are looking for some alternatives from some of the more pricier Sancerre's or French Sauvy B's, but still want that layered complexity, this is right up there and should be an instant pick.
2024 Le Fraghe Corvina-Rondinella Bardolino
Review Date: 04-04-2026
You ever feel like having a Pinot Noir, but not necessarily a Pinot Noir? Those that get it will get it - sometimes you want a red that is lively, light on its feet, and just an overall easy drinking experience without necessarily resulting in a cherry-bomb.
This wine is the answer. Hailing from the Bardolino region in the Veneto, this wine is made up of both Corvina and Rondinella, the two common varietals that make the huge and powerful wines that make Amarone.
This wine, however, is the exact opposite of that style - light, fresh, with notes of fresh cranberry, cherries, with notes of white tea and apple skins. I love having this wine almost like a Rose, chilling it before serving. The wines from Le Fraghe always bring me back to my short time hopping around Lake Garda, and if you have never had wine from the region, this is a great place to start.
Price:
$21.99
2024 Medici Ermete Concerto Reggiano Lambrusco
Review Date: 04-04-2026
If you have never had the pleasure of trying the real deal Lambrusco, this is a MUST try.
Lambrusco gets a bad wrap - it was often common for US importers to only source lower quality wines that were fraught with over-sweetness - probably to cover up the wine faults.
But you will find none of this here - coming from Emiglia-Romagna, this is about as close as you can get without taking a flight to Italy. Super dry, almost austere, this sparkling red wine is an absolute gem from the region.
You will get notes of rich purple and red fruits - jammy plum, stewed cranberry, and notes of red flower petals. The acidity is nice and balanced, and has a delightful fizz that goes great with both hard and soft chesses - the richer and nuttier the better.
Do yourself a favor and give this wine a try for your next aperitivo!
2024 Inama "Vin Soave" Soave
Review Date: 04-04-2026
Ah, Garganega, such a gem of a varietal - if you are looking to dip your toes in the world of Italian white wines, this is one of the best places to start.
The Soave is such an underappreciated region in my mind - producing some of my favorite white wines, they can range from really racey with high acid and austere minerality to medium or even full bodied with a bit more richness and roundness depending on the house style of the winemaker - but the throughline of the region truly lies in the terroir here.
Nestled in northeastern Italy here, Soave has access to both valley level and high elevation vineyard sites that produce wonderful fruit with deep character, and even with this entry level you get such a great sense of place when opening a bottle from Inama. 100% stainless steel, no malo/oak influence, pure aromatics and minerality.
On the nose I often get notes of white flowers, chamomile tea, and citrus peels - on the palate, you have notes of chalk and riverstone, with a mid-palate of fresh green apple and green pear. The acidity is still present, but definitely a bit more round, lending this wine to be super food friendly - I highly recommend this with some white fish in a lemon sauce, or you can go super classic with blanched peas or a green bean salad.
For the price, you can't go wrong here!
2024 Seppeltsfield "Watervale" Riesling Clare Valley South Australia
Review Date: 04-02-2026
Man oh man... What a zinger and banger of a white wine here.
This one was right up my alley - like many of the industry folks, at a certain point in my wine journey I started chasing high acid, mineral driven wines - and this hits all the notes I love from my Rieslings.
Incredibly austere, teeth numbing acid makes this wine the perfect pairing for the upcoming heat waves. On the palate you citrus, white nectarine, and peach pith, with the a long mineral driven finish of riverstone and white slate.
If you are looking for Riesling from a region a little less known to the world, give this a go - no regrets will be found.
2023 Graci Etna Rosso
Review Date: 03-07-2026
This is for my Pinot aficionados out there looking to spice things up.
Etna Rosso and the Etna DOC is one of my favorite niche regions at the moment, and Graci delivers an amazing wine at this price point it would be criminal of me not to do some promotion of it.
Normally at this level, Etna Rosso's will have a bit of Nerello Carpuccio to help body the blend, but not here - 100% Nerello Mascalese. NM shares a lot of qualities with PN - light skin, floral aromatics, ripe cherries and a little liquorice - and you will get all of those both on the nose and on the palate here. The winemaking techniques here are what really sets this wine apart - fermented in classic vertical wood casks called 'tini', the wine is aged for 18 months, and then transferred to concrete tanks for a little malolactic action.
This helps to give structure to the wines, refine the acidity, and helps to bring out some minerality and give this wine a great texture.
If you haven't tried anything from Etna thus far, give this one a go.
2024 Cantina Terlano Pinot Grigio Alto Adige
Review Date: 03-07-2026
Don't let the grape varietal fool you - this is no ordinary Pinot Grigio.
Cantina Terlano will always hold a special place in my heart for being the producer that woke me up to what great Pinot Grigio can be like. Terlano, with their mountain estates in the Alto Adige, take extreme care over their vines and fruit growing on the rocky soils atop the mountains - while PG from warmer climates can suffer from over-ripening, Terlano's vineyards sites are planted high above sea level, where they get just enough sun to develop the fruit while maintaining a cool overall climate to nurture the acidity of their whites.
This wine has a relatively aromatic nose - something uncommon for the varietal - with notes of lemon, white flowers/white tea, and a touch a salinity. Crisp, bright acidity on the palete, citrus, and riverstone minerality makes this such an interesting and complex vine - even vintage to vintage.
If you haven't give PG a try for awhile, give this one a go - you wont be disappointed.
2022 Tormaresca "Torcicoda" Primitivo Salento
Review Date: 09-02-2025
This one is for the Zin fans - a beautiful juicy and jammy red from Puglia!
I love Primitivo - some folks have a tendency to write it off due to the stereotypes surrounding the varietal, but Tormaresca and the Antinori family hit it out of the park with this wine. All estate grown fruit, they do a masterful job both in the cellar and in the vineyard to make sure there are layers and complexity rather than just another one note wine.
You still get all the lovely dark blue fruit - plum, blackberry, blueberries, fruit jam - but the underlying acidity helps to cut through the plushiness and elevate the mineral notes that come from the Puglianese soil.
Only a touch of spice, a little dark choclate, this wine is the perfect pairing for those end of year BBQ's - definitely a crowd pleaser!
2018 Sportoletti "Villa Fidelia" Rosso
Review Date: 08-05-2025
This one is for sure for my value driven crowd - this wine completely over-delivers for the price.
Rich with a tiny bit of rustic characteristics, this Bordeaux blend hits all the right notes for my new world wine lovers.
Dense but soft, this wine has aromatics of earth, touch of leather, and dried plums and blueberries - on the palate you get a little savory herbs, well integrated oak and baking spice, and grippy but approachable tannin. You want a wine to go with some steak, prime ribs, or fatty pork belly? This is the wine that'll take on all three no problem.
Price:
$14.99
2022 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso
Review Date: 08-05-2025
Lacryma Christi is probably one of my favorite little niche styles of Italian wines - coming from *the* benchmark producer Mastroberardino, this Piedirosso is light, elegant, and everything I want out of a summer red.
On the nose it is very savory - you get notes of pepper, warm spice, and a little bit of sulfur - but on the palate it is incredibly fruit forward; notes of fresh cranberry, underripe black cherry, with underlying notes of basil. You can certainly serve this on a chill, as the tannins are very light and acidity nice and high.
Serve with lamb, lean pork, or any lemony chicken dish.
Price:
Hidden
Foss Marai "Guia" Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Millesimato Brut
Review Date: 04-11-2025
Simply one of the best Prosecco's and sparkling wines I have gotten to enjoy - coming from Valdobbbiadene (try saying that three times fast), this stunner is an absolute STEAL for the price.
Coming from the best glera in the region, Foss Marai puts together a technical, complex, and very serious wine - elegant on the nose you get notes of white flower petal, light brioche, and sharp green apple skins. On the palate, you have zingy aciditiy, notes of lemon and acacia flower blossoms, and stunning minerality with a lingering finish - an amazingly pretty wine.
Price:
$21.99