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Focused herbal, wild black fruit and tobacco nose. The youthful palate is poised and approachable with a soft texture, high tannins and brisk acidity. It has an intensity of flavour in the mouth and an energetic, impressively long, finish. A very accomplished expression of Graciano. The value here is superb! *Platinum Medal 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards*

The 2024 ranks among the best vintages of Leflaive's Bâtard I have tasted. There is a lovely freshness without sacrificing the richness that is the charm of a proper Bâtard. The wine surprises with profuse aromas of ripe pear, acacia flower, chalk and spice; the texture is dense but very fine, bringing impressive persistence to the finish. The wine is completely, convincingly delicious. The difficult 2024 vintage required extensive sorting, but the team did what was necessary to produce a truly memorable result.

As is often the case when young, the nose closely resembles that of the Pucelles with just a bit more layering. By contrast, there is definitely more size, weight and power to the bigger-bodied still yet refined and wonderfully energetic flavors that coat the palate with dry extract while delivering outstanding persistence on the compact, balanced and Zen-like finale. This is gorgeous and equally classy though it's also very much a buy and forget you own it wine. *Don't miss!*

The bouquet is utterly enticing, offering cool blue-fruit notes and a dusting of cocoa-powder freshness that stirs anticipation for the first sumptuous sip. On the palate, satiny richness unfolds, imbued with crunchy red cherry and juicy blackberry fruit, alongside refined sagebrush and tobacco nuances. There is a sense of intricately fine-knit tannins – compact yet impressively integrated at this youthful stage – framed by subtle, refined oak spice. The finish is long and mineral, marked by graphite and a touch of black sea salt. The wine was fermented entirely with native yeasts in stainless steel, with a portion aged in amphora in this vintage, before maturing for 19 months in 95% new French oak. The blend is rounded out by small additions of Malbec and Petit Verdot. In 2023, the vines were farmed regeneratively for the first time, with harvest completed by mid-October.

The 2020 Beau-Sejour Becot is a dense, powerful wine. A rush of black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and sweet oak builds as this towering, vertically explosive Saint-Émilion opens in the glass. This is an especially broad, expansive Saint-Émilion, much of that attributable to the clay in these soils. The 2020 is magnificent in its intensity and overall volume. Superb. (AG)

This is a Chardonnay from Meursault produced by Domaine Robert Ampeau & Fils, a historic family estate known for releasing wines only after extended cellar aging. The wine comes from the Premier Cru vineyard La Pièce-sous-le-Bois, a small climat on the southern side of Meursault bordering Puligny-Montrachet. Domaine Ampeau became famous for maintaining deep library stocks and holding back vintages for years or even decades before release, allowing the wines to mature under ideal cellar conditions before reaching the market.

The 2020 Brut Franciacorta Milledì is distinctly savory, with a burst of exotic spices and white smoke giving way to a whiff of crushed apricots. It floods the palate with silken bubbles contrasted by a core of zesty acidity and a salty flourish that resonates toward the close. This comes across as rich yet energetic, with a spine of saline tension and hints of sour citrus that pucker the cheeks throughout the finish. (EG)

The more elegant nose is cooler and also overtly floral with its aromas of apple, pear, spice and just sliced citrus. There is excellent energy and delineation to the slightly more mineral-driven and gorgeously textured middle weight flavors that display fine length on the comparably complex finale. This too is lovely and I particularly like the balance.

As is often the case when young, the nose closely resembles that of the Pucelles with just a bit more layering. By contrast, there is definitely more size, weight and power to the bigger-bodied still yet refined and wonderfully energetic flavors that coat the palate with dry extract while delivering outstanding persistence on the compact, balanced and Zen-like finale. This is gorgeous and equally classy though it's also very much a buy and forget you own it wine. *Don't miss!*

This is a fascinating showcase of how graceful Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon can age. Now 15 years old, this bottling still shows complex aromas of roasted strawberry, ashy wood, mashed olive, espresso bean and damp mushroom. The palate remains as fresh as many new Cabs, with polished tannins offering dark fruit, dried porcini and bittersweet cocoa flavors. *Editors' Choice* (MK)

The 2024 Patelin de Tablas Blanc punches well above its weight with a gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers, stone dust, lime zest and freshly sliced pears. The palate is seamless and soothing with a wave of minty herbs elevating ripe nectarine and apricot. Candied citrus tones meet a bump of juicy acidity on a lively finish with fantastic length. This is a total pleasure to taste. (EG)

Calera was founded in 1975 by Josh Jensen, whose pursuit of limestone-rich vineyard land led him to California’s Mount Harlan. This 2024 Chardonnay carries the broader Central Coast appellation, offering a regional counterpart to the producer’s Mount Harlan estate wines.

Maker’s Mark produces its bourbon in Loretto, Kentucky, with red winter wheat in place of the rye commonly used in bourbon recipes. The “New York Knicks Championship Edition” is a one-liter release of the producer’s Kentucky straight bourbon.

Distilled during Ballindalloch’s inaugural year, this single malt was filled on October 23, 2014, into the 60th cask ever laid down at the family-owned Speyside distillery. The whisky was made from Concerto barley, the variety used at Ballindalloch before its transition to Laureate. Its production reflects the distillery’s slow, traditional approach: a roughly seven-hour mash, 140 hours of fermentation in Oregon pine washbacks and slow distillation through copper pot stills fitted with exceptionally long worm tub condensers. Cask #60 spent its entire maturation in a first-fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry hogshead before bottling on June 8, 2026, at more than 11 years old. Ballindalloch’s first single cask release for the United States, it is available exclusively in the U.S. with just 300 bottles allocated. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 59.2% ABV, without chill filtration or added color.

Calle 23’s original Criollo Blanco became a cult favorite, and Sophie Decobecq’s follow-up takes this distinctive agave in an entirely new direction. Created after the 2018 release honoring her first son, Abel, Criollo El Dos celebrates her second son, Eliès, with a limited-edition blend built around añejo tequila, complemented by smaller contributions of extra añejo and reposado. The foundation remains blue agave criollo, the unusually small plants prized for their high sugar content that inspired the original bottling. Rather than repeat that blanco, Sophie chose to explore how barrel maturation could develop the character of this special raw material. Bottled at 46.7% ABV and made without additives, El Dos brings together three categories of aged tequila in a single composition. The presentation is equally thoughtful: a hand-blown bottle made from recycled glass, decorated with hand-drawn artwork by Rose Guerrero. For those who followed the original Criollo, this is a particularly exciting next chapter, pairing Sophie’s fascination with these exceptional agaves with a distinctly different approach to aging and blending.

Morey-Saint-Denis lies between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits, where Monts Luisants occupies an upper-slope position above Clos de la Roche. Domaine Nicole Lamarche’s 2024 Pinot Noir represents the premier cru portion of this vineyard, offering a geographically distinctive expression of Morey-Saint-Denis.

Cool, pretty and airy aromas include those of Granny Smith apple, floral and citrus zest wisps. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the delicious middle weight flavors that conclude in a bright, crisp and firm finale that is shaped by lemon-tinged acidity. This is an excellent Bourgogne that will age if desired, indeed I would recommend it. *Outstanding Top value*

Established in the mid-1980s, Graham Beck focuses solely these days on Cap Classique (traditional-method sparkling) wines. This 100% Chardonnay vintage bubbly was half barrel-fermented and aged for four years on lees in bottle before disgorgement. It offers a creamy brioche depth, lively acidity and a purity of apple, pear and lemon citrus fruit. (AW)

This awesome vodka is locally made in El Dorado Hills from 100% apples and cut with Sierra Nevada mountain water. It's naturally gluten-free, has no sugar added, and is double carbon filtered for an exceptionally round taste. Winner of Best in Class vodka from the SIP awards and California Craft Spirits Competition.

There's a profound mineral tension, with aromas of white pepper, flint and some earth. The palate is tense and nervy, with finely structured phenolics rounding out the sweetness from residual sugar, leading to a drying finish. The nerviness backed by structure on the palate has made this an immense, detailed wine for the cellar. (RM)

Caol Ila stands on Islay’s eastern coast overlooking the Sound of Islay, the strait separating the island from Jura. Distilled in 2006, this 19-year-old single malt is a single-cask release in the Single Malts of Scotland range, presenting an individual cask from this island distillery.

Penfolds nailed the great vintage, making a wine that is perfect in every way. The blend of 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet sauvignon comes from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Magill Estate in Adelaide, in that order, and as usual spent 18 months in new American hogsheads. Its detail is superb, with light and shade allowing blackberry and plum fruit pride of place, but there's also flashes of spice and licorice. It's as mouthwatering with the last taste as the first, and 7.3g/l of acidity leaves the mouth fresh.

Once again there is a hint of reduction that strikes me that it is not likely to persist on the riper aromas of poached plum, black cherry and discreet wood toast nuances. The gorgeously textured, velvety and caressing medium weight flavors display impressive power, serious and firm finale. This well-balanced and imposing effort should age well over the next decade. One to look for. (Drink starting 2030)

Referred to as ‘Baby Grange’ as components of the wine are always matured in the same American oak hogsheads that held the previous vintage of Grange, Bin 389 (first made in 1960) is always a Cabernet-dominant Cab-Shiraz – the great Australian blend. This year it just makes it, with 51%, the fruit for both varieties coming from McLaren Vale (45%), Padthaway and Barossa Valley. The 12 months in oak (33% new) adds a creamy coconut sheen to the generous mouthful of summer pudding berries, fleshy blue plums and more savoury tones of fennel salami, mocha and cigar box spice. Fine tannins, bright acidity and a firm structure deliver power and polish, already approachable but with a long life, and more complexity, ahead. A standout this vintage. (TG)

The 2009 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde isn’t far off the 2010 but has a more sunny, opulent style that’s very much in the vibe of the vintage. Lots of ripe black raspberry fruits, graphite, peppery spice, and earthy minerality give way to a full-bodied, opulent wine with chewy tannins and a blockbuster finish. It too has another two decades or more of prime drinking.

This is a spectacular wine in 2023, showcasing the remarkable freshness of Mount Veeder terroir through heady nuances of sagebrush, live oak, bay laurel and white pepper. The spice notes are clean, pure and beautifully delineated, providing a fine dusting over ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit. The palate is tender and fleshy, its richness finely balanced by mountain-born tannins that are firm yet seamlessly interconnected. The finish carries tremendous length and profound ironstone minerality, layering in a distinct and palpable mineral tension that tightens and focuses the wine as it lingers. A masterfully crafted Cabernet Sauvignon and a true benchmark for Mount Veeder in 2023.

Deanston occupies a former cotton mill on the banks of the River Teith in the Scottish Highlands, where whisky production began in 1966. Distilled in 2008 and matured for 17 years, this single-cask release under the Single Malts of Scotland label connects independent bottling with a distinctive chapter of Scotland’s industrial heritage.

Smoky, floral and fabulous. Violet-edged, this stands out over the 1982 for its complexity of aromatics and flavours. Brambled blackberry notes meld with soft leather and liquorice, all perfectly finessed. Harvest 28 September until 13 October, around one week later than the 1982. A touch of Petit Verdot finishes up the blend. Peter Sichel, who was making the wine at the time, was convinced straight after harvest that the 1982 was better than the 1983. 'He was right,' says Thomas Duroux today. Certainly sugar levels were a touch higher than the previous year, and the fruit character generous from the earliest years. (JA)

The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc leads with a distinct nose of freshly picked curry leaf, crushed sea shells, lemon zest, asphalt, mustard seed, dried coriander/coriander seed and white flesh orchard fruit. This is powerfully fruited, has great energy and drive and, unsurprisingly, offers great pleasure and satisfying drinking. This is a very smart, savory wine here. (EL)

This may be the best beer ever! But, one is enough: trust me.

While compositionally similar to the straight Bourgogne, there is more elegance as well as an attractive essence of pear nuance. There is again excellent verve to the chiseled and strikingly textured medium-bodied flavors that flash focused power on the firm, complex, balanced and impressively long finish for a villages-level wine. While this could use better depth, everything is in place for that to occur in time. One to buy. *Outstanding*

Very cool and lemony, with plenty of garden herb aromas, this is a very sleek and focused dry riesling that’s barely medium-bodied. Very crisp finish with some herbal and green apple flavors. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Built around a notably high-rye bourbon mash bill, Bulleit "Frontier" is bottled at 45% ABV and positioned as the brand's flagship Kentucky straight bourbon. The label traces its inspiration to Augustus Bulleit's 19th-century whiskey, revived by Tom Bulleit in the late 1980s.

This Lagar de Baixo, the entry-level wine that Niepoort makes in Bairrada, opens up with blackberries, violets, stones and a subtle earthy note. The palate is medium-bodied and really supple, with silky tannins, tender fruit and an ethereal finish. (JGL)

From the brewery: "Velvet Glow is an homage to an old Grace Brother’s Brewing beer brewed right here in Santa Rosa! The Grace Brother’s brewery was around from 1933 to 1966, where they created many iconic beer brands including Velvet Glow and Happy Hops. This Helles style lager is a clean, crisp, and refreshing beer with a bright straw color, aromas and flavors of bread crust and biscuit. There is a very low bitterness with a mild hop aroma." DUE TO RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING COMPANY'S HIGH STANDARDS AND COMMITMENT TO KEEPING THEIR BEER FRESH, K&L CANNOT SHIP OR TRANSFER RRBC BEERS OUTSIDE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. THIS INCLUDES ALL DELIVERY OR WILL CALL ORDERS TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OR OUT OF STATE.

100% Macabeu is fermented at low temperatures. Green walnuts, herbs and spices are sourced locally from the Matarrana area and macerated in the wine. The whole concoction is then aged for up to six months in a solera before being bottled in one of the coolest looking bottles on the market. The Spanish drink vermouth like it's going out of style, but we all know that there's nothing more stylish than pulling out a bottle of fine vermouth to pair with your tapas. What else are you going to do with all your canned fish? While designed primarily for straight consumption, the Negra lends itself to mixing as well. This one's all about balance!

The Macpherson-Grant family has cared for the Ballindalloch Estate since 1457, and its connection to Scotch whisky stretches back more than two centuries. The family established the licensed Delnashaugh Distillery in 1824 and later helped found both Cragganmore in 1869 and the original Speyside Distillery in 1895. That history continues at Ballindalloch Distillery, where estate-grown barley is transformed into single malt through a deliberately traditional process. Mashing takes approximately seven hours, fermentation runs for 140 hours in Oregon pine washbacks, and the spirit is distilled slowly through copper pot stills with unusually long worm tub condensers. The Family Heritage Selection marks Ballindalloch’s first release in the United States, more than a decade after the distillery began production. This small-batch single malt brings together whisky matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and first-fill ex-Sherry hogsheads. It is bottled at 50% ABV without chill filtration or added color.

The 2021 Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) is a gorgeous wine that immediately announces the pedigree of the vintage. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and rose petal open first, framed by silky tannins that lead into the persistent, nuanced finish. This is seriously impressive, especially with aeration. Exotic spiced overtones linger. (AG)

The youngest pinot noir vines that make up the les Vignes de Maillonge celebrated their fortieth birthdays in 2022. The old vines in this parcel are more venerable, having been planted all the way back in 1958. The wine tips the scales at an even thirteen percent and is gorgeous in this vintage, offering up a pure and sappy bouquet of red and black cherries, a touch of plum, woodsmoke, gamebird, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, rose petals and just a touch of oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, transparent and sappy at the core, with tangy acids, ripe, buried tannins superb focus and grip and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is nicely structured in 2022 and will need some cellaring time to soften up its tannins, but it is going to be a simply outstanding villages level wine! 2032-2060.

Heidi Barrett has been Paradigm’s winemaker since its inaugural 1991 vintage. Founded by Ren and Marilyn Harris, the estate is based in Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley. The 2022 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon continues the winery’s longstanding focus on Cabernet from this central Napa Valley winegrowing district.

Flint, salty citrus, fresh herbs, pepper, fleshy white stone fruit and profound mineral drive on the nose. The palate is so juicy and attractive, with mouthwatering mineral tension and some extract disguising the residual sweetness, bringing lovely structure and drying out the palate for a long finish. Youthful, but with high ageability. (RM)

92 points, Falstaff: "Estate Riesling Type 1: Extract and balance. On the nose: lime zest, slate, herbs, orange blossom. On the palate, characterized by mineral extract; dense, gripping, with a taut structure and good length. Inviting to drink, very fresh, perfectly on point."

So powerful, structured and young, promising many years of interesting development to come. Bold in striking fruit flavors like black cherries, black currants and strawberries, all wrapped in persistent fine-grained tannins for a firm, lip-smacking texture that's so inviting. Super well-balanced, taut and agile. Drinkable now but best from 2030. (JG)

Tasted from barrel in 2005, this was among the best wines of the vintage, with limestone-soil character coming through the fresh brightness of fruit. Ausone was all potential energy then, and it has only improved in the two years since. The wine shares the resonant depths of the ancient limestone caves at Ausone, as the flavors echo through the finish. It starts off from a small place, a sweet confection that brings roasted blueberries to mind, the caramelized oak tasting like the edge of charred fat on extremely fine grilled beef. Over the course of several days, the wine becomes increasingly more subtle and serious in tone, with delicate red fruit, gracious mineral-inflected tannins and detailed flavors that last effortlessly. This Ausone will live for decades.

Look for a pale straw hue and floral aromas intertwined with a hint of fruity sweetness. The palate opens with bold violet and rose petal interlaced with anise and juicy berry, finishing with black pepper punch. *Top 100 Spirits of 2021* (KN)

This wine is rich, lush, with aromas of strawberry, red plum, raspberry cream, orange-blossom honey on the nose. On the palate, find a creamy mousse and notes of tangerine, vanilla buttercream, strawberry rhubarb compote, Kaffir lime cream and crystalized ginger. (TP)

Paradigm’s roots in Oakville date to 1976, when Ren and Marilyn Harris purchased the estate. Their 2022 Cabernet Franc puts the spotlight on a grape long associated with Bordeaux blends, here taking the lead in a varietal wine from Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley.

A very concentrated and succulent dry riesling with a fabulous textural complexity on the medium- to full-bodied palate. A very wide spectrum of stone-fruit aromas is beautifully interwoven with the salty minerality at the expansive finish.