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Staff Favorites - Alex Schroeder
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Reviews
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 10-23-2017
Stone fruit and Anjou pear flavors are broad and pure on the palate. Lively acidity on the crisp finish makes the flavors last for a minute. The fruit is pronounced and very clean, with just a hint of autolytic flavors mingling with the fruit on the back end. Delicious Blanc de Noirs!
Price:
$29.99
Four Pillars "Faultline" K&L Exclusive Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 10-04-2017
Tasting this gin made me incredibly happy! I love gin for its refreshing nature, and Four Pillars have proven to be masters of the balanced, refreshing fruit-based gin profile. This has delicious flavors that lean a little more towards fresh fruit, with citrus, strawberry and orange peel flavors, fleshed out with subtle spices and botanicals. It’s amazing in mixed drinks.
Price:
$34.99
Canard-Duchêne "Authentic" Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 10-04-2017
The Authentique Rosé from Canard Duchêne has a soft, rich strawberry and raspberry fruit profile offered by the great Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. The texture is lush and round, complemented by chalky minerality and kept in balance by refreshing acidity on the back end.
Price:
$34.99
Canard-Duchêne "Authentic" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 10-04-2017
Canard Duchêne has experienced a renaissance of sorts since being purchased from Veuve Clicquot by Champagne Thienot in 2003, more than doubling sales since the purchase. The clear reason is the higher quality of the product. Made predominantly from Pinot Noir, the grape of Ludes, on the Montagne de Reims, the Authentique shows powerful, rich red-fruited flavors with a hint of Meyer lemon sweetness. The texture is brimming with minerality and a lively acidity.
Price:
$29.99
2004 Krug Brut Champagne
Review Date: 10-04-2017
The latest vintage release from Krug since the legendary 2002 release is a different animal altogether. It comes from a vintage that fully benefited from the poor crop output of 2003, using the unspent energy for amazing crop yields across Champagne in 2004. It offers fineness, intensity, complexity and real aging power. Upon its release, some 13 years after production, it is vibrantly youthful and fresh, with nuanced notes of citrus, yeasty toast, saffron and dried apricots. This will go for many more years.
Price:
$269.00
Charles de Cazanove Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-27-2017
Very impressive Pinot dominant blend at a great price. The fruit comes mostly from the famous Montagne de Reims, where Pinot reigns supreme. It has beautiful, soft red fruit like cherries, strawberries, blood orange and marmalade that mingle perfectly with the toasty yeast. The fruit pops with vibrant acidity and the rich texture keeps you reaching for more.
Price:
$26.99
Charles Heidsieck "Brut Reserve" Champagne
Review Date: 09-27-2017
In a lineup with 12 other Grand Marques, Champagne Charlie was at the top of my list of favorites. The Brut Reserve uses up to 20-year-old reserve wines for 40% of its blend and combines the flavors of fresh stone fruit and pears with quince and dried apricots for a rich, but ultimately refreshing and vibrant profile.
Price:
$54.99
Taittinger "La Française" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-27-2017
This is one nonvintage brut from a Grand Marque that is well worth the money. The blend is 40% Chard, 35% Pinot, 25% Meunier and spends nearly 4 years on the lees in stainless steel. The result is vibrant, pure flavors of apples and pears with an underlying toastiness that accents the fruit.
Price:
$44.99
Real McCoy 12 Year Old Single Blended Barbados Rum (750ml)
Review Date: 09-27-2017
Transparency is becoming a powerful factor in consumer decisions in the spirits world, and Real McCoy Rum has embraced this. Made using the pot and column stills at Criterion, then aged 12 years in charred Bourbon barrels, this has a beautiful amber brown color and a clean, smooth flavor profile of wet brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and slight grassy spice. It is bar none unmatched for smoothness.
Price:
$39.99
2005 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac
Review Date: 09-09-2017
After a dozen years, this Pauillac powerhouse is just hitting its full stride. Acid and tannin are both powerful, but fully balanced and integrated into the rich, unctuous texture. The flavors linger over the palate for more than a minute. Violets, cassis, pencil shavings, mulberries, cigar tobacco, and anise. This will go for another coupleo decades at least.
Price:
$219.99
2005 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien
Review Date: 08-23-2017
The nose on this wine is powerful and quite compelling! Honeyed toast, black cherries, cola berry and leather, all integrated wonderfully. This is a powerful wine from a great vintage, don’t feel obligated to drink it now, it has plenty of aging potential left in it!
Price:
$69.99
2007 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 08-23-2017
What a great price for a wine from this level of producer! The Pessac-Leognan powerhouse makes long lived claret, and the 2007 is in a good place. It is brightly fruited with cherry and red currant flavors, a little game and earth, and great sweetness of fruit. The acid would go with a rich steak perfectly.
Price:
$99.99
2006 Bollinger Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 08-09-2017
When you’re on the market for a rich rosé, how can you go wrong with a barrel fermented gem from the decadent 2006 vintage? This one from Bollinger is superbly executed, with notes of roses and strawberries, and oxidative richness and toast from the barrel. Spectacular stuff.
Price:
$119.00
2007 Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne
Review Date: 08-09-2017
This ten year old vintage offering from one of my favorite Grand Marques is drinking great! Made entirely from Grand Cru Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it has a complex, rich flavor profile of green apple, pear, bing cherry and toasty brioche. The balance is on point, making this one of the most immediately-drinkable vintage champagnes available.
Price:
$54.99
Trudon "Rosephile" Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 08-09-2017
This is a beautiful rosé champagne from the Marne region in Champagne. It has very pretty, delicate flavors of white cherry and strawberry, highlighted by creamy chalkiness and racy acidity. A delightful addition to our import portfolio at under $35.
Price:
$34.99
Le Brun de Neuville "Authentique" Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 08-09-2017
I fell instantly in love with LeBrun de Neuville’s “Authentique” Rosé. The blend, two thirds Chardonnay and one third Pinot Noir, has the best of both worlds: rich and vibrant red fruit flavors along with soft delicate notes of flowers and stone fruit. The acid keeps the blend energetic and the chalkiness of the Sezanne area it is grown in is undeniable.
2014 Quintessa Rutherford Bordeaux Blend
Review Date: 08-04-2017
Make some room in your cellar for this spectacular Rutherford blend. Premium Napa blends are made for aging, and this one will do so beautifully. At this early stage in its long life, you will taste powerful, fresh black fruit and violets, minerally graphite, peppers and anise with just a hint of menthol. The tannins are perfectly extracted to be powerful but silky as they drift across the palate, and the acid balances and heightens all the flavors on the back end. Truly a wine that matches the stunning aesthetics of the winery itself…which is impressive.
Price:
Hidden
Leopold Bros. "Summer" Limited Edition Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 08-02-2017
This is the perfect gin to finish the dog days of summer with. Juniper, blood orange, coriander and lemon myrtle compose the flavor profile, lending this Colorado libation a great balance between refreshing fruitiness and plenty of intriguing spice.
Price:
$27.99
2008 Le Brun de Neuville "Grand Vintage" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 07-05-2017
Bright and poised pear, apple and lemon zest fruit flavors with a voluptuous mid-palate texture and just a hint of red fruit from the Pinot Noir on the back end. The acidity, like every vintage 2008 Champagne I’ve had so far, is electric and stimulating, amplifying the fruit flavors for an almost never-ending finish. Incredible value from this grower champagne from what is quickly becoming a legendary vintage.
Price:
$44.99
Fallet-Dart Brut Rose Champagne
Review Date: 06-27-2017
This Marne rosé is the rich delicious result of the maceration method, where the skins of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are left in contact with the wine for two days, giving it its rich pink color and round texture. The flavor profile is a great combination of bright red fruit with darker herbal elements for a very complete and satisfying rosé experience.
Price:
$34.99
2014 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 06-20-2017
This vintage is stellar. It is sourced from the same vines as the ultra-premium Insignia and aged on a unique regimen of half-French, half-American, half-new oak barrels. It has perfectly ripened fruit with expressive flavors of blackberries, plums, violets, black pepper, mocha, licorice and black tea leaves. The tannins are smooth yet powerful and the great acidity ensures that this gem will age beautifully for years to come.
Price:
$69.99
2014 Joseph Phelps "Freestone Vineyards" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Review Date: 06-20-2017
The 2014 Joseph Phelps Freestone Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was showing great during our recent buying trip to Napa Valley, when the K&L team had the privilege to talk with Will Phelps, grandson of Napa Valley icon Joseph Phelps and current executive manager of the Joseph Phelps estate. Phelps explained how they picked from two different plots with different levels of sun exposure to create a complete and complex Pinot profile. Fresh, crunchy, ripe red fruit like raspberries, strawberries and plums with savory elements of spicy earth, forest floor and a touch of salinity make for a beautiful, well-crafted and powerful Sonoma Coast Pinot.
Price:
$39.99
2008 Fallet-Dart Vintage Brut Champagne
Review Date: 05-09-2017
This latest champagne drop has our staff and customers loudly buzzing. From one of our top grower imports and from easily the best vintage of the last couple decades, the ’08 Millesime from Fallet Dart is 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir from the estate’s best parcels, aged 8 years on the lees! Lemon meringue, nectarine, and pear fruit flavors are intense and amplified by the vintage’s hallmark acidity, while beautiful and fully integrated toasty lees add depth and complexity. At sub-$40, it seems too good to be true, which means it will probably disappear pretty fast.. Grab yours!
Price:
$39.99
Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 04-26-2017
The Grand Siècle (literally “Great Century”), is named after the age of King Louis XIV of France, and represents the awe and splendor that was known under his reign, during which Versailles was built. One of my absolute favorite prestige cuvées, it is composed entirely from Grand Cru sites, blended from three great vintages, then aged on its lees for the entirety of a decade. Wow. Made from 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, it has quince, green apple and citrus fruit with honey, almond and biscuit notes from the long aging. It has delicious toasty yeasty character and vibrancy from the great acid. This should be in every Champagne lovers cellar, ready for that perfect, or any, Champagne moment!
Price:
$109.99
2013 Château Puech-Haut "Cuvée Prestige" Coteaux du Languedoc Rouge
Review Date: 04-15-2017
This is a deliciously full flavored Grenache-Syrah blend from the Languedoc. Very deep and pure flavors of plum, violets, blueberry, and blackberry, with a little bit of toast and great acidity for freshness. This is the third vintage I’ve tasted and it continues to be one of my favorite reds from the south of France, where great values abound.
Price:
$19.99
2015 Crystallum "The Agnes" Chardonnay Hemel-en-Aarde / Overberg
Review Date: 04-11-2017
This great Chardonnay is entirely barrel fermented, but its richness (and it is rich) is mostly lees based since they only use 10% new oak. There are vibrant tropical flavors of melon and citrus, a rich creamy texture from the lees and time in barrel, and a well balanced cool climate acid to keep it fresh. Great example of Walker Bay Chardonnay from South Africa.
Price:
$24.99
Le Brun de Neuville "Authentique Assemblage" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-01-2017
In a direct import program that boasts hundreds of stunning grower-producer Champagnes at incredible values, the “Authentic Assemblage” from Le Brun de Neuville belongs near the top of the list not just in terms of value for the price but in overall quality. It boasts a rich, decadent style that comes from aging on its lees for five years under cork instead of bottle cap, a practice still used by only a tiny percentage of producers in Champagne. This allows for micro-oxygenation, which gives the wine a rich, rounded texture that perfectly balances out the crisp chalky minerals and the rich flavors of nectarine, honeysuckle, brioche and clove. The fact that it is available under $35 is a Champagne miracle.
Price:
$34.99
Jacopo Poli Sarpa di Poli Con Tubo Grappa (750ml) (Cannot ship- in store pick up only)
Review Date: 02-23-2017
When I started working in the wine industry, I managed a store owned by a Greek family in Texas. Every year they would visit the mother country and bring back a true cornucopia of artisanal Greek paraphernalia: Kalamata olives, feta cheese, dried figs and wild oregano, olive oil and candied fruits. What I most looked forward to, though, was the grappa that an uncle made that came to me in a big plastic soda bottle. This stuff was the elixir of the gods. When I quickly and inevitably ran out I could never find a commercially available substitute…until I tried Jacopo Poli’s Sarpa di Poli. See, this grappa is made with as much care and in equally small batches in Schiavon, Italy as the Greek grappa that came in the soda bottle. It’s made from the pomace of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and has deep penetrating aromas of jasmine, sweet pear, green fruits, coriander and anise. It’s bone dry and super clean on the palate but maintains that rich flavor profile for over a minute on the finish. I love all the spirits of the world, from rich Highland Single Malts to funky agricole Rhums, but when all is said and done, nothing is as exciting and satisfying for me as an artisanal grappa like this.
Price:
$52.99
A.D. Coutelas "Cuvée Louis Victor" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 02-05-2017
This Champagne, made using a sort of solera-style fractional blending, deserves a good amount of contemplation. It is incredibly precise and delicate with light citrus, apple, exotic fruits, and a hint of herbs with chalky minerality. But its method of production adds notes that are new to me in the realm of Champagne. It has almost a fine indigenous-yeast sherry note to it that I love! I now understand why this Champagne sells out so quickly every time we get it in stock.
Price:
$34.99
Laurent-Perrier "Cuvée Rosé" Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 01-05-2017
Everything about the Cuvée Rosé is rich and seductive: the deep pink hue, the lush Pinot Noir fruit flavor, the silky texture. The fruit, entirely Grand Cru Pinot Noir, is destemmed, crushed and left in contact with the skins for an unusually long 72 hours, before being vinified and aged on the lees for four years. The result is a wine rich in the pure flavors of ripe strawberries, raspberries and black cherries and hazelnuts with a creamy texture, crisp bubbles, and incredible length. This is a very delicious — and unique—rosé Champagne.
Price:
$64.99
Bruno Michel "Blanche" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 12-07-2016
I tried this at K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby’s suggestion and I’m glad I did. It’s not every day a wine gives you a veritable “Wow” moment, but this one took me aback. Bruno Michel has been a pioneer in organic, biodynamic vine growing since the 1980s, and apparently putting prodigious amounts of tender love and care into them makes a stunningly good bottle of bubbly. Roughly half Meunier, half Chardonnay, the aroma profile is unique and complex: sweet flaky pastry, lemon zest and a hint of cocoa melded together by a rich lees quality. The acidity doesn’t necessarily stick out, but rather gives the wine the perfect sense of balance, tying together all the rich and complex flavors of quince, toasted pie crust, cloves and baked apples perfectly. They may not have the marketing power of the “Grand Marques” but Bruno Michel’s champagnes would stand up to the very best of them in any tasting panel.
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne (375ml)
Review Date: 10-30-2016
I recently enjoyed this while relaxing in a hot tub on a nice summer evening in California; it was perfect! Fresh and pronounced flavors of pear and apricot combine with a crisp acidity and lush creaminess for a wine fresh and approachable in style. The perfect accompaniment to any moment of leisure, at a price far below its value!
Price:
$18.99
2013 Kingston Family "Lucero" Syrah Casablanca Valley
Review Date: 10-04-2016
I really love the Kingston Family Estate for their philosophy on wine making, which is to craft wines based not on what everyone else is selling, but to tell the beautiful story of their cool-climate Chilean terroir. The Lucero Syrah is that beautiful story in a bottle. It is very aromatic with notes of fresh eucalyptus and cranberry, pepper and leather. The fruit is bright and vibrant with acid driven fruit flavors like raspberry and blackberry, with a soft, medium-bodied texture. Wonderful balance and fresh style.
Price:
$15.99
Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-16-2016
This bone dry offering from the prestigious Laurent Perrier house is elegant, fresh and satisfying. This no-dosage cuvée consists of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir from high quality vineyards that display a subtle toasty quality over clean green apple and fresh citrus flavors. Wonderful expression of the Champagne terroir and one of my favorite takes on the style.
Price:
$54.99
Drappier Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Zero Dosage Champagne
Review Date: 09-16-2016
Made from 100% Pinot Noir. The minerality in this low sulfite, no-dosage Brut Nature is vibrant alongside the dry, bright red fruit flavor of the Pinot Noir. The clean, crisp finish seals this as one of the best Brut Natures in stock.
Price:
$49.99
Gosset "Excellence" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-16-2016
Gosset wines prove that Champagne need not exist on a richness to freshness spectrum, but that both sensations can be achieved in unison to magnificent ends. On the nose, the Brut Excellence displays lovely chalk and sweet pastry notes. The Pinot Noir takes over on the palate with rich red fruit elements which meld perfectly into a pronounced acid-driven freshness and a creamy, silky texture at the same time! A remarkable combination!
Price:
$34.99
2005 Charles Heidsieck Brut Champagne
Review Date: 09-16-2016
The fruit from this remarkable vintage was rich and ripe, and after spending 8 years on its lees and a few more in bottle, it has transformed into a rich, creamy, well-rounded Champagne. Rich roasted apricots, roasted hazelnuts and butter notes ride a smooth and creamy texture that coats the entire palate before an elegant, soft acid finish. This is a special bottle of bubbles!
Price:
$79.99
2008 Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 09-16-2016
The 2008 vintage for Champagne manifests itself incredibly well with Veuve Cliquot’s millesime rosé. It has an energetic acidity that converges with the ripe red berry notes at a beautifully crafted point of inflection on the back palate. 5% of the wine was aged in giant oak foudres to lend a rich texture undertone with subtle spice notes, and its yeast character is a delicate supplement to the lively fruit. I would love to revisit this Champagne in five, even 10 years!
Price:
$84.99
Ruinart Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne (Ships as a 1.5L Due to Bottle Size/Shape)
Review Date: 09-16-2016
Ruinart’s flagship wine is built in a style that emphasizes a very crisp, clean, and elegant Champagne experience. Made in a reductive style so that the high quality Premier Cru juice sees very little oxygen during vinification, the clean flavors of citrus and stone fruits dominate against a backdrop of pronounced minerality and crisp acid. If your looking to impress company, no matter how discerning the palates, pick this up.
Price:
$69.99
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 08-12-2016
I recently enjoyed this while relaxing in a hot tub on a nice summer evening in California; it was perfect! Fresh and pronounced flavors of pear and apricot combine with a crisp acidity and lush creaminess for a wine fresh and approachable in style. The perfect accompaniment to any moment of leisure, at a price far below its value!
Price:
$34.99
Fallet-Dart "Cuvée de Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 07-27-2016
70% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir. I had this recently to celebrate a good friend’s birthday and we were all stunned by its goodness! It had wonderful fresh pear and apple fruit notes, a broad presence on the palate, and a crisp finish that left a nice yeastiness lingering for over a minute! If you’re on the grower-producer train, this is an essential!
Price:
$29.99
2014 Maldonado "Farm Worker" Napa Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 05-24-2016
This is the wine Rombauer doesn't want you to know about!!! Rich, lush with elegant Napa fruit, a soft acidic edge, and the perfect dose of oak to make it EXTREMELY easy drinking. If Napa Chardonnay is your jam, you can't miss this level of quality for the price.
Price:
$17.99
Jean-Louis Denois Pinot Noir Brut Rosé
Review Date: 11-29-2015
High quality and a low price make this one of the funnest bottles of bubbles available! Made from 100% Pinot Noir, it has great structure and rich flavors of strawberries, raspberries and cherries. It has a rich, creamy mousse and a dry, crisp acidic finish. Credit to Denois for making good everyday bubbles a possibility!
Price:
$15.99
