Billecart-Salmon’s Stunning Champagnes Are Perfect for the Holidays

Established in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, Champagne Billecart-Salmon is perched at the pinnacle of Champagne’s Grand Marques. Located along the Marne River in the renowned village of Marieul-sur-Aÿ, it is still family-owned and operated 205 years later. Seventh-generation vigneron Mathieu Roland-Billecart is now at the helm alongside sixth-generation mentors Antoine Roland-Billecart, Deputy General Manager, and Jean and François Roland-Billecart.

Champagne Aspasie: Always Number One in Our Hearts

If my memory serves me correctly, we are approaching our 20th year since initiating our very successful small-estate Champagne import program, care of Gary Westby! It was an immediate hit, and to this day it still surprises me how well the wines beautifully balance high quality and extreme value. As many of our long-time customers know, the nonvintage bottling from Champagne Ariston Aspasie was our first direct import for this program. Paul Vincent Aristan and his wife Caroline have been with us from the start.

The Eating and Drinking Marathon That Is Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a marathon, not a sprint! The only other day that can hold a candle to Thanksgiving for sheer endurance eating is Christmas. But on Christmas Day there are presents and other distractions to draw your attention away from the food. On Thanksgiving the primary purpose of the day is to feast on as much delicious food and wine as possible while you hang out with your loved ones.

Thanksgiving Wines for Every Table

Food-and-wine pairing is more than a parlor trick; it’s a brain teaser than can bring out the real joy in eating. On Thanksgiving, when there are myriad flavors and textures on the same plate, wine lovers have their work cut out for them. This week, we’re doing a roundup of favorite in-stock choices from our wine buyers—each handpicked, each as unique as the buyers themselves.

A Fitting Homage: Damien Hugot

Anyone who has met Damien Hugot, either in Champagne or here at one of our tastings, knows that he is full of a good time, and full of lust for life. He saves his serious side for his vineyard, which he tends like a garden, and for his work in his immaculately clean winery. This year he released a brand new cuvée, the Damien Hugot "Hommage 1921" Extra Brut Champagne, which is an homage to his great grandfather, who started making his own wine south of Épernay back in 1921.

Thanksgiving Stars to Elevate Your Holiday Feast

Today's Newsletter gets us in the holiday mood with a truly all-encompassing look at our absolute favorite picks for pairing with a large and diverse holiday feast. Our best-in-the-business team of buyers has you covered with hand-picked selections that will shine in any holiday occasion, from the most casual, warm-hearted get-togethers to the most intricate and luxurious affairs.

Derot-Delugny: The Best Deal in 2012 Vintage Champagne

This past May, I traveled to the far west of Champagne, to the lovely, tiny village of Crouttes-sur-Marne, to visit brother-and-sister team Laurent and Claire at Champagne Derot-Delugny. They are one of the oldest grower producers in the western Marne Valley, having sold Champagne in bottle since 1929. This long tradition has given them the gift of patience and the ability to sell vintage Champagne at 10 years old, the 2012 that is the main subject of this article.

And Just Like That.... Tastings Are Back!

The wait is over: customer tastings are back! As we head into the end of 2022, we are celebrating with a full roster of tastings, with lineups that reach high into the top shelf. All tastings are walk in, with details when you click through to this post.

A Toast to Champagne!

In this week’s newsletter, Buyer Gary Westby brings you all of the fan-favorites: Franck Bonville’s exquisite Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côtes de Blancs; the meticulously crafted, micro-produced wines from Alexandre Le Brun; the Grand Marque elegance of Billecart-Salmon; the party-in-a-bottle of Baron-Fuenté. These are producers we’ve stocked on our shelves for decades because they are hands down some of the best in the biz, and thanks to our long-term relationships, we’ve got the best prices you’ll find anywhere. We love Champagne season and can’t wait to share these wines with you!

Turkey (Or Tofurkey) Tipples of Every Stripe!

We at K&L are Thanksgiving die-hards. It’s the one time of year when our collective favorite hobby is front and center: eating and drinking! In this week’s newsletter, our buyers have put together a compendium of some of their favorite turkey (or tofurkey) tipples—and there’s even a mortadella pairing if you want to veer off the beaten path.

Clyde's Corner: Carbonnieux Blanc

Carbonnieux is an estate with Medieval origins in Bordeaux, and 20th-century origins at K&L. We’ve been stocking them for a long time, and that’s because we’re epic fans. And we’re not the only ones—even noted oenophile Thomas Jefferson once made a visit to their cellars. They also continually provide Clyde with excellent Bordeaux Blanc, and this installment of Clyde’s corner is all about a few of his faves.

All-Meunier One-Off from Billecart

I have received more calls for the Billecart-Salmon "Le Rendez-Vous" Pinot Meunier Extra Brut #1 Champagne than any other bottling this year. Yesterday, our small allocation of 180 bottles finally arrived. I didn’t waste time—I am just as excited as all of the customers who called and emailed—so I chilled one down and drank it last night. Cinnamon and I had the wine both as an aperitif, and with the excellent Taiwanese food of I-Dumpling here in Redwood City. It was a huge success both ways and “a small bottle”—our code at home for “we liked it so much that we drank it too fast.”

K&L Wine Merchants

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