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Staff Favorites - Kyle Kurani
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Reviews
Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 06-10-2016
I love when a navy strength gin is elegant and beautiful despite its high proof. The Four Pillars Gin is at the same time powerful and graceful, bursting with lime zest and exotic spices, the main flavors shine through beautifully. They are supported by hints of anise and coriander, and delivered with a supply textured and warm mouthfeel that comes from the higher proof. Incredibly well balanced, and supremely delicious!
Price:
$44.99
Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin (750ml)
Review Date: 06-10-2016
Gin of the year. It's only June, and I feel very safe saying that because this is the best gin I have tried since Monkey 47 hit American shores. Incredible flavor profile, ultimate mouth feel, put it on the short lists of gins that will always be on my home bar. The palate and nose are just chock-full of floral and spice notes, fresh nutmeg, anise, violets, with the power of juniper held in the perfect balance.
Charles Ellner "Premier Cru" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 06-02-2016
Very serious Champagne for the under $40 category. With a full 6 years on the lees, there is a depth and complexity here that we often have to pay much more for in the world of Champagne. This extended aging time lends a soft and supple touch to the palate, it effortlessly delivers notes Cara Cara orangeand Bosc pear, fresh baked bread lingers on the finish. This is a great new direct import project for us, and the quality in all the wines has been just amazing when you look at how affordable they are!
Price:
Hidden
Launois "Cuvée Réservée" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-17-2016
Simply put, Grand Cru Chardonnay for this price is ridiculous. Coming from some of the highest quality vineyards in all of Champagne, there is so much wine in this bottle. Fresh green apple and tangerine peel great you on the nose, followed by a crisp and refreshing palate. Fine bubbles deliver a vibrant mouth feel, more Granny Smith, a hint of hazel nut. Hard to get better for Blanc De Blancs lovers!
Price:
$34.99
Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-17-2016
The Veuve Clemence is the older, richer brother to the Cuvee Reserve from Launois. With four years on the lees, it is my go to bottle when in the mood for a fuller bodied Champagne. Full of toasty brioche and biscuit dough right out of the glass, hinting at the opulent nature to come. On the palate it evolves into a supple and appealing wine, chalk full of Grand Cru Chardonnay minerality and stone fruit.
Price:
$44.99
Ruinart Brut Rosé "2nd Skin" Champagne 750ml bottle (ships as a 1.5L due to shape of bottle)
Review Date: 02-18-2016
This bottle takes a walk on the richer side of Rose. Dense and decadent, a core of Bing Cherry, cassis and blood orange, Rose to the fullest. The 18% of Pinot added as red wine adds a firm spine that runs from tip to tail, frambois and baking spice lend a dark richness. Texturally incredibly please, supple and weighty with a finish that end with a hint of baking spice.
Baron-Fuenté "Esprit" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 07-15-2015
For those Champagne fans who are forever chasing the toasty rich style of Champagne, but lamenting the prices that those styles command, this wine is for you. The Esprit from Baron Fuente spends a very impressive 8 years on the lees, developing all of the brioche-y goodness you can ask for, for a ridiculously inexpensive price tag. Toasty with sourdough toast and almond right out of the glass, the palate evolves into baked phyllo and toasted walnuts. Long and full at the back, with Almond Roca and a freshness of white peppermint that lifts the finish just perfectly.
Michel Arnould Verzenay Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 07-15-2015
An amazing expression of what high quality Pinot Noir from Champagne can accomplish. This rosé delivers a wine with power and finesse, full rich red fruit and bright fresh acidity. Upfront the nose is full of strawberries in fresh cream, leading into a savory cassis character. Broad and weighty on the palate, hard candy and blackberry abound. Cleaned up around the edges with precise acidity that lifts the wine and makes it one of the most well-rounded rosés we carry.
Price:
$36.99
Michel Arnould "Réserve" Grand Cru Verzenay Brut Champagne
Review Date: 07-15-2015
Full of vibrancy and richness playing off of each other in perfect harmony, the Michel Arnould Reserve is a stunning example of Grand Cru Champagne. Out of the gate with beautiful aromas of perfectly ripened melon, green apple and spice cake, the nose is effusive and rich. The palate plays fresh notes of watermelon and racy acidity against richer tones of hazelnut and bread dough. The marriage of the racy and rich are what really make this a very complete and extraordinarily pleasing bottle to drink. Powerful and elegant at the same time--that only can be achieved with the highest quality terroir available in the region.
Price:
$34.99
Baron-Fuenté "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 07-10-2015
This bottle of Champagne does so many things for me. It offers the ability to use Champagne in many more settings--from parties to toasts--and it brings quality bubbles into the budget of many more customers. At $23 dollars a bottle, there is so much in this bottle. fresh and vibrant citrus notes, hints of navel orange and white peach greet you, with a light and effortless bead. It finishes with a touch of bread dough and Gala apple, rounding out the palate and leaving you wanting just one more glass. In the end this offers us the chance to drink Real Champagne at a price that so many more people can afford--including us here at the K&L!
Alipús San Luis Del Rio Mezcal (750ml)
Review Date: 06-09-2015
This is the most fruit driven and round of the bunch. Big and rich, dark fruited with black cherry and an almost voluptuous mouth feel. The spirit is super weighty and oily, with just a kiss of funk in the back ground. Such a departure from the others which are much spicier, fruity and delicious.
Price:
$44.99
Alipus Santa Ana Del Rio Mezcal (750ml)
Review Date: 06-09-2015
Big and brooding in comparison to the others, a more full bodied style. Intensely savory, oily and a bit of earth. What struck me was the dry and almost woody finish. if this were a wine it would be described as having a big tannic structure, super interesting to taste something this bold.
Price:
$44.99
Glenfiddich "Signature" 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 03-24-2015
A Classic Malt in every aspect of the term. Clean and bright, a touch of honeysuckle, a kiss of vanilla sweetness, this malt has a little bit of something for everyone. A soft entry gives an easy going feel, on the palate dried fruits, honey and heather give added complexity, the finish is composed and not harsh in any way. A staple.
Santa Teresa 1796 Ron Antiguo de Solera Rum Venezuela (750ml)
Review Date: 03-24-2015
A demandingly decadent Rum, full of dark hued flavors of maple and brown sugar. The Santa Teresa is a wonderfully balanced rum with years of solera aging to create a spirit that is past the complexity of a single age statement. A nose of maple cake and burnt sugar. Vanilla cream runs throughout adding a beautifully sweet crescendo to a long and lush finish.
Laurent-Perrier "Cuvée Rosé" Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 03-18-2015
Intriguing rose that begins in an understated elegant way, and builds towards a fuller finish showing off its’ Grand Cru providence. The nose is hauntingly seductive, crushed red fruit, a mineral vein, and the faintest scent of rose petal all intermingled in harmony. The palate is defined by a textural grip that adds weight and importance, but the lifted flavors of wild strawberry and cream, with hits of cherry tart keep the wine extremely elegant and pretty. The finish picks up speed with reinforced dark cherry and minerality that wraps the wine up beautifully.
Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 03-11-2015
What a charming bottle of bubbles. One of our newest additions to the line up, this a wonderfully enjoyable, open knit and effortless. The nose is cream and zest, maybe a touch of fresh lemon scone. The palate is soft and supple, perky notes of yellow peach and Meyer lemon, clean and pretty. The old vine material comes through on the finish, pure and lengthy. Just a joy to drink.
Price:
$39.99
Ariston Aspasie "Cépages d'Antan" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-10-2015
History in a bottle. I have never had a Champagne made with these grapes, it is truly a walk back in time, and a delicious one at that. I try to find every occasion possible to open this bottle.
When the cork is popped this bottle of bubbles is tightly wound, full of chalk and notes of stone and orchard fruit. As is warms up and breaths, the Pinot Blanc starts to shine through, ripe orchard fruits lend weight and depth. A beautiful, almost waxy mouth feel, is balance by an almost saline line of pure minerality running from start to finish. Completely unique, and absolutely stunning.
Price:
$99.99
Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 03-05-2015
There is not another bottle of pink Champagne that offers this value in the store, end of story. This perfectly crafted bottle of bubbles is sensational wine, and at a price that I can afford to drink more than just on special occasions. A pretty coral pink greets you in the glass, alongside a nose of vibrant cherry, sweetened dried cranberry, and anise spice. Elegant red fruits burst on the scene out of the glass, kissing your palate with lifted notes of rose petal and wild cherry. So good!
Price:
$39.99
Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-04-2015
The Aspasie Blanc de Blancs is a bottle I reach for time and time again. Perfect for almost any occasion that I can think of, from parties to picnics there is something here for everyone. From the immediate aesthetics of the clear glass holding in the beautiful straw gold elixir, to the beautiful breadth and depth that comes from single vineyard Chardonnay. Sun ripe stone fruits greet you, followed by lemon curd and a hit of toasty baguette. The textures is opulent, a kiss of minerality, and a long beautiful finish.
Price:
$39.99
Alexandre Le Brun "Tradition" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-04-2015
Alex Le Brun is one of our newest and most exciting producers we are lucky enough to import here at K&L. Getting to know the style of a new producer means some painstaking, grueling work, having to taste Champagne is pretty tough after all. It was a joy to discover his wines, made in a style that is serious, but not fussy, and absolutely delicious. The Tradition is a joy, toasty on the nose, baked core fruit, with intriguing spice. Bubbly and fresh on the palate with a pleasantly round mouth feel and texture, ending up lengthy and clean.
Price:
$34.99
Franck Bonville Brut Rosé Champagne
Review Date: 02-19-2015
What do you do when you only grow Grand Cru Chardonnay but what to make Rose? Well you trade a little bit for Grand Cru Pinot of course. That is exactly what Mr. Bonville did to make a wine that puts together my two favorite things, Blanc de Blanc and Rose. This wine has all the drive and minerality you would expect from a top end Blanc do Blanc, but with the added complexity and downright deliciousness of a Rose. Wild cherry and raspberry provide perfect base notes, while the Chardonnay adds high tones of Fuji apple and zippy lemon zest.
Price:
$59.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 02-19-2015
Update: This wine continues to amaze me year after year. Each time I open a bottle I marvel at the quality of the wine for the price tag. Re-reading my review from 2011, I have tasted hundreds of different bottles of Champagne, and this bottle of wine still makes me incredibly happy. With 6 years on the lees, the integration is wonderful, soft mouth feel, ripe orchard fruit, toasty at the back. Still good after all these years.
Wonderfully balanced bubbles for a wonderfully balanced price tag. The Carte Blanche is my most often used excuse to open bubbles just for the sake of having a glass of Champagne, there are always a couple of bottles stashed away around my house. Powerfully elegant, with toasted nutty notes and a length on the finish that reasserts why I love this wine.
Price:
$34.99
Singani "63" Bolivian Muscat Brandy (750ml)
Review Date: 09-15-2014
Exactly what we love to drink. After a "serious day in the office" tasting as many as 40 different whiskies, the Singani is the type of spirit I want to come home to, delicious. Fresh, and lively, you get the essence of the Muscat grape, floral, with ripe peach and apricot, this is super clean and dangerously drinkable.
So much to do with it: Pisco sour stand-in, add some tonic, or lemon soda with a twist; I would even venture to say it would be killer in a Mojito.
Price:
$29.99
Nikka Coffey Still Japanese Grain Whisky (750ml)
Review Date: 09-11-2013
One of the most unique and exciting Whiskey's I have had this year! I always love off the beaten path Spirits that just wow you. This is the ultimate in soft, supple, and yummy unmalted grain Whiskey. Notes of caramel, candied nuts and sweet sweet grains all combine to make something that is absolutely delicious. The finish is velvety vanilla and hazel nut and lengthier than I would have expected. With the other expressions from Nikka being so highly allocated, jump on this while you can!
Montechiara Prosecco
Review Date: 11-29-2012
Beautifully crisp and refreshing, this is the perfect wine for parties, cocktails and just plain enjoying a very affordable bottle of bubbles. The Montechiara Prosecco is full of pears and green apples, enough richness for weight, and the perfect balance of acidity for freshness. This is great for the price.
Price:
$10.99
Sorelle Bronca Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry
Review Date: 09-29-2011
Perfectly crisp and refreshing,this Prosecco delivers a festive drink that is a certain people pleaser
San Venanzio Fortunato Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore
Review Date: 09-27-2011
Exactly what I look for in a Prosecco, crisp, refreshing and fruity without being sweet and cloying. Greg did a wonderful job finding this producer to bring in directly, stone and core fruits jump out of the glass, continuing on the palate with a lovely clean mouth feel. A bright lovely drink that is the perfect start of an evening.
Price:
$15.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne (375ml)
Review Date: 09-27-2011
Wonderfully balanced bubbles for a wonderfully balanced price tag. The Carte Blanche is my most often used excuse to open bubble just for the sake of having a glass of Champagne, there are always a couple of bottles stashed away around my house. Powerfully elegant, with toasted nutty notes and a length on the finish that reasserts why I love this wine.
Price:
$16.99
Antech Brut Nature Blanquette de Limoux
Review Date: 06-28-2011
The Antech is the kind of wine I love to drink during the Summer. Crisp, bright, core fruits, and bubbles! Life is too short to not make bubbly happen more often. Wonderfully refreshing by itself, and inexpensive enough for playing the part of bubbly in any cocktail.
Price:
$14.99
La Petite Marquise Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé
Review Date: 02-28-2011
Rose with dark fruit and a very fine bubble structure for less than 15 dollars if just fine in my book. A glass of this on a sunny day while on a deck with a view would make this wine sing.
Price:
$14.99
Tequila Fortaleza Reposado Tequila (750ml)
Review Date: 11-30-2010
With the tequila market being such a competitive place these days, it is rare that a Tequila can clearly put itself above the rest. The Fortaleza Reposado is a study in old world crafting traditions and the superior product that can come from them. This Tequila tastes like Tequila, spicy and rich with undertones of vanilla to round out the palate, the care that goes into every bottle really comes through. One of the best Tequila’s on our shelf.
Price:
$59.99
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