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Staff Favorites - Clyde Beffa Jr.
Clyde Beffa Jr.
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Had K&L co-owner and main wine buyer Clyde Beffa Jr. not read an article about the gentlemanly hobby of wine collecting in the February 1971 issue of Playboy, he might still be weighing the merits of Holsteins versus Jerseys instead of Château Margaux or Haut-Bailly. Beffa owned a dairy in Tracy, California, from 1967-1973, leaving the the business to co-found K&L Liquors, as it was known back then, in 1976. Clyde started traveling to Europe in 1982 and over the years, he has worked hard to build K&L into one of the nation's go-to sources for the world's diverse wines, developing relationships with winemakers and châteaux owners the world over. Clyde's passion is surely Bordeaux, especially the fabulous wines from Pauillac and St-Julien (like Pichon-Lalande and Léoville-Barton). When he's not drinking France's legendary reds, you'll likely find Clyde indulging in Sauvignon Blanc. A fan of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and white Bordeaux, he'll also tuck into a bottle of Kiwi Sauv Blanc if there's no corkscrew around. These days you'll likely find Clyde extolling the virtues of underrated Bordeaux vintages like 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2006, or playing with his German Shepherd Sadie. Or you may see him in his vegetable garden and, once in a great while, on the golf course.
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Reviews
2009 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 10-06-2023
I have had this wine over the years and lastly in Sept 2023 with seven other top 2009s (including Pichon Lalande, Lynch Bages, Ducru Beaucaillou, Leoville Las Cases, and Pontet Canet) and seven top Bordeaux from 2010 (same wines plus Leoville Poyferre). I must say the Cos d'Estournel was the top wine tasted that night. Perfect wine - maybe even 101 points - with a long way to go, but SO good now. Rich, thick, sweet, perfectly balanced. Better than 99% of the fabulous 2009s, including the first growths.
2022 Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien
Review Date: 05-31-2023
An awesome wine from a great property. These folks are making fabulous wines for the past 20 years. This one may be the best this century- their 1928 is one of the ten best wines i have EVER drunk.
Spicy raspberry aromas and fabulous sweet palate entry. Packed with red berry fruits that cover the tannins. Long and lingering finish. Perfect balance and one of my top 2022 that i tasted.
2005 Léoville Barton, St-Julien
Review Date: 12-14-2022
Absolutely stunning wine. Deep color. Sweet red licorice and cranberry nose. Very, very elegant. A lot of Merlot. More feminine style. Tasted four times with consistent notes
2020 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Review Date: 05-05-2022
Tasted with UGC wines and from the Château-Château bottle fresher and more lively. Blueberry and pencil shaving aromas. Some blackcurrant and rose on the palate. Sweet mid palate and fine balance of tannins, acid, and fruit. Ager.
2015 Barde-Haut, St-Émilion
Review Date: 07-15-2021
Barde Haut is one of K&L's go to wines for value. Helene Garcin Leveque and her husband Patrice have done an amazing job in the last 15 years. The 2015 vintage was exceptional in St Emilion and Barde Haut hit it out of the park. Tons of black fruit aromas that follow to the palate. Sweet and ripe and delicious right now. Can cellar ten more years.
2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 07-08-2021
With a special label honoring the Cathiard’s Thirty years of winemaking.at Smith. This wine has huge scores from the writers with three or four possible 100 pts. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, plus PV and Cab Franc. This wine is like a lazer beam-very precise and focused. I think 2020 is their best wine in the thirty years of winemaking-Fabian is a great winemaker. Sexy and ripe-will age well.
2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 05-29-2021
Great vintage and a superb value property. Tons of blackberry aromas and flavors. Very ripe. Still drinking well. The ripe style of the vintage blends well with the rustic style of the property. We have sold over 7500 bottles to date.
2020 Bellefont-Belcier, St-Émilion
Review Date: 05-16-2021
WOW ! What a treat here. Raspberry aromas abound. Very feminine and elegant on the palate. Rich, ripe, and sweet black fruit flavors. Round tnnins-elegant finish. Delicious wine.
2010 Lilian Ladouys, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 05-08-2019
Smoky toast aromas and flavor, this is a wine that shows the power of Saint-Estèphe tannins in full force. At the same time, there is a blackberry character that adds richness and juiciness, which cuts through the dry core. Quite delicious right now with 1 hour decanting-Perfect with a juicy steak..
2014 Poujeaux, Moulis
Review Date: 07-22-2017
I love Poujeaux in almost any vintage. One of the better values in all of Bordeaux. This 2014 has plenty of cassis aromas and flavors. Quite sweet on the palate and a lingering finish. At under $30 it is a steal.
2016 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 06-09-2017
We all love this property and its managing director Veronique Sanders. Ever since she started managing the estate in the very late 90s, Haut Bailly has been one of K&L’s best selling Bordeaux wines. 53% CS here and 13.6 alcohol. My notes—Pure silk!! And at the property-Iron fist in a velvet glove! Refined, seamless, Balanced. You name it. But the quantities they release will not be much for us.
2016 Margaux, Margaux
Review Date: 06-06-2017
Paul Pontallier is gone, but Margaux continues to make great wines. 94% CS and only 13% Alcohol. Red roses and violets on the nose and red currant flavors. Very lush and very good.
2016 Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 06-01-2017
The Cathiards have brought Smith from underperforming to Bordeaux superstar in 25 years. They have learned from their earlier vintages and now make surely a second growth quality wine-maybe super second at a good price. The 2015 sold very well, and this is as good. 65% CS for this sexy, somewhat exotic mouthful of pleasure. Full-bodied and quite rich on the palate. Some red roses and cassis shining through on this modern rendition.
2016 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac
Review Date: 06-01-2017
This is the best first growth I tasted from 2016--very much in the vein of the great 86 Mouton with softer fruit, so almost like a combination of 82 and 86. The wine is utter perfection, in my my top three for 2016 overall. Only Lafite and Petrus are as good, in my opinion.
2016 Brane-Cantenac, Margaux
Review Date: 05-30-2017
One of the top wines of the vintage. Such great texture on the palate. Very sweet mid palate impression. Great balance so it will age very well for 10-20 years.
2016 Gloria, St-Julien
Review Date: 05-24-2017
Wonderful red berry aromas and flavor. Cabernet at 65% shines through here. Quite spicy on the palate. Should be a fine buy for mid term aging. Slight tannic finish, but good balance.
2016 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 04-24-2017
This wine is off-the charts great. 13.07 degrees Alcohol like the old days of great Bordeaux wines. Incredible, intense, spicy aromas with cinnamon undertones on the palate. So silky and precise-pure as can be. Long and lovely-so good you can drink it soon, but it will cellar well for many years. Bravo on the reasonable price. A very special wine and one of the top ten I tasted in April.
2015 Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol
Review Date: 06-03-2016
I loved this wine. In my opinion, one of the best three of the vintage.
2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien
Review Date: 10-17-2015
67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. Very spicy, with Asian spices and currant on the nose. Very expressive. Very pure and vibrant. Boysenberry aromas and flavors. This is a big wine, but with good balance. Not a massive wine. We like this one very much. R: Fine and floral aromas of perfectly ripe grapes on the nose continue all the way thru this incredibly elegant wine. Sweet, grapey, lush finish. Great wine!
2005 Potensac, Médoc
Review Date: 06-25-2015
Super vintage and this wine is a bargain for the mid-term collector. Lots of black fruit flavors. Decant one hour and enjoy with a steak.
2005 Pichon-Baron, Pauillac
Review Date: 06-04-2015
A superb wine for a great price. The 5s are wild for Pichon Baron. In May at the property they served us the mindblowing 1945 and the delicious 1985 in magnum. This wine is better than the 1985 and a touch behind the '45.
2011 Lanessan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 04-14-2014
*V Tons of ripe fruit. Super flavor. Great value! This is stunning wine for the vintage.
Price:
$24.99
2005 Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien
Review Date: 10-28-2013
*** One of the top wines of the vintage with scores all the way to 100 points. Best to cellar this at least five more years.
2009 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Review Date: 04-23-2013
At UGC: Big and brooding, with tons of ripe tannins, blackberry fruit and fine acidity. Very dense. At property: Pencil lead and cedar aromas. Very spicy. 1989 and 2009 are two of the best from this property. Will age forever I would think.
2009 Giscours, Margaux
Review Date: 04-15-2013
*½ At UGC: Subdued nose, but fine structure on the palate. Very rounded tannins and a good finish. Reserved right now. Will need some time.
2010 Gloria, St-Julien
Review Date: 02-18-2013
*+V Spicy, classic sweet red berry aromas and flavors. An elegant wine.
2010 Cos d'Estournel, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 02-11-2013
**+ Toasty oak aromas and violets on the palate. Very refined.
2010 Pontet-Canet, Pauillac
Review Date: 02-11-2013
** 1/2 Pontet-Canet is on a roll. Tasted three times, and each time it was perfect and sexy, with everything in harmony. Very stylish, balanced and fresh. Laser beam fruit. Lovely, open, powerful and dense without being extracted. Long and lush.
2010 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 02-04-2013
Wow, this wine is so elegant and seamless, but with lots of power behind it. One of the 2010s where the fruit covers the tannins.
2009 Barde-Haut, St-Emilion
Review Date: 09-27-2012
*1/2 Ripe blackberry fruit. Super fine. Lost 50% of their crop to hail.
2009 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien
Review Date: 03-07-2012
*½+ At property: Red berry-cherry aromas and flavors. Plenty of grip. At UGC: Cranberry and cherry cola aromas and flavors. Super sweet mid-palate impression, with rounded tannins and a lingering finish. Tasted again in September 2009. Tons of black cherry fruit. Elegant and delicious.
2005 Verdignan, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 08-31-2011
This wine is a great cellar candidate with its mineral, licorice and toasty oak aromas. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a lingering finish. Very well balanced and generous with lots of fruit underneath. Must decant an hour if you want to drink it now.
Billecart-Salmon "Le Réserve" Champagne
Review Date: 08-09-2011
As focused as ever, almost lemony on the palate and super refreshing. It reminds me of when we sold a special Billecart "K&L Cuvée" years back.
2009 Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac
Review Date: 05-19-2010
K&L's Notes: **1/2+ Blackish color. A touch closed on the nose. Layers of fruit on the palate. Black cherry, mouthcoating wine. Opens with air. Should be great, but very expensive. Ralph: The grapey black-crimson fruit is a bit rounder than usual, and with a bit more silkiness. Still very precise and focused, with just the right amount of tannin. A classic!