K&L Wine Merchants - Gary Westby Reviews

Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 04-30-2021

I can't think of a single bottle of Champagne at K&L that has brought me such consistent pleasure as the Ariston Aspasie "Réserve." The Ariston family has worked very hard to deliver this great bottle to the Champagne lovers of the world. Most producers age their Champagne for less than three years in the bottle before shipping, but the "Réserve" gets five years. It is entirely estate-grown by one of the most careful growers in the business. On top of all that, it is made in one of the most modern facilities of any small producer that I have visited. The pressing is done in a €250,000 Coquard Diaganol press, and the fermentation is all done in computer-regulated, temperature-controlled tanks. The result is one of the best apéritif bottles that we sell, toasty and full, yet refreshing and crisp, a perfect balance between aged complexity and youthful vigor. And then there is the price—so fair that Cinnamon and I have had the opportunity to impact the world supply with our consumption! Don't miss it.

Top Value!

Price: $34.99

2018 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

Review Date: 02-16-2021

The aromatics of this great Lynch Bages have everything one dreams about in a Pauillac; the classic lead pencil minerality, the clean, perfectly ripe (not overripe!) cassis fruit, the powerfully built tannic structure and the refreshing acidity. A masterful wine with a finish that won't quit, this is a fantastic bottle for the long term in the cellar.

Drink from 2028 to 2028

Price: $137.99

Moussé Fils "Eugène" Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne

Review Date: 08-04-2020

I loved the expressive, open character of this wine on the nose and in the mouth. Cinnamon and I had it with pork rillettes as a little starter and it was fabulous. The wine has lovely honey bread toast, comes across full bodied and rich but snaps into focus on the back end, which is quite dry. It made a great match for the rillettes, and I think would also be great with any manner of pate or cheese based starters. It is the mix of bready breadth and mineral tension that had me coming back for more.

Price: $64.99

RP: 94

VN: 92

JG: 91

Laurent-Perrier "Cuvée Rosé" Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 07-21-2020

If you haven't tasted the LP Rose lately, you should! This all Pinot Noir Champagne is entirely made from Grand Cru fruit and lighter than most that are made in this style- it is macerated with all of the skins in contact with all of the juice. The cellar master always judges the length of the maceration on the aromatics, and the result is a rose with character that is still completely elegant. The LP Rose has set the standard for rose Champagne for many years, and for good reason!

Price: $84.99

WE: 94

JD: 92

WS: 92

Canard-Duchêne Brut Champagne

Review Date: 05-19-2020

If you are looking for a richer, toastier style of Champagne for the aperitif, this Authentic from Canard-Duchene is a great choice. I love the combination of sourdough crust and ripe stone fruit in this excellent value Champagne. It is delicious, round brut at its easy going best and it will thrill your guests with its charm.

Price: $37.99

DC: 91

Duménil (Jany Poret) 1er Cru Brut Champagne

Review Date: 05-19-2020

Cinnamon and I drank this over the weekend, and found it a perfect treat for the apero. Champagne Dumenil is going against the trend for austerity and this is an open, rich, generous Champagne. I love the crusty toast and lemon bar flavors and aromas in this wine, as well as the long finish. This delights by being dry, but not at all harsh, and I could imagine this would be a fantastic Champagne for the hot tub!

Top Value!

Price: $29.99

W&S: 92

WE: 92

WS: 90

Campari Bitter Liqueur (375ml)

Review Date: 02-08-2020

This is a home bar essential. Campari is fantastic with just soda, in a Negroni, or in my favorite Champagne cocktail, the Negroni Sbagliato. If you are interested in seeing the recipe, search "Negroni Sbagliato" on the blog (blog.klwines.com) to find it, complete with video. If you don’t mind waiting, you can also send me an email with the button above, and I’ll send you the link.

Price: $17.99

WE: 95

Lanson "Black Label" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 11-07-2019

This wine is now aged for four years on the lees and shows it with wonderful toasty brioche notes on the generous nose. On the palate and the finish, this wine is impeccably clean and racy thanks to the blocked malolactic fermentation. This makes the wine not only a very refreshing aperitif, but also an excellent Champagne to pair with food and we found it a great partner for the sushi. The richer rolls were especially well married with this bottle.

Price: $39.99

Fallet-Dart "Cuvée de Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 09-05-2019

Champagne Fallet-Dart's Reserve is one of our top values in Champagne. It is a rich, toasty style which earned its brioche aromas and flavors the old fashioned way, with time on the lees. It is aged for four years and has the additional benefit of 1/3 reserve wines to make this a smooth customer with a perfect bead. This round, full bodied Champagne is generous in every way, and does not have an austere bone in its body. The finish is dry, long and makes me want to come back for more!

Top Value!

Price: $32.99

Suntory Hakushu 12 Year Old Japanese Peated Single Malt Whisky (750ml)

Review Date: 06-27-2019

This expertly crafted single malt has extraordinary balance for a peaty style and a refreshing salty lightness that makes me come back for more. I love that this has the smoke and complexity of peat, but doesn't get bogged down with oily heaviness. To the contrary, this is a refreshing Whisky that is fantastic to enjoy after a big meal!

Price: $169.99

2009 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

Review Date: 06-20-2019

I tasted this with Florent Fresse, export manager from Chateau Mouton Rothschild when he came to do a staff seminar in Redwood City. The 2009 Chateau Mouton Rothschild lived up to its billing as a super star of a super vintage, and was extremely expressive at 10 years old for a first growth. This is a chocolaty, full blown Cabernet style with deep dark fruit and vanilla aromas and flavors. This wine has lots of body and texture but does not in any way feel ponderous or fat. In fact, it finishes dry, bright and long. It is composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12 % Merlot. It was an extraordinary treat.

Drink from 2019 to 2019

Price: $949.99

2009 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

Review Date: 06-20-2019

I tasted this with Florent Fresse, export manager from Chateau Mouton Rothschild when he came to do a staff seminar in Redwood City. The 2009 Chateau Mouton Rothschild lived up to its billing as a super star of a super vintage, and was extremely expressive at 10 years old for a first growth. This is a chocolaty, full blown Cabernet style with deep dark fruit and vanilla aromas and flavors. This wine has lots of body and texture but does not in any way feel ponderous or fat. In fact, it finishes dry, bright and long. It is composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12 % Merlot. It was an extraordinary treat.

Drink from 2019 to 2019

Price: $799.99

2005 Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

Review Date: 06-20-2019

This was the highlight of the tasting we did with Mouton Rothschild export director Florent Fresse. I loved the pure cassis, subtle cola and saddle leather aromas and flavors and was very impressed with the rich, full body and silky texture. To have so much ripe Cabernet flavor and mouth feel without heat or overweight notes is a unique experience. The wine was so aromatic and giving, yet completely dry and fresh. The finish expanded and went on forever- a truly top-notch experience! This wine is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

Drink from 2019 to 2019

Price: $899.99

Dérot-Delugny "Cuvée Fondateurs" Brut

Review Date: 01-08-2019

The Derot-Delugny estate has been producing their own Champagne for four generations in the tiny village of Croutes-sur-Marne in the western part of the region. Everything they do is estate, and this all Pinot Gris Champagne is their smallest production. It is the only time I have ever tasted a single variety Pinot Gris from Champagne, and it is fantastic as well as exotic! With both effusive and tropical notes, this is still grounded in the world of dry Champagne with a dry (7g/l) finish and plenty of minerality. A must try with asian cuisine!

Price: $49.99

Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 12-05-2018

We are very fortunate to be the importer for this great cult producer of blanc de blancs in the famous village of Mesnil. Launois is the only Champagne that I have sold to someone from Champagne to bring back to Champagne with them! It is that sought after. All grand cru, estate grown Champagne doesn't get better than this, but it is almost always more expensive. This is a wine of depth, finesse and intrigue and yet is about as easy as it gets to drink without engaging the grey matter at all. When we get it, it is always snapped up in a hurry... Don't wait and get disappointed!

Price: $34.99

Trudon "Rosephile" Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 09-27-2018

This is the only pure Meunier rose that we have that has been made by blending red wine with white. About 91% of the base is pressed gently to make the white wine, while 9% is sourced from over 60 year old vines and made as red. The result is a rose Champagne with decadent luxardo cherry flavor, balanced by a precise, fine bead and very good minerality. The finish is dry and long- a very impressive Champagne.

Price: $39.99

2008 Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne

Review Date: 09-20-2018

For me, this is the best young Dom Perignon I have ever tasted, better than the 2002, 1996 and even the 1990. We were treated to a preview bottle, and what a treat it was. I found the wine to have the classic Dom Perignon yeasty nose, but found it to be as transparent and pure in the mouth as their ethereal 2004. On the back end, the wine has concentration to spare, and blooming, chalky finish that seems to still be with me two days later as I type this. This wine is made from 95% grand cru fruit, with the balance of 5% coming from the historic 1er cru of Hautvillers, where the monk Dom Perignon worked and lived. As usual, this is very close to 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, although the powers that be do not like to discuss the cepage.

Drink from 2018 to 2018

Price: $349.99

Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 08-23-2018

This is the "insiders" Launois, and most of what we can get sells very quickly to people who have visited the property in Mesnil. This comes from the tops and bottoms of the slopes in the grand crus of Mesnil, Cramant and Oger, and is aged for an extra year compared to the reserve. This has classic chalky drive and length, with more than a little complexity. Don't get hooked- we never get much and it always goes fast!

Price: $44.99

Launois "Quartz" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 08-23-2018

We can never get enough Launois Quartz at K&L. Unfortunately; the production is limited as Bernard Launois only has so many grapes each year in the great Mesnil plot of Les Chetillons. Having access to single vineyard, estate, grand cru Champagne from one of the best growers in the region at such a fair price makes me proud to be the Champagne guy at K&L. This wine has a fabulous white fruit quality that few Champagnes get at any price, and a chalky laser beam finish that is pure Mesnil. No Champagne we carry sells out faster.

Price: $39.99

Launois "Severine" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Review Date: 08-23-2018

The Launois Severine is 100% Mesnil Grand Cru that is fermented in barrels. The barrels are made from oak timbered from their property right there in Mesnil. The wood has now been used a number of times, and although the first few batches were very oaky, the current release is super well balanced. This Champagne has the breadth and richness of a full on barrel fermented Champagne, but also the crisp precision of Mesnil Chardonnay. It is a fantastic Champagne, best suited to cuisine. I love it with grilled salmon -- especially done on a cedar plank!

Price: $59.99

2014 Montrose, St-Estèphe

Review Date: 08-07-2018

I understand why so many of my colleagues are calling the 2014 Chateau Montrose the wine of the vintage. It is the best young Bordeaux I have tasted in many, many years. This tremendous, dark fruited wine is loaded with power, but also packaged perfectly elegantly. Is it tannic? Of course- it is Montrose! But the tannins are ripe, and lifted by graceful acidity. The only ingredient that is missing is a lot of time... I am afraid that the perfect balance will cause much of the production to be drunk far too young.

Drink from 2010 to 2010

Price: $149.99

Petit & Bajan Nuit Blanche Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Review Date: 08-03-2018

The excitement of the best of Avize is all here in this bottle. Like the best of Selosse, Bonville or Agrapart this wine is buzzing with chalky energy and manages both richness and cut at the same time. This wine is very dry, with a dosage of just 4g/l, but it has the natural roundness and toast to bring it into perfect balance. Sadly, what we have is all we will get, so I am buying my case now.

Price: $59.99

RP: 92

Rieger's Midwestern Missouri Dry Gin (750ml)

Review Date: 07-19-2018

The story of this gin is amazing- the master distiller of Tanqueray taking on a passion project in the midwest, but the spirit itself is even more so! This runs straight down the middle with firm juniper flavor married to a flawless, creamy texture. The quality is just higher than most in this style, and the price is considerably lower than most gins of this superlative quality. I never thought I would fall in love with a gin from Missouri!

Price: $34.99

WE: 91

Piùcinque Italian Gin (700ml)

Review Date: 07-19-2018

What a stylish bottle of gin! I suppose we should expect as much from the Italians! With haunting citrus notes from the deft use of bergamot and a rich, creamy texture that never becomes heavy, this is worthy of being considered in the top tier of gin. The sage in the recipe gives this the right amount of green lift to balance out the exoticism, and I can't wait to get this home and make a G&T with it!

Price: $44.99

Port Askaig 110 Proof Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

Review Date: 03-13-2018

The Port Askaig is our gentlemans Isaly, and is creamy and rounded even though it is high proof and peaty. I love the generosity and openness of this malt as well as much as its smoky peat. This is a great value for money, and I think that you will be impressed with how much Islay you get inside.

Price: $69.99

Bruichladdich "Classic Laddie" Scottish Barley Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

Review Date: 03-13-2018

I love Islay Malt, but find that many of them just end up filling up my liquor cabinet, as I am not drawn to drinking them the same way that I am impressed by tasting them. The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley from Bruichladdich is not at like that, and is super drinkable and moreish. This is the perfect malt for having a second dram of, since the fabulously salty complexity does not come with a bunch of excessive fat and heat. This is a very high quality malt, especially for the money.

Price: $54.99

Michel Arnould Verzenay Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 01-24-2018

The value that Patrick Arnould delivers with this top-notch rosé is mind boggling. This is the only rosé Champagne that I have ever had that is exclusively Pinot Noir, but made by blending wines that are vinified white with wines that are vinified red. Patrick is very proud of his Burgundian clones in his best exposed vineyard plot that he uses to make the red wine that gives this Champagne its color and flavor. This rosé has dark cherry authority as well as complex savor from that high quality vineyard. It also has easy refreshment and a dry chalky finish from the rest of his Grand Cru estate vineyard that makes the white Pinot portion. A must try for every rosé fan, and a stunning value.

Price: $36.99

Michel Arnould "Réserve" Grand Cru Verzenay Brut Champagne

Review Date: 01-24-2018

The wines of Verzenay are some of my very favorite in all of Champagne, and Patrick Arnould of Champagne Michel Arnould makes some of the very best. This wine has the magical hazelnut quality that many (including myself!) often miss for wood treatment in blind tastings. Because this Grand Cru village faces north the wines are always electric and vibrant, even with high percentages of Pinot in the blend. This is one of our finest values in top grower Champagne, and the price makes it unmissable!

Top Value!

Price: $34.99

Pol Roger "Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 11-28-2017

A classic for a reason. The cellars of Pol Roger are the deepest and coldest in Epernay, reaching over 110 feet into the chalk, and here every bottle is still hand riddled. This toasty, well balanced grand marque is composed of about 1/3 each Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. It is treated to four years of ageing on the lees and has 25% reserve wines in the blend. It makes a lovely aperitif, and is supremely well balanced. If you haven't had this lately, it is a must try!

Price: $64.99

Canard-Duchêne Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 10-05-2017

This charming rose is an excellent value, and I love the creamy texture and beautiful ripe strawberry fruit. The team at Canard Duchene has sourced almost all of the fruit for this rose from the mountain of Reims. It is composed of 45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 25% Meunier. While this rose has great fruit on the nose and on the palate, it finishes nice and dry. At this price, why not try it?

Price: $44.99

Four Pillars "Faultline" K&L Exclusive Australian Gin (750ml)

Review Date: 10-03-2017

This great bottle of gin comes across as a classic from the first sip, with poise, elegance and refreshment its main qualities. Even though it made out of a long list of exotic, only-in-Australia botanicals, the balance is still exquisite and exactly what I am looking for in my therapeutic gin and tonic. I am sure we will disappoint many customers looking for a second bottle of this after it all sells out. If you love it, make sure to get what you need quickly!

Price: $34.99

Ardbeg "An Oa" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

Review Date: 09-19-2017

This incredibly elegant and sophisticated Ardbeg retains the peaty personality of the distillery while showcasing a suaver side of Islay. I enjoyed my little taste of this immensly, and I can't wait to take it home and drink it my favorite way- after dinner. Any fan of Islay malts should have a bottle of this generous, textural Ardbeg!

Price: $69.99

WA: 93

2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc

Review Date: 08-18-2017

We have a few house favorites when it comes to Bordeaux here at K&L, and the 2009 Coufran, Haut-Médoc confirms why we love this property. For the Haut-Medoc, this wine has a huge proportion of Merlot at 85% and just a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon at 15%. In its youth, the wine had a big, ripe, plumy nose, but was still very elegant in the mouth. It reminded me very much of old fashioned Pomerol; medium bodied, pure, racy Merlot without the extraneous sugar and oak. At the price, too much of this wine was probably consumed too young, but the patient will now be rewarded with a great experience at a very small price.

Price: $21.99

JS: 92

WE: 90 - 92

2011 d'Yquem, Sauternes

Review Date: 04-22-2017

Often times, the same wet weather that is bad for red wines ends up being great for Sauternes. Take 1967 for example- not a banner year for reds, but a legend for Sauternes, and especially d'Yquem. The 2011 harvest was perfect for Sauternes, and the full, rich, broad d'Yquem has the kind of clean botrytis that only the best years can bring. It was the earliest harvest for them since 1893, and has the acidity to match the fabulous scale. I thought of the great producer Maximn Grunhaus in the Ruwer in Germany when tasting this because of its poise and peachy fruit. A monumental d'Yquem!

Drink from 2017 to 2017

Price: $389.99

Baron-Fuenté "Esprit" Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Review Date: 04-08-2017

The Esprit Blanc de Blancs is made from the very last vineyard in the farthest west part of Champagne—the Chantemanche in Saacy-sur-Marne. This site is one of the very few so far west that they are actually in the Paris district, Ile-de-France. The current release is based on 2009 with 5% barrel fermented reserves from 2008. It is a very creamy style of Blanc de Blancs, with an excellent Chablis like earth character and a bright finish to contrast the richness of the mid-palate.

Price: $34.99

WE: 92

JS: 91

Jean-Jacques Lamoureux Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 02-02-2017

I have only been down to Riceys at the southern tip of Champagne twice. Vivien Lamoureux’s vineyards are only three miles away from the border, and he makes both Champagne and Burgundy. Due to French law, they are produced in different cellars on their respective sides of the boarder. In the past, Les Riceys seemed switched hands between the Comtes de Champagne and the Dukes of Burgundy to many times to count, and that split heritage is very evident in Vivien’s Chamapgne! If you love full bodied rose with plenty of Burgundian Pinot Noir flavor, this one is not to be missed!

Price: $34.99

Michel Arnould Verzenay Brut Rosé Champagne (1.5L)

Review Date: 10-03-2016

The value that Patrick Arnould delivers with this top-notch rosé is mind boggling. This is the only rosé Champagne that I have ever had that is exclusively Pinot Noir, but made by blending wines that are vinified white with wines that are vinified red. Patrick is very proud of his Burgundian clones in his best exposed vineyard plot that he uses to make the red wine that gives this Champagne its color and flavor. This rosé has dark cherry authority as well as complex savor from that high quality vineyard. It also has easy refreshment and a dry chalky finish from the rest of his Grand Cru estate vineyard that makes the white Pinot portion. A must try for every rosé fan!

Price: $79.99

Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne Magnum 1.5L

Review Date: 09-25-2016

This is the best-selling Champagne in the USA.

Price: $164.99

JS: 92

WE: 90

Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne Jeroboam 3L

Review Date: 09-25-2016

This is the best-selling Champagne in the USA.

Price: $499.99

Billecart-Salmon "Brut Reserve" Champagne (375ml)

Review Date: 09-24-2016

Of all the grand marques, no one offers a cleaner, purer example of Champagne fruit and refreshment than Billecart-Salmon. The Billecart family pick earlier than most, and run the coldest, longest fermentations in all of Champagne to deliver their inimitable, graceful house style. If you are looking for the ultimate in balance aperitif Champagne, you have found it!

Price: $39.99

JS: 92

WS: 91

Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 09-15-2016

We were very lucky to have Gosset export director Bertrand Verduzier come from Epernay to present his Champagne at the summit this year, and we learned a ton about this very old grand marque. Their flag ship wine is the Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne, and it is an exceptional wine. The current batch is composed of 43% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier with 20% reserves that are blended in the solera style. They never do any malolactic fermentation for this wine, and as such need to age it for a minimum of 4 years on the lees before disgorgement. It has an almost green color in the glass, and has a great tension between opulent toast and chalky, nearly apple like crunch. If you like this Champagne, be sure to put some in the cellar, I have had them going back 30 years and they are spectacular with age as well as young!

Price: $49.99

Drappier "Carte d'Or" Brut Champagne

Review Date: 09-15-2016

The best non-vintage of our whole Champagne summit was the Drappier "Carte d'Or" Brut Champagne. That is saying a lot, since we tasted so many greats! This combination of 75% Pinot Noir, 15% Meunier and 10% Chardonnay is made with the lowest sulfur counts of any grand marque Champagne. The fruit for this is all from the Aube and Kimmeridgian clay rather than the chalk of the Marne. It is also mostly estate grown. This gives Champagne not only with the lovely red fruit expression one would expect from so much Pinot, but also layers of nearly Chablis like minerality. If you like dry, yet full flavored Champagne, you it to yourself to try the Drappier!

Price: $39.99

Weihenstephaner "1516" Kellerbier (Unfiltered), Germany (330ml)

Review Date: 07-20-2016

Thank you Weihenstephaner- in one magnificent beer you have celebrated one of the best beverage laws of all time and delivered a magical drink that I cannot get enough of. In 1516, Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian beer purity law was put into effect, providing legal recourse against fraudsters who would adulterate their beer with anything other than water, malt and hops. When drinking the 1516 I can imagine stiff, medieval punishments for today's hipsters and their cold brew coffee and peanut butter stout! Weihenstephaner has not tried to "innovate" with this excellent lager- they just crafted something as close to perfection as you can get. This is graceful. refreshing beer, and the only thing wrong with it is the all to small 330ml size. By two- you will want the second one!

Price: $2.19

Orval Trappist Ale, Belgium (11.2 oz bottle)

Review Date: 07-20-2016

As a young wine professional I often yearned for a complex drink when I didn't have the money to afford it. At times like that, I always turned to Orval, a beer that provides an experience akin to 1er Cru Burgundy, but at a price that I could easily afford even when rent was due. Somehow the monks manage to combine great lift, refreshment and ease of drinking with serious layers of savory complexity. The look of the stuff in the glass is worth the price of admission on its own... The Belgian lace this ale throws always takes longer than I want to wait to come down in the glass low enough for me to have a sip!

Price: $7.79

WE: 96

Lustau Almacenista Oloroso "Pata de Gallina" (500ml)

Review Date: 06-28-2016

A bottle of Pata De Gallina and a plate of Cotswold, Cheddar and Stilton lead me into predation every time. I pour a big glass, put the bottle back in the cellar and close the door; otherwise I will be powerless against its charms and pour another. Then I go back to the cellar... It is the tang and zip of this bone dry wine that make it so moreish, while the scale, richness and complexity make it beguiling. What a wine!

Price: $29.99

Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin (750ml)

Review Date: 05-28-2016

This has all the great attributes of the Rare Dry from Four Pillars- just more of them! If you love citrus lift and a strong juniper foundation and sneaky power, this is for you. I love the way that Navy Strength Gin leads me down the wrong path, and I can't wait to get a bottle of this home.

Price: $44.99

Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin (750ml)

Review Date: 05-28-2016

The colonies know their gin. This fragrant, balanced bottle does not try and reinvent the gin wheel, it just tastes better than most drinks. I love the high citrus notes and the low juniper base in the Four Pillars Rare. I think you will find it as at home in tonic as in a Martini. I am buying mine now!

Price: $32.99

WE: 92

2006 Veuve Clicquot "La Grande Dame" Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 05-17-2016

If you are looking for something for the wine lover that has had it all, you have found it. This entirely Grand Cru masterpiece has the vanishing delicacy and haunting complexity for the most discerning of palates. After tasting it for the first time, I was taken aback by how effortless it was, and after drinking it with food I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. This class is not magic, but straight from the vineyard. The 15% Pinot Noir that gives this rose its color and flavor is from the Clos Colin in the Grand Cru of Bouzy, a mid slope jewel in the very best terroir for the red wine for rose Champagne. This is expensive, but what a wine!

Drink from 2016 to 2016

Price: $324.99

JG: 95

WS: 95

Lanson Brut Rosé Champagne

Review Date: 04-13-2016

This dry, racy rosé has great toastiness and an exceptionally fine bead. It is composed of 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier, with 7% Bouzy rouge giving the Champagne its color. It has been aged for three years on the lees and is dosed at only 9 grams per liter. Like all of Lanson's Champagnes, the wine is fermented in stainless steel without malolactic.

Price: $54.99

JS: 93

WE: 91

RP: 90

Ruinart Brut Rosé "2nd Skin" Champagne 750ml bottle (ships as a 1.5L due to shape of bottle)

Review Date: 02-12-2016

No Champagne is more famous within France than Ruinart, but it is only now that connoisseurs in the USA are starting to discover these great wines from Champagne. This rich, well balanced rose will delight fans of great pink Champagne with a great contrast between pure Pinot fruit and pure Champagne chalk. It is a blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, with 18% of the Pinot vinified red and blended in for color and flavor. It has a little more color than most rose Champagne and a soft, full bodied texture. It is rich and satisfying, despite the deceptively high proportion of Chardonnay.

Price: $109.99

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