Review Date: 01-16-2025

From an incredible vineyard site in the heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Soberanes is right next door to the famed Garys' Vineyard (literally a dirt road separates the two) and is farmed by Mark Pisoni and his elite team. What Garys' Vineyard gains with older vines and deep roots, Soberanes makes up for with updated row orientation, tighter spacing and decades of know how when setting up and farming a vineyard in this exposed and windy locale. The soils here are very rocky with lots of decomposed granite fracturing off the mountains to the west. Everyday like clockwork a cold wind rips down the Salinas Valley buffeting these vines dramatically lowering yields and slowing down ripening. I've had the pleasure of making wine from Pisoni family fruit before and the grapes are always pristine. The concentration of flavor here is remarkable and even at 8 years of age this wine is very fresh, vibrant and dynamic. I was really impressed with this wine for its notable brightness, focus and mineral infused black raspberry and Asian spice. The wine is fruit-forward and generous, but with plenty of drive and structure to continue ageing for another 5-8 years at least. What a great showing and a simply ridiculous price for a wine of this quality.

Review Date: 01-16-2025

Barbieri Ranch sits on the famed Olivet Rd in Russian River. This area is one of the most coveted in the region known for producing opulent wines with wonderful fruit purity and silky, soft textures. This 2017 bottling from Siduri delivers exactly that - rich, ripe cherry fruit, baking spice, seared strawberry, sweet herbs, subtle leather and warm earth. Silky and polished with lush soft fruit and fresh acidity to carry the fruit long into the finish. A beautifully executed wine that shows all the class and pedigree of this top-notch vineyard site.

Review Date: 01-16-2025

Hailing from a vineyard just outside of Santa Rosa in the Russian River Valley, Lingenfelder Vineyard was planted in the early 1990's to late ripening heritage clones of Pinot Noir - Martini Selection and Pommard Clone. This cool climate site with deep loam soils produces Pinot Noirs with soaring aromatics and lovely fruit intensity. Lifted floral tones, rose petal, Allspice, sandalwood and cola notes. Bright red fruit with some brambly hints, medium-plus bodied with some subtle hints of just the first elements of bottle age starting to mingle with the primary fruit aromas and flavors. In a long string of incredible deals from stalwart Siduri, this is another crowd-pleasing Pinot Noir in the perfect spot for drinking over the next 2-5 years. With more that 50% off the SRP don't think too long about this one...when it's gone it's gone.

Review Date: 01-16-2025

A truly unique wine from a historic planting in the Chehalem Hills. This vineyard, that is the name sake vineyard of the subsequent AVA, was first planted by Oregon Pioneer Dick Erath in 1968. It is one of the oldest vineyard sites in the region. The core of this wine is from a block planted in 1978 to a rare clone of Pinot Noir brought to Oregon by Charles Coury and Dick Erath in the mid-1970s directly from the Grand Cru of Clos Vougeot in Burgundy. These old, dry-farmed vines produce a uniquely savory and complex Pinot Noir that is utterly beguiling. These old vines are supplemented with Pommard, Calera, Wadenswil and 943 clones planted later. The vineyard is farmed using organic and Biodynamic practices, soon to be certified Biodynamic. Several ferments were conducted using various amounts of whole-cluster, up to 75% in some lots. The wine was aged in just 10% new oak with the rest one used and neutral barrels. The wine is very layered and somewhat shy on first sniff, be sure to give it a few swirls in the glass or a 30 minute decant to release the perfume and brooding fruits. Earthy spiced cherry, clove, forest floor, hints of truffle and wild thyme. Dark red fruits, dry leaves, sexy slightly reductive notes and complexity and intrigue. Such a fascinating wine that demands to be studied and explored. Enjoy of the course of a long, relaxed meal to see it hit it's full potential.

Review Date: 01-15-2025

I was thrilled to get a small parcel of this wine direct from the winery. The Winemaker's Reserve bottling is seldom sold outside of the tasting room or mailing list, so we consider ourselves very lucky to get offered some! Sourced entirely from the old vine blocks at Maresh Vineyard planted in the early 1970s, the Reserve bottling is a small, hand-selection of barrels that winemaker Jim Maresh feels most represent the season and place. It is a supremely elegant, yet subtly powerful wine with these 50-year-old, dry-farmed vines issuing forth a small but mighty crop of fruit. Winemaking here is very simple yet precise, native yeast fermentation, some whole-cluster inclusion, gentle extraction, long ageing in mostly neutral French oak. One of the most sensual and complex Pinot Noirs you will find from the region.

Review Date: 01-15-2025

A Pinot just brimming with natural intensity. This vineyard sits on a mountainous ridge 1000ft above the Pacific Ocean in the small coastal hamlet of Annapolis. Sitting largely above the fog line, but still getting the full brunt of the cooling ocean air, this wine is beautiful ripeness and concentration whilst retaining fresh, vibrant, piquant acidity. Spiced cherry, pomegranate, crushed raspberry with some darker brambly, blackberry notes. A fruit-forward and exotic wine with luxurious oak spices guiding the energetic fruit into line. Layered and powerful, but with cool climate vitality and energy. This is a pretty showstopping wine from longtime Sonoma icon Dutton Goldfield. The too-low-to-show, Insider's Advantage pricing on this wine is just incredible. This will continue to impress for 5-8 years or more, so grab a few for now, and stash some away in your cellar for down the road...you won't regret it! 

Review Date: 01-15-2025

Lovely aromas of dried rose petal, sandalwood, dusty earth, red berries, baking spice. On the palate the wine is fine grained, with crunchy red fruits, earthy spice tones, agar wood, hints of star anise. The tannins are fine but give nice grip to the palate elevation this wine above just a charming easy drinker into a bottle that has great food pairing options, and definite potential to see some positive development with a few years in the cellar. Fantastic length on that palate and the fruit, spice and earth all vie for the final word. A beautiful and classical expression of this rarified Ribbon Ridge terroir for a price point that is practically unheard of. Once again, this beauty from Norris is set to be a big hit here at K&L! 

Review Date: 01-13-2025

I'm so please to be back with a fantastic price on this beautiful estate grown Rutherford Cab! A past favorite here at K&L, a few years back we offered the 2018 vintage of this wine with great reception, and get this, we now actually have an even sharper price on the 2021 release! There aren't many situations like that with inflation the way it's been! But hey, it's a new year and we've got our nose to the ground sniffing for the best deals out there! Sullivan has a wonderful estate right in the heart of the Rutherford, with prime gravelly loam soils and plenty of that signature Rutherford Dust. What I think makes this wine so loved is the combination of rich, succulent fruit from this relatively warm, up-valley site, combined with savory, dusty, soil driven notes and hints of leather and dried herbs. It's lush and round with ripe fruit abounding, but doesn't get confectionary as it's grounded by earthy minerals and a nice core and grippy tannins. This wine really shows its sense of place and the quality of the small but beautiful 2021 vintage. At 50% less than the winery SRP, and well under the best prices in the market, this is a legit deal in quality, pedigreed Rutherford Cab.

Review Date: 01-03-2025

I've long thought that there was something especially fascinating about aged white wines. Sure, aged reds get most of the attention, but when a white wine ages beautifully, adding complexity and depth while retaining its vital vibrancy and focus, I find it truly compelling. That is exactly how I felt when I recently tasted these stunning bottles of Chardonnay from Legacy. To be honest with you I was shocked at how fresh and youthful the wines were. The 2016 could easily trick you into thinking it was a 2021 vintage wine. The complexity wines gain from aging are only just starting to emerge here adding subtle nuance to the stunning purity of fruit and racy minerality the wine possesses in spades. Baked golden orchard fruit, toasted barley grains, crush rock minerals, salted lemon, wet river stone, freshly baked wholegrain bread, hints of quality, spicy oak are beautifully integrated. The initial attack of the wine is youthful and primary, but in the finish you can just start to pick up on some savory, yeasty, nutty development hints, but at this point the wine is most definitely still in its ascendancy. A beautiful wine with undeniable pedigree that's entering its prime drinking window with another 5-8+ years of aging potential and probably more. Incredible wine that will continue to improve for several more years and probably drink well beyond 2030.

Review Date: 12-27-2024

As 2024 draws to a close we have one more phenomenal deal on Oregon Pinot Noir! This year has seen several such deals as myself and the rest of the buying team at K&L seek out values far and wide, often going direct to the source to get the very best pricing possible. This beautiful, single vineyard Pinot Noir hails from Filament Vineyard in the cool, windy Eola-Amity Hills known for producing subtly complex, elegant Pinots. Filament Vineyard is high on the slope with an east facing aspect that slows ripening and allows a long hangtime for flavor development. The soils here are of volcanic origin resulting in highly aromatic, dynamic wines. This wine is a combination of Dijon and Pommard clones from vines planted over 20 years ago. The clones are field blended and co-fermented in small open-top tanks. The wine then ages for 11 months in neutral oak. This to my mind is a very quintessential Oregon Pinot Noir. Obviously the numerous sub-regions of the Willamette Valley have their own distinct nuances, but when I think of what a "typical" Oregon Pinot Noir tastes like, this has many of the qualities I look for. Bright forest berries, the wonderful piquant crunch to the fruit, hints of forest floor, sous bois, dusty spice notes, and dried herbs. A lovely combination of fruit and acidity, elegant, yet serious at the same time with it's savory components lingering well into the finish. I've really enjoyed tasting through the 2022s from the Willamette and this is another excellent example of the vintage. Our Insider's Advantage deal hooks you up with more than 50% off the original SRP for this wine making it a seriously classy bottle of small-production Pinot Noir for a great price.

Review Date: 12-26-2024

Boushey Vineyard is well known as a Grand Gru site for Washington Syrah. Owner / viticulturist Dick Boushey is widely regarded as one of the most influential grape growers in the history of the state. Avennia and renowned winemaker Chris Peterson have been making this wine from the same two blocks at Boushey since 2010. Due to this long-term partnership, they're the only winery to get fruit from both of Boushey's oldest and most coveted blocks. One block sits high on the property on what is known as Grand Côte or Great Hillside, a steep parcel planted in 1994. The soils here are very rocky fractured Basalt. This fruit is combined with a parcel from lower down on the property called, Factory Road that was planted in 1996 on heavier silt soils from the Missoula Floods. Both blocks produce quite contrasting flavor profiles and textures. In the cellar Peterson thoughtfully weaves these components together to capture the depth and complexity of Syrah this site exudes. High-toned floral aspects, focused, spicy black fruit, and rocky mineral aspects from the Grand Côte, combined with fuller bodied, meaty, savory, earthen tones from the lower parcel. The fruit from here is seriously structured with excellent aging potential. Thankfully the wine gets a nice long 18-month elevage in 15% new French oak to groom the tannins, then at least another year in bottle before release. If you're interested in checking out one of the most critically acclaimed and proven Syrah bottlings in Washington, this is a perfect chance to do so at an incredibly low price! We worked directly with the winery to get a deep discount on this wine exclusively for our Insider Advantage program. With huge critical acclaim, 10+ years of cellaring potential, and 50% off, this might be the best Syrah buy on our shelves right now.

Review Date: 12-22-2024

A visit to Chimney Rock earlier this year simply reinforced my belief that these wines are some of the most distinctive and engaging in all of the valley. On several occasions at the annual Napa Premier celebration the Chimney Rock wines have been clear standouts amongst many much more expensive wines. I had the chance to walk a few vineyard blocks behind the winery and was excited to see several old heritage clones of Cab including a personal favorite, La Cuesta Clone. This selection of Cabernet was purportedly taken from Chateau Margaux in the 1880s and planted in Woodside, CA. From there it found a home at Martin Ray / Mount Eden and in the 1940s became the backbone of Ridge Monte Bello. If you're seeking a more old school style of Napa Cab, but one that still has some heft and rich fruit, look no further. This is a structured, muscular wine combining effusive black fruits, with camphor, graphite, leather, bay laurel, cedar and rock dust. For bone-in red meat. Winemaker Elizabeth Vianna is in top form here as evidenced by this being named the #5 Wine of 2024 by the Wine Spectator.

Review Date: 12-20-2024

This bottle comes from one of the most radical vineyard sites in all of California. True Believer is small label brought to you by longtime Bien Nacido vineyard manager Chris Hammell. Chris spent 20 years managing this legendary "Grand Cru" vineyard site, growing grapes for the likes of Sine Qua Non, Au Bon Climat, Qupe, Bedrock, and many more. After decades working at Bien Nacido, Chris has always had his eye on one steep hillside, in a sheltered little pocket of the valley across from some of Bien Nacido's most famed blocks. The slope was too steep for traditional farming, so Chris took it on as his own passion project. The small block of vines, known as Block 99, is planted on a precipitously steep slope. The vines are planted at a high density, each vine is tied to a single wood stake. The planting is reminiscent of the steepest blocks on the iconic hill of Hermitage in the northern Rhone. All the farming is done by hand, and as you might expect from a veteran vineyard manager of Chris' pedigree, it is done meticulously. The result are wines of incredible intensity and purity. The 2017 Cuvee 99 is a blend of 66% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre with tiny splashes of Viognier and Roussanne. A bold, powerful wine that effortlessly combines deep, dark saturated fruit, blackcurrant, and elderberry, along with enthralling savory elements of bacon fat, black pepper, leather, hot stone, chaparral and toasted spices. A seriously intense mouthful of wine, but one that has a remarkable balance and layered complexity for such a big wine. Sadly, Chris and his wife have decided to stop making the label, however, we got our hands on some wine at a really exceptional price. What we have in stock right now is all that exists in the world, so don't miss out.

Review Date: 12-19-2024

A wine focused on fruit from the small coastal towns of Freestone and Occidental in the western reaches of the Sonoma Coast. Vines going into this Cuvée come from several sites that all share a heavy coastal influence - cool temperatures and persistent fog. Historically this has always been one of the most intriguing bottlings from Eric Kent, and edgier style of Pinot Noirs that's not afraid of leaning into the more savory elements of the grape. The 2022 Small Town is full of aromatic alpine herbs / amaro-like aromas, forest floor base notes, crunchy red berries, rhubarb, cranberry. The interplay between the fruit, savory herbs and earthy notes seems to ebb and flow with each swirl of the glass, a real shapeshifter of a wine. This really opens up after 30 minutes to an hour of air, so don't be afraid to decant. Most wines from this part of the world (think Cobb, Raen, Occidental) sell for $75-$100+. Thanks to our long relationship with Eric Kent, our Insider's Advantage price on this wine is remarkable! Don't hesitate!

Review Date: 12-19-2024

The Stiling Vineyard Pinot Noir shows quite a contrast from the Small Town bottling, and that's a really good thing...I love when a winemaker's wines are representative of place and reflect the terroir rather than the methodology applied in the cellar. While the Small Town bottling is quite savory and crunchy, the Stiling Pinot celebrates all that is great about classic Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Stiling Vineyard is right next door to, and now owned by the Dehlinger Family. This area has long been celebrated as one of the most sought-after sub-regions of the Russian River. The wine has an intoxicating perfume of wet roses, freshly crushed cherries, sassafras, cola, and exotic barrel spices. The palate is lush, soft, fruit-forward, and powerful. There's still lovely definition and balance here, but it certainly isn't a shy wine, really showing off the quality and purity of fruit this revered vineyard site can produce. One of Eric Kent's most popular releases and we have a seriously hot price!

Review Date: 12-19-2024

The 1KM West Chardonnay from Eric Kent is their cool climate, fresh, mineral driven style of Chardonnay that speaks to the heavily coastal influenced climate in which the grapes are grown. The 2021 edition of 1KM West is a combination of two very highly regarded vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. The largest portion comes from Sangiacomo's Green Acres Vineyard, one of the most prized parcels on this multigenerational ranch in Carneros. The block that Eric Kent sources from is a Hyde Wente selection famed for its punchy flavor concentration, and high acidity. The remaining portion of the blend comes from Zephyr Vineyard situation near the town of Freestone on the far west Sonoma Coast, just a few miles from the Pacific. The vines 20 years of age, planted on Goldridge soils. Both elements of the wine are fermented in largely neutral oak and many large format Puncheon casks. The idea is to allow the zesty, fresh, salty, bright fruit shine through without too much oak influence. The team nailed it in 2021 creating a wine with great presence and power, but never staying from the focused, linear, energetic cool climate style. Quince, crunchy pear, golden raspberry, sea salt, wet rock, shaved almond. Wonderfully fresh and taught. Incredible value in seriously good Chardonnay. 

Review Date: 12-18-2024

Today I'm thrilled to offer up a genuine piece of vinous history in a bottle. The vines that produced the grapes for this bottle are considered the oldest significant planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in California. Planted by Louis M. Martini between 1937-1940 at Monte Rosso Vineyard on Moon Mountain. These vines continued to be farmed and harvested by three generations of the Martini Family. Louis M. Martini's Grandson Michael Martini made his family's wines for 40 years, elevating the wines to world wide acclaim, making some of the most legendary wines to come out of Napa valley in the 1970's and 1980s. He successfully navigated the sale of the family winery to E&J Gallo in 2002, and continued to make world-class wines at Martini until his retirement in 2015. Michael also produced his own small private label, M-Squared, from his favorite old vine block of heritage clone Cabernet Sauvignon at Monte Rosso. Tragically, Michael passed away in early 2023. A larger than life personality and revered winemaker taken from the Napa community in which he was born and raised. Just a few weeks ago I was able to work with his wife Jacque to taste through the last remaining library wines from M-Squared and I'm thrilled that we were able to acquire a vertical of the wines from 2005-2012. These wines show the pedigree of this iconic mountain site and the distinctive qualities bestowed by it's iron rich, red volcanic soils. With decades of experience selecting fruit from this vineyard, Michael knew exactly which block of old, dry-farmed vines he could rely upon to deliver the best expression on the vintage. When tasting through the vertical of M-Squared Monte Rosso Old Vine Cabs I was quite taken by the thread of similarity that tied the wines together, a sense of place if you will. Perhaps that essence of terroir shouldn't be a surprise from a vineyard as legendary as this. While the wines do show some nuances of vintage variation, I found commonality in all of them - a briary, dark red fruit quality with mountain herbs and ferrous, rocky minerality. I found the 2009 to be the most polished and supple of the line up. The fruit perhaps slightly darker than the 2010 or 2012, moving into cassis and blackberry. Very fine tannins, silky almost, still lots of power and weight, but a softer profile with riper tannins and an exotic edge to the fruit. I really loved how the 2009 was drinking right now, but I have no doubt it will still be drinking beautifully with another 10 years of age, too.

Review Date: 12-18-2024

Today I'm thrilled to offer up a genuine piece of vinous history in a bottle. The vines that produced the grapes for this bottle are considered the oldest significant planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in California. Planted by Louis M. Martini between 1937-1940 at Monte Rosso Vineyard on Moon Mountain. These vines continued to be farmed and harvested by three generations of the Martini Family. Louis M. Martini's Grandson Michael Martini made his family's wines for 40 years, elevating the wines to world wide acclaim, making some of the most legendary wines to come out of Napa valley in the 1970's and 1980s. He successfully navigated the sale of the family winery to E&J Gallo in 2002, and continued to make world-class wines at Martini until his retirement in 2015. Michael also produced his own small private label, M-Squared, from his favorite old vine block of heritage clone Cabernet Sauvignon at Monte Rosso. Tragically, Michael passed away in early 2023. A larger than life personality and revered winemaker taken from the Napa community in which he was born and raised. Just a few weeks ago I was able to work with his wife Jacque to taste through the last remaining library wines from M-Squared and I'm thrilled that we were able to acquire a vertical of the wines from 2005-2012. These wines show the pedigree of this iconic mountain site and the distinctive qualities bestowed by it's iron rich, red volcanic soils. With decades of experience selecting fruit from this vineyard, Michael knew exactly which block of old, dry-farmed vines he could rely upon to deliver the best expression on the vintage. When tasting through the vertical of M-Squared Monte Rosso Old Vine Cabs I was quite taken by the thread of similarity that tied the wines together, a sense of place if you will. Perhaps that essence of terroir shouldn't be a surprise from a vineyard as legendary as this. While the wines do show some nuances of vintage variation, I found commonality in all of them - a briary, dark red fruit quality with mountain herbs and ferrous, rocky minerality. Today I'm thrilled to offer up a genuine piece of vinous history in a bottle. The vines that produced the grapes for this bottle are considered the oldest significant planting of Cabernet Sauvignon in California. Planted by Louis M. Martini between 1937-1940 at Monte Rosso Vineyard on Moon Mountain. These vines continued to be farmed and harvested by three generations of the Martini Family. Louis M. Martini's Grandson Michael Martini made his family's wines for 40 years, elevating the wines to world wide acclaim, making some of the most legendary wines to come out of Napa valley in the 1970's and 1980s. He successfully navigated the sale of the family winery to E&J Gallo in 2002, and continued to make world-class wines at Martini until his retirement in 2015. Michael also produced his own small private label, M-Squared, from his favorite old vine block of heritage clone Cabernet Sauvignon at Monte Rosso. Tragically, Michael passed away in early 2023. A larger than life personality and revered winemaker taken from the Napa community in which he was born and raised. Just a few weeks ago I was able to work with his wife Jacque to taste through the last remaining library wines from M-Squared and I'm thrilled that we were able to acquire a vertical of the wines from 2005-2012. These wines show the pedigree of this iconic mountain site and the distinctive qualities bestowed by it's iron rich, red volcanic soils. With decades of experience selecting fruit from this vineyard, Michael knew exactly which block of old, dry-farmed vines he could rely upon to deliver the best expression on the vintage. When tasting through the vertical of M-Squared Monte Rosso Old Vine Cabs I was quite taken by the thread of similarity that tied the wines together, a sense of place if you will. Perhaps that essence of terroir shouldn't be a surprise from a vineyard as legendary as this. While the wines do show some nuances of vintage variation, I found commonality in all of them - a briary, dark red fruit quality with mountain herbs and ferrous, rocky minerality. When tasting through the vertical of M-Squared Monte Rosso Old Vine Cabs I was quite taken by the thread of similarity that tied the wines together, a sense of place if you will. Perhaps that essence of terroir shouldn't be a surprise from a vineyard as legendary as this. While the wines do show some nuances of vintage variation, I found commonality in all of them a briary, dark red fruit with mountain herbs and ferrous, rocky minerality. The 2012 is a majestic wine with a broad range of flavors and tons of richness. Still relatively youthful with tons of dense ripe fruit, dark berries, briar patch, plum reduction, cigar box, scorched earth, and graphite. Big and lush, with quite grainy, muscular tannins. Not as suave and silky as the 2009, and a little fuller bodied than the 2010. The 2012 is just hitting its stride with bottle age notes just starting to show here that will continue to develop over the next 3-5 years and the wine will a decade of great mature drinking ahead of it. Classic big, bold, aged mountain Cab.

Review Date: 12-18-2024

When tasting through the vertical of M-Squared Monte Rosso Old Vine Cabs I was quite taken by the thread of similarity that tied the wines together, a sense of place if you will. Perhaps that essence of terroir shouldn't be a surprise from a vineyard as legendary as this. While the wines do show some nuances of vintage variation, I found commonality in all of them a briary, dark red fruit with mountain herbs and ferrous, rocky minerality. The 2010 is a wine of contrasts as the growing season was. The Summer started off very cool with lots of fog and overcast conditions. By August many growers across California were starting to wonder if the fruit was going to get fully ripe if the conditions persisted. Many chose to pull leaves and expose fruit to more direct sunlight in an effort to speed up ripening. And then, the typical late August Labor Day heat kicked in and ran through September and into meaning the harvest came thick and fast for many. This wine has powerful, ripe fruit, dried red currant, bramble, dark cherry even boysenberry. However, there are also interesting notes of dried herbs, tobacco, leather and woodsy spices, qualities I often associate with cooler climate grown Cabernet. It makes me wonder if these ancient vines didn't panic to ripen their fruit in that cool early summer, and the sprawling, head-trained canopies provided vital shade when the late season heat came on strong. Either way, a complex wine with interesting layers of flavor. Drink anytime from now until at least 2030.

Review Date: 12-11-2024

This 2017 Hidden Block from Neely is absolutely singing right now and in the prime of it's life at almost 8 years of age. The fruit is so open and silky with dusty red berries, dark cherry, woodsy spices, dry earth, subtle hints of leather and dried rose petals. Rich and flavorful, but always light on it's feet and elegant, too. This wine comes from a small, 2-acre block of Dijon Clone 115 planted in 1997. A classic and classy expression of Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir for a price point that almost too good to believe. Insider's rejoice, this is incredible Pinot and a lovely contrast in style compared to the more focused and linear 2018 Upper Picnic Block Pinot.

Review Date: 12-11-2024

I've had a couple bottles of this beauty in the past two weeks and I must admit I'm quite smitten! From a 2-acre block of Dijon 777 clone grafted in 2006 onto older root stock planted in 1982. This is a very alluring, coy, elegant Pinot Noir that needs a minute or two to unfurl in the glass...but when it does it's all class. Wonderfully pure, precise wild forest berries, black raspberry, sandalwood, clove and other mulling spices. Hints of dried porcini and leaf litter, truffle, anise, clean soil (if that's even a thing!?) A magical wine that draws you in slowly. It's not bombastic and effusive, but the subtly and elegance here makes it all the more appealing as the layers slowly open. It really comes alive with roast chicken and herbed potatoes. Silky and elegant now, but still has plenty of poise and energy to cellar for another 5-8 maybe 10 years. Incredible pricing for our insider's Advantage members.

Review Date: 12-11-2024

I'm so thrilled to have some wines from Neely / Spring Ridge Vineyard back in stock at K&L, and with some very special pricing, too! This incredible estate in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Portola Valley has a long history with us here at K&L and these wines have been staples on our shelves for decades. After a short hiatus, we're back in action with a few stunning wines picking up right where we left off. Neely's "Bee Block" Chardonnay is absolutely classic for this estate showing an exquisite a beautiful balance of fruit, perfume and stony mineral qualities. These vines are now over 40-years-old, Clone 4 massal selections from Home Block, planted in marine sedimentary soils of silt and clay. The wine is both bright and ethereal, but layered and complex at the same time with white flowers, crunchy orchard fruit, toasted nuts, ocean spray, dew soaked hay and subtle flint. Beautifully evolved and drinking perfectly, but still very vibrant and youthful with 5+ years in reserve. Easily worth twice this amount, but it's priced to move at our stunning Insider's Advantage price. I couldn't recommend a wine more highly for this ludicrously low price.

Review Date: 12-11-2024

Oh yeah, this one really hits the spot as we free-fall into the holiday season! A rich, powerful, polished Napa Cab with incredible pedigree of fruit sourcing combining top-tier fruit from Howell Mountain, Pritchard Hill, Oakville, Yountville and Calistoga. This wine is very opulent and rich, tons of black fruit, black currant, mulberry, creme de cassis, cherry liqueur and baking chocolate. Under the lush, ripe fruit the tannis are ample yet nicely polished. Some crushed rock and graphite notes (perhaps from the Howell Mountain and Pritchard Hill fruit) give a nice underpinning of savory, rocky mineral. Hedonistic and crowd-pleasing, but with plenty of stuffing and structure to go another 8-10 years in the cellar. *This wine was initially listed as being made by winemaker Kristi Koford, that was incorrect. This wine was made by founding owner / winemaker Casey Stringer*

Review Date: 12-11-2024

A fairly rare bottling of Chardonnay from this extremely highly regarded site in the Sta. Rita Hills. John Sebastiano Vineyard is known as one of the premier vineyards in the region and is meticulously farmed using organic principles. The vines grow on a west facing hillside in diatomaceous earth and sandy loam soils from an ancient seabed. The site is constantly buffeted by cold winds funneled down the valley creating very small bunches of grapes with thick skinned berries and immense concentration of flavor. Known more widely for it's Pinot Noir and even Rhone varietal plantings, the Chardonnay from John Sebastiano is truly special and not to be missed. This beauty of a Chardonnay from Stringer really shows off the natural character of the site. A really flavorful, dynamic wine. Punchy citrus fruit, preserved lemon, fresh squeezed pomelo, stony mineral tinges, dusty white flowers, salt crusted bread. Racy, mouthwatering and tingling with freshness and acidity. Such a lovely wine that really speaks of its terroir. Simply AMAZING pricing on our Insider Advantage program, you snooze, you lose!

Review Date: 12-07-2024

Benmar is a very small winery in Oregon owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Greg and Jen Bybee. Greg has many years of experience in the wine business including learning his craft at the esteemed Rochioli Vineyards in Russian River Valley. I first met Greg when he was selling another portfolio of wines to me at K&L before being introduced to his own side project that was just being launched. Jen is a very talented photographer and all the Benmar labels are striking images that she captured in the Pacific Northwest. Inside the bottle Greg captured the very essence of Oregon PN. Most of the fruit comes from the renowned Hirschy Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton. This site has long been a single vineyard designate for iconic winery Ken Wright. The vines grow in ancient marine sedimentary soils at around 500ft elevation. The wine has a lovely balance of dusty minerals, lifted bright fruit, forest berries, wild herbs, leaf litter, hints of alpine amaro. It's medium bodied, quite elegant, very approachable, and expressive. Right from the first releases Greg and Jen have been getting glowing reviews for their wines from the critics and this certainly a young producer to watch as the buzz grows louder and louder. But...for now at least, you can enjoy this stellar Pinot at some very special Insider Advantage pricing that makes this boutique bottling pretty irresistible! 

Review Date: 12-05-2024

A Napa Valley classic with a fun twist. This rich and flavorful wine has pleased generations of Chardonnay enthusiasts. BV have access to incredible fruit, with this rendition being sourced from their Los Carneros vineyards on the Napa side of the appellation. The result is consistently delicious and quaffable wines. This Carneros/Napa Chard includes an good dollop of Viognier in the blend adding a lovely exotic floral top note to the wine that dances amongst the ripe orchard fruits, poached pear, nectarine, honeysuckle and white peach. There's a distinctive flinty mineral undertone, too. Textured and ample on the palate, with nice juicy acidity to boot. There's a lot to love here especially at our WAY too-low-to-show Insider's Advantge discount price!

Review Date: 12-02-2024

Wow, this is a serious, powerful wine from Mitchell Masotti for an absolute song! $14.95 for top notch wine from a multiple 100-point winemaker! The Masotti Sonoma County blend comes largely from the Rockpile AVA in the mountains near Lake Sonoma. The vines here grow in very rocky volcanic soils producing intense flavors and muscular wines. The blend incorporates Cab, Zin, and Petite Sirah for a hearty mouthful of deep red and black fruit, warming winter spices, hints of mocha, ripe bramble fruit, leather and crushed rock minerals. Full-bodied, but very balanced and expertly integrated with rich oak tones backing up the abundant fruit. Accessible and ready to go, but plenty of structure for another 5+ years of ageing if you're so inclined. A fantastic wine to have around the house when you want a nice bottle of easy drinking red without breaking the bank. This is just ludicrously good at this price, another best seller in the making once people taste how superb this is for the very modest price tag! Cheers!

Review Date: 11-29-2024

I've been working on this deal for a long while and finally got it done. I've long been a huge fan of Eden Rift's wines from this truly special estate in Cienega Valley. Nestled in the valley right below the famed Mt Harlan AVA, home to California icon Calera, lies Eden Rift. The property is actually very historic being one of the oldest continuously producing vineyards in all of California originally planted in 1849. The estate is stunning with many steeply terraced blocks leading in to the Gabilan Mountains to the west. The soils here are decomposed limestone and granite. The region sees huge diurnal swings in temperature as the hot days are tempered by ocean breezes funneling through the mountain passes and descending into the valley over night. The limestone soils and dramatically contrasting day and nighttime temperatures aren't only things Eden Rift shares with it's illustrious neighbor Calera...the winemaker at Eden Rift is Cory Waller, brother of longtime Calera winemaker Mike Waller. The 2018 Estate Chardonnay is really stunning. Very reminiscent of top notch Chablis with a pronounced oyster shell, salty minerality. The low yielding vines and few years in bottle have given the wine plenty of depth, power and intensity, yet the racy, mineral infused acidity has kept the wine so fresh and vibrant. Elegant stone fruit, baked golden apple, subtle hazelnut and toasted grains. Sea spray, wet stone, flint. Really beautiful length on the palate as the flavors unfurl showing layer after layer of complexity. At 50% off the original price, this is the most complex, engaging and multifaceted $20 Chardonnay I've tasted in some time. With the huge scores and massive discount I don't expect this one to be around for long. The quality here is really excellent, I'll be putting some in my own cellar for sure.

Review Date: 11-24-2024

This is a very serious, age worthy, pedigreed bottle of Napa Cabernet from and exceptional vineyard site. Meteor is a small vineyard in the heart of Coombsville, just east of the town of Napa, in the valley's coolest region sub-region. This part of the southern valley is often cloaked in morning fog and feels the cooling breezes from San Pablo Bay. The soils at Meteor are all of volcanic origin, some fractured basalts but mostly white, compressed volcanic ash. The soils are very low in organic matter, but the friable nature of the rock allows the roots to delve deep picking up vital water and minerals. The volcanic soils, low yields, and elongated moderate growing season means that Coombsville produces distinctive and powerfully structured wines. The wines at Meteor are made by Bill and Dawnine Dyer (when they're not crafting their own stunning wines from their tiny vineyard on Diamond Mountain). The Dyer's bring an old-school sensibility to the wine striving for varietal typicity, classical structure and restraint. That's not to say this isn't a formidable, concentrated and muscular wine. But, the fruit never seems jammy or highly extracted. The wine's intensity and power is focused and balanced beautifully. Deep black fruit, mulberry, plum, blackcurrant, mingle with leather, manzanita chaparral, crumbly rock, wild sage, and some hints of cigar box and leather. Subtle oak spice adds another dimension without being obnoxious. This wine feels like it's just coming into its own. Clearly a magical bottle of Cabernet from a great vineyard, in a great vintage, that has another 10 years of positive development potential, and probably 20-25 years of great drinking ahead of it. You could spend 3-4 times the money on cult Napa Cab and not find something nearly as impressive as this. A total sleeper wine, put some in the cellar, check in on it every few years, I'm sure it will impress well beyond it's price tag.

Review Date: 11-24-2024

Not to be outdone by the "Implico" Bordeaux style blend the Rhône inspired "Fifteen 10" Blend from Derby is every bit as impressive as it's Cab driven cousin. This time Grenache takes the lead with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Counoise making up the supporting cast. Wow, what an explosively delicious and satisfying wine. Lots of bold, ripe red berry fruits, grilled strawberry, liquored cherry, brambly blackberry, sassafras, baking spice, dusty earth, and hot stone. Bursting with fruit, but actually quite fresh and quaffable, not an overly heavy wine. It reminds me of some of some of the great old vine Grenache based wines from McLaren Vale in Australia. Absolutely spectacular value for money that's unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. The ultimate easygoing party wine that you can serve to anyone and pretty much guarantee they're gonna be back for another glass. It's just hands down one of the best $10 bottles of wine I've tasted in years. 

Review Date: 11-23-2024

The Pact is Faust's most precise expression of their incredible estate in Coombsville. The very best blocks and barrels are selected to represent the voice of the vineyard in a given vintage. This wine really highlights the volcanic origin of the soils; this part of Coombsville is the caldera of an ancient volcano. The bedrock here is a mixture of fractured basalts, compressed volcanic ash and other igneous rock gravels that have weather down from the surrounding mountains. These intense soils combined with the area's cool temperatures and long growing season make for some very potent and characterful wines. The Pact isn't about big, jammy, extracted fruit like so much of Napa is these days. It's much more focused in its fruit profile and retains wonderful freshness and varietal typicity along with a really strong signature of place. Blackcurrant, graphite, briar patch, hot stone, cedar, alpine herbs. Quite coiled and linear, definitely a wine with exceptional aging potential. That's not to say it's tannic or unapproachable in its youth, it really can be enjoyed now, but it has a feeling, like a young left bank Bordeaux, that the layers will unfurl with time and grow in complexity. It's a beautifully crafted wine that faithfully conveys its sense of place and will be a time capsule for the incredible 2021 vintage for many decades to come.

Review Date: 11-21-2024

A well deserved placement in the Wine Spectator's Top 10 wines of 2024! Faust's Coombsville estate that provides the core of this wine was planted back in 1998 when this very cool sub-region of Napa Valley was still considered a gamble by many folks who thought the area was too cold to consistently ripen Cabernet Sauvignon. Well, that risk paid off as this region is now home to some of the most prized vineyards in the valley, especially for folks looking for more serious, structured, and varietally correct wines. On a personal note, my son plays Little League Baseball right next to this vineyard, so I've spent a lot of time down there, and the site is legitimately cold and windy! It's often 10 degrees cooler than my side of town juts a few miles north west. Fresh breezes come right off San Pablo Bay and morning fog is often particularly thick in this corridor up the eastern bench of the Vaca ranges. The soils here are volcanic gravels and coarse loams, perfect for Cabernet. The CCOF Organic signs proudly displayed on the vineyard gate and fence line of the property shows the Huneeus family's commitment to diligent, sustainable, organic viticulture...it also make me feel better when kids have to go searching amongst the vines to retrieve foul balls! The wine itself, combines the signature dark graphite and mulberry core of Coombsville Cab with more exotic, plush cassis fruit from Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford that make up the remainder of the blend. A modest use of French oak (only 20% new) but longer elevage in barrel (20 months) has allowed the tannins to become refined and tactile, but without blasting the fruit with over the top oak influence. When you're working with raw materials this good you don't need so much gloss I guess!? I love how authentic this wine feels, and what an incredible value it represents in the current market. Approachable now, but also a wine that will easily age 10-15 years or more. Bravo to the folks at Faust for an excellent wine and well deserved recognition!

Review Date: 11-12-2024

We recently had the opportunity to buy a deeply discounted parcel of wines from the magnificent Keeler Estate in the Willamette Valley sub-region of Eola-Amity Hills. Keeler Estate, founded in 1990, has long been a celebrated champion of organic, and biodynamic farming. Beyond their Oregon Tilth Organic and Demeter Biodynamic certification, the estate has operated as a fully holistic, integrated farm for more than two decades. Over the years many small, artisanal producers in the area have sourced fruit from this exceptional estate. Since 2011 Keeler have also produce their own estate grown wines from the fruit they lovingly tend. The 2022 Teapot Block bottling comes from the most prized single block on the estate. High on the hillside, exposed to the cooling van duzer winds, on very shallow, rocky soils, these vines struggle to produce tiny clusters of fruit. Planted entirely to clone 115, known for it's elegance and perfume, the entire production of this wine filled just two barrels and yielded 44 cases total. A wonderful floral nose of dark roses, wild thyme, conifer trees, dark forest berries, dusty earth, and spice box. The palate lives up to the nose with dark red berries, woodsy tones, crunchy bright fruit and lifted baking spice. The wine unravels with time in the glass gaining softer, more red fruit and winter spices. Such a complex and characterful wine. Elegant and precise but with lovely depth and intrigue. I can see why this was the estate's most highly prized block, it really shines here.

Review Date: 11-12-2024

We recently had the opportunity to buy a deeply discounted parcel of wines from the magnificent Keeler Estate in the Willamette Valley sub-region of Eola-Amity Hills. Keeler Estate, founded in 1990, has long been a celebrated champion of organic, and biodynamic farming. Beyond their Oregon Tilth Organic and Demeter Biodynamic certification, the estate has operated as a fully holistic, integrated farm for more than two decades. Over the years many small, artisanal producers in the area have sourced fruit from this exceptional estate. Since 2011 Keeler have also produce their own estate grown wines from the fruit they lovingly tend. The 2022 Estate Chardonnay speaks very clearly of the vineyard's ancient marine sedimentary soils. Fermented in 50% concrete egg and 50% neutral oak barrels, this is a very chiseled, racy, mineral driven, Chablis inspired Chardonnay with zesty, bright, citrus acidity, rocky minerals and oyster shell salinity on the palate. With time in the glass the wine picks up some extra breadth and texture with notes of golden apple and filo pastry. So refreshing and vibrant. An absolutely ridiculous bargain at this price, load up, I certainly did!

Review Date: 11-08-2024

I recently sat down with our new Italian winery buyer Orazio in San Francisco and he asked me to check out these two new, inexpensive Sicilian wines he had just brought in...and wow! Talk about value....organically farmed, very well made, totally delicious wines for under $10!? Grillo is a bright, fresh, aromatic white variety that is the perfect all-around, everyday white wine. Floral, fresh, juicy, great ripe citrus fruit, zippy acidity and way more persistence on the palate that one might expect at this price point. This is the perfect house white for just about any occasion. With this wine you can also feel good about your purchase as it's certified organic, light weight / low CO2 glass, and the case boxes are made from 100% recycled materials. This wine is really great in so many ways and above all else it totally over delivers for the money.

Review Date: 11-08-2024

I recently sat down with our new Italian winery buyer Orazio in San Francisco and he asked me to check out these two new, inexpensive Sicilian wines he had just brought in...and wow! Talk about value....organically farmed, very well made, totally delicious wines for under $10!? This bottling from Lamura perfectly captures the bold, easy, fruit you want from Nero d'Avola with great purity, polish and balance. Very easy drinking, with a soft supple textures and vibrant lift. Exceptional for the price. With this wine you can also feel good about your purchase as it's certified organic, light weight / low CO2 glass, and the case boxes are made from 100% recycled materials. This wine is really great in so many ways and above all else it totally over delivers for the money.

Review Date: 11-04-2024

We knew that on election day we would need something eye-popping to really grab folks' attention...so here you go: 95-point Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cab for $59.95! That's just shy of $100 off the wines SRP...that's 60% off! Missouri Hopper is one of the most prime sites in all of Napa Valley. It sits on the western bench of Oakville surrounded by other legendary vineyards including Ulysses, Vine Hill Ranch and Dominus just across the border in Yountville AVA. This more southerly part of the valley is becoming even more sought after as vintages get warmer and warmer. Missouri Hopper is perfectly positioned in Napa's sweet spot. The wine really illustrates it's combination of prime Napa terroir with Bordeaux inspired winemaking - big, bold, luscious fruit, creme de cassis, blackberry, boysenberry, espresso, cocoa powder, toasted oak spice, but then tobacco leaf, camphor, even cedar tones. It's nice to have some savory varietal character holding in there amongst all the hedonistic fruit and exotic oak. Thanks to our Insider's Advantage program, this is a seriously satisfying Cabernet that delivers a Cult Cab experience for an everyday price point. We loaded up on this almost too good to be true deal, as it's destined to be a best-seller, but, when it's gone it's gone for good.

Review Date: 11-02-2024

OK, I'll admit, this wine had to work hard to impress me...I'm not a huge fan of Cab Franc in general, or at least I'm really picky about which ones I like to drink. Many can be really green and herbal, while others (especially in Napa) can get very ripe and exotic, but lack the grounding that Cabernet Sauvignon's muscular structure gives similar bombastic wines. Well, this wine hits the sweet spot right in between the two. The Ophelia still captures the elegant, fragrant aromatics of Cab Franc but without any overpowering, weedy, green, pyrazine characters. Subtle bramble leaf on the nose with hints of lavender and dried herbs. The fruit is perfectly ripened with lovely blackcurrant and mulberry fruit. Hints of cigar box, damp leaves, graphite, and potting soil. Super fine tannins, very refined and silky, perfect balance and proportion. Such a beautiful, versatile wine with tons of class and refinement. I can totally see why Decanter went gaga over this bottle, it really is a charmer. Drink now, or anytime over the next decade at least.

Review Date: 10-17-2024

Freedom Hill is truly one of Oregon's great vineyards with many winemakers considering it a "Grand Cru" site. Planted in 1982 in Oregon's coastal range, the newly recognized Mt. Pisgah AVA was largely founded on the preeminence of this vineyard and the unique qualities it coveys in wines. The soils are ancient marine sedimentary deposits layed down on the ocean floor many millions of years ago. Despite being one of the most westerly sites in the Willamette Valley, this region is somewhat protected from the van duzer wind gap that channels cold air in from the coast. Therefore, the vineyard produces powerful, rich wines, but with beautiful minerality and aromatic intensity from the marine derived soils. Recognizing the quality of this planting from very early on, Patricia Green is the largest buyer of fruit from Freedom hill and has been working with the fruit for decades. Because of their long-term and deep commitment to the vineyard, they get prime pick of choice blocks and diverse clones. Again, from this long relationship they also have sharper pricing than most on this world-class fruit. Most vineyard designate Freedom Hill wines are $60-$80 making Patricia Greens typical price for this wine at $50 already a solid deal. Now factor in our winery-direct, deep deal for Insider's Advantage members and this price is an absolute steal! Still just a baby, the 2022 Freedom Hill Pinot Noir promises to be an absolute gem. The quality of the vintage is shining with beautiful natural concentration, well-proportioned fruit versus savory, soil driven flavors. Lovely purity with dried rose petal, ripe raspberry, spiced cherry tart, forest floor hints, crumbly soil, wild thyme and subtle lavender. Elegant and precise on the palate but with plenty of intensity and presence. I think this will probably continue to evolve positively for 3-5 years, and likely have at least 10 years of cellaring potential. I'm so excited to offer a wine of this quality from one of Oregon's top vineyards at such an affordable price! Cheers!

Review Date: 10-07-2024

Keeping in mind that the late great Josh Jensen came to Cienega Valley seeking limestone soils when he founded the legendary Mt. Harlan Estate on the peaks directly above these vineyards. The soils found at Gimelli are basically the same soils eroded down from the mountain side. These Pinot Noir vines are now quite mature at 27 years of age. Fruit is destemmed and fermented with native ferment in old, open-top Redwood tanks. The wine is then aged in totally neutral oak and bottle unfined, unfiltered. The wine has a wonderful balance of floral tones, pure, silky fruit, and savory earth tones. Expressive right from the bottle with dried rose petal, hibiscus, black raspberry, seared strawberry with balsamic reduction, dusty earth, foraged mushrooms, and leaf litter. Very supple and elegant on the palate, vibrant and complex way beyond its modest price tag—so delicious!

Review Date: 10-07-2024

The latest edition of STiRMs rosé is once again based largely on Wirz Riesling (86%) blended with 10% Gimelli Chenin Blanc, 4% Wirz old-vine Zinfandel. The Riesling gets 36 hours skin contact. The Chenin Blanc is whole-cluster pressed, and then a tiny addition of 1904 planted Zinfandel, vinified as a red wine, is blended in to give the wine its subtle salmon pink hue. The wine perfectly combines the electric minerality of the Calcite White blend with a squeeze of alpine strawberry and just a slightly rounded off texture perfect for easy sipping.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

On a recent visit to STiRM, this wine perhaps stole the show more than any other. A wonderfully poised, vibrant, mineral driven Chardonnay with impeccable balance and completeness for under $20!? Vines from the mid-1990s, planted in very sandy, decomposed granite and limestone soils. Traditional Burgundian techniques—allowing the browning of juice, then sent to barrel for a long, slow, native fermentation in neutral oak. Unfined, unfiltered. A remarkable bottle of Chardonnay that is a fast favorite here at K&L!

Review Date: 10-07-2024

Ryan Stirm takes the most pristine fruit from these 1964 planted, head-trained, dry-farmed, organically grown Riesling vines to make this flagship vineyard designate bottling. Once again growing on limestone and granite soils. The small clusters are foot-trodden, soak for 24 hours on skins, before being pressed. The wine then rests for 22 months on fine lees all in a stainless steel tank. Vibrant and racy, but also very textural and complex.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

The “Calcite” White Blend is STiRM’s crisp, quaffable, everyday white that is infused with the distinctive minerality of this region’s soils. Named after the specific type of limestone found here, Calcite is a racy, mouthwatering blend composed of 72% Riesling from Wirz Vineyard, 16% Chenin Blanc, and 12% Chardonnay from the Gimelli Vineyard that is right next door. The Riesling gets foot-trodden and 36 hours skin contact, while the Chenin Blanc and Chard are direct press. Native fermentation in neutral oak. A low 29ppm total SO2. Absolutely fantastic with oysters, or a panzanella.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

A vineyard site with a fascinating story. Owner/farmer Denny Peseau has been growing grapes in the Eola-Amity Hills since the 1970s. As the longtime proprietor of Eola Springs Vineyard, Denny always looked up to a site further on the southwest ridge of the hills—a site people considered too exposed to the cold Van Duzer gap winds; the soils too rocky with huge volcanic boulders strewn throughout the volcanic clay loam. The vines have been farmed organically since planting in 2007. The site has wonderful natural balance, the sheer amount of rocks in the soil limiting the vigor of the vines, while the clay holds water alleviating too much stress in the summer months. The vineyard site, though relatively young, quickly gained a reputation for producing silky, elegant, yet powerful Pinot Noir with folks dubbing it the Musigny of Oregon. This wine has a very festive profile to me: it’s like traditional British Christmas cake, liquor-soaked cherries, spiced dried fruit, citrus peel, Turkish delight, cranberry. The tannins are super fine and silky, a dusty earth component, too. Fascinating.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

Cuvée Ruth is a blend of several “Grand Cru” vineyard sites in the Eola-Amity Hills: Justice, Koosah, Sojeau, Temperance Hill, Witness Tree, and X Novo. All are planted on volcanic origin soils. The wine just leaps from the glass with wild berries, açaí, baking spice, dark rose petals, and rocky mineral tones. Lifted and elegant, but with a noble, brooding, earthy core giving a distinctive sense of place.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

The “entry level” wine at Walter Scott is probably the envy of many people’s flagship wines… it’s that good. ‘La Combe Verte’ meaning ‘the Green Valley’ is sourced from iconic vineyards, including Freedom Hill, Sojeau, Temperance Hill, and Witness Tree—all sites that are the crème de la crème of vineyards in the region. All the fruit is destemmed for a native fermentation, then aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak. The nose is a melange of crunchy red fruits, with darker cherry tinges, leaf litter, amaro-like alpine herbs, and a subtle gamey, savory note almost Northern Rhône–like. So much complexity for a relatively inexpensive wine.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

Here’s a wine that’s up there with the very best of the vintage and ready to go toe-to-toe with the best white Burgundies out there. From a small vineyard in Eola-Amity, X Novo is a high-density planting of thoroughly diverse mixed clones (up to 20 different Chardonnay selections). This wine has everything turned up to 11. The flinty reduction, powdery white florals, racy electric acidity, penetrating minerality, tangy, mouthwatering citrus, preserved lemon, tangerine peel, salted limes, nutty savory oak, plus linear tension and reverberating energy. This demands proper treatment—decant, use your best stemware, poach a halibut… or fresh crab? The best of the best. Very limited.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

One of my favorite bottlings from Walter Scott and a vineyard site that really seems to work perfectly with their style. Koosah is one of the highest vineyards in the Willamette Valley, sitting at 1,000-foot elevation in the Eola-Amity Hills. The site has extremely rocky soils, steep slopes, and is farmed with love and care by the Chambers family. The fruit from here has so much linear intensity and mineral infusion. Combined with Ken and Erica’s handling in the cellar, this wine is a model of coiled intensity, electric acidity, and tension from start to finish. Decant and don’t serve too cold to allow this wine to expand. Easily 20 years of aging potential here.

Review Date: 10-07-2024

This is absolutely the best introduction to Walter Scott. It gives you an instant snapshot of what their wines are all about, and it’s an experience you won’t soon forget. Laser focus, lots of smoky flint, struck match, crystalline citrus fruit, wet stone mineral, split white oak, raw almond, toasted barley grains. An explosive, mouthwatering wine that may well suck you into the universe of sexy reductive Chardonnay for eternity!