Meet the Staff Series: Gary Westby Edition

Next up in our staff spotlight series is Gary Westby, K&L’s longtime Champagne Buyer (20+ years!). He’s a big contributor here on our blog, and you’ll find his videos, tasting notes, and dinner pairings on our social media channels. Redwood City regulars likely know him for his helpful suggestions on the floor. Gary’s enthusiasm for his wines and winemakers is infectious!

KS: How did you get into the wine business?

GW: I started in the retail wine business when I was 21 and at that time was still playing the bass as my main gig, working part time in wine.

Gary with his band, Diminishing Returns, in the late 90s or early 2000s.

KS: Did you grow up with wine? Did your parents drink it?

GW: My dad gave me the bug—he collected then and is still a big collector now. He is big into Bordeaux, Port, and Burgundy, and now Champagne as well! For my 21st birthday he gave me a bottle of 1970 Fonseca, which I can say, without any exaggeration, changed my life.

KS: Wow, I'd love to hear that story.

GW: I guess that wine was young then, only 24 years old... But drinking great since he had kept it since release in his cellar, decanted it perfectly, and served it with ripe stilton. It is still one of the best wines I have ever had. It still drinks great—we had it at our last holiday party, 2020, in February!

KS: Wow! So, was your dad your wine mentor?

GW: Yes, my dad Jim is still my mentor, always encouraging me to keep my notes up, and always reminding me how to manage my own collection: He says, “Buy what you can't buy old when its young, and store it! Buy what you can buy old, and drink it!”

KS: That must be wonderful for him to be able to share that passion with you. And vice versa.

Gary’s dad, Jim, taking a Volnay and food shot in 2010.

KS: How did you get specifically into Champagne?

GW: When I was working for another retailer in 1999, the big lead up to the Y2K celebration was intense, and the shop was expanding the selection of Champagne to include growers. All that tasting gave me the bug, especially the small producers that have so much soul. K&L recruited me away in February of 2000, and I started building our direct imports almost at once.

KS: That must have been on the early end of the grower-producer boom in the U.S., right?

GW: That was well before the boom. Selling grower Champagne was like pulling teeth!

KS: You’ve been witness to the changes in Champagne as a category over the last 20 years. To go from huge Grand Marques dominating the market to a real hunger for under-the-radar producers…

GW: It has changed a lot. Now the big houses are following the growers, becoming much more transparent and working much more seriously in the vineyard. The secret for us was the direct importation: cutting out the middle men made the price too attractive for the customers not to experiment with. And once you have a bottle that is twice as good at half as much... You keep going back to it!

With Éric Lebel, the then cellar master of KRUG at Krug in 2014. K&L’s own Scott Beckerley on the left!

KS: Was that the direction that K&L was already going in or did you bring that to the table?

GW: K&L was already direct importing, but not Champagne, that started with me.

KS: That's pretty amazing. You've built a one-of-a-kind program.

GW: Not really, I just followed what Clyde was doing with Bordeaux, Rhône, and Sancerre. He is the real pioneer!

KS: I think starting with grower-producers back in the day was pioneering. And the amount of affordable Champagne we carry is unparalleled! It's much easier to preach the message of Champagne being an everyday wine when it is actually affordable.

GW: Thank you for that. I would argue that, while never cheap, Champagne is one of the best values in wine. You get so much complexity for $35 on the shelf, mostly becuase the producers age the wine for you. The Baron Fuenté Esprit that we have gets seven years on the lees and is one-third reserve wine at that price. These are deep wines of texture and nuance that anyone can save up for and have for a treat.

KS: Yes, and the process is so intricate. I don't think an average consumer knows how much work goes into a bottle of Champagne.

GW: For sure, the amount of hand work is staggering. The vineyards are trained low, making all of the work back breaking, the harvest must be done by hand and all of the ageing is done in bottle requiring vast amounts of space.

KS: Did you ever think about going into the winemaking side or was retail always your calling?

GW: No, I worked two harvests at Mount Eden, and I have respect for the winemakers. I'll stick with my box knife!

KS: It's good to know where you fit! The bug hit you so early on and you found the right place when you were young. That's really nice to be able to say! What kind of stuff do you have in your cellar? Do you like aged Champagne?

GW: Absolutely, I love aged Champagne, and it takes up a lot of room in our cellar. The other big thing for us is Burgundy, mostly Chablis for the whites and everything we can afford from the Côte d'Or in reds. We are a huge fan of Domaine Bart, and have accumulated quite a bit of that. The thing is with Burgundy that it tastes good young, but better old, so you have to buy a lot in order for it to age. We also have a lot of 2004's, large format Bordeaux and of course Champagne, as that was Cinnamon’s and my wedding year. I credit a lot of our collection to my trouble free 2000 Toyota Tacoma... That has freed up a lot of money to spend on wine.

KS: I know you like aged Bordeaux, but, as you’ve said, K&L’s co-owner Clyde Beffa does the footwork there by bringing in aged bottles.

GW: Yes, for Bordeaux we buy the ready-to-drink stuff by the case. We are working on our second case of the 2006 Arnauld Haut Médoc, as well as several other Clyde Beffa specials!

Cindy and Gary at the Aspasie harvest party in 2007.

KS: Does Cindy have the same taste in wine as you?

GW: Yes Cinnamon and I see eye to eye on wine for the most part. She is crazy about the Northern Rhône, a passion that I share too, but we are just begining to buy it young!

KS: Did your love for wine develop your love for France? I know that's where you spend most of your vacations.

GW: Yes. The wine came first and brought us to France. Now I can't get enough of it and we are even planning on visiting places that don't grow wine in the north...

KS: Do you still play bass?

GW: I put it down about six years ago when I started on my French seriously. That language is a big commitment. It has helped stretch out my old brain a lot.

KS: Do you have a desert island wine? An ultimate wine destination?

GW: For me, my desert island wine would have to be Champagne. It goes well with fish and lighter food after all! Seriously, it is something that I could not tire of, or learn completely. It is a life time project. Our last trip to Burgundy felt like an ultimate destination—we spent time walking the vineyards of Volnay, a big family favorite, and I had time to study some Burgundy texts in French while I was there, as well as drink copious amounts of Volnay... We love cooking in France, and for me it is even more fun than the great relais and château dining that one can do there.

KS: You guys are living the life!

GW: We only have an old pound tabby cat and two reliable cars. All our money is for wine and travel.

KS: I'm glad you take photos so I can live vicariously! Do you have tips for how to taste Champagne? I just saw Madeline Pucket had a video tutorial on this topic... how to understand the mousse, etc.

GW: My best tip is to use a clean glass that is wide enough and to pause to pay attention. Most folks are served Champagne in tiny flutes, while trying to remember people’s names at a party. Opening the bottle for just one other person really helps, as does getting a second glass! Good producers do not have a problem with their mousse, so I only find it notable when there is a problem or the wine has been aged a long time on the lees and arrived at silky perfection. I always like to say "pay attention to the wine underneath the bubbles."

KS: Great! Is there anything I missed about your wine journey? Discoveries you've made along the way?

Tasting 200 barrel samples of 2010 Bordeaux at Joanne in 2011.

GW: The best thing about a life in wine is that it keeps you humble—it is a subject that can never be mastered, but one can certainly improve. I hope to keep improving!

KS: What about an all-time favorite food and wine pairing?

GW: My long suffering wife will tell you that I am a horrible bore, but on my birthday, we have a formula: old vintage Champagne with foie gras, followed by old Bordeaux with beef and potatoes, followed by English Cheese and old vintage port. I like to party like it is 1899.