“I think it’s the 1955. Yes, it’s the 1955.”
We all watched as Bordeaux buyer Clyde Beffa’s jaw dropped. He slowly pulled down the brown paper bag that was hiding the mystery wine he brought with him from California that was in our glasses. Sure enough. 1955 La Gaffelière-Naudes, St. Emilion.
Read MoreYesterday, I got the call from my oldest friend, Henry Hiatt, who manages the Fish Market restaurant in San Jose. His one allocation of fresh King Crab, aired in from Alaska, had arrived. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to enjoy this rare delicacy for several years running thanks to Henry, and after experimenting with Chablis, Puligny, Chassagne, and all manner of white Burgundy and Champagne, we have settled on a pairing that we think works best.
Read MoreMonday night, our founder and Bordeaux buyer Mr. Clyde Beffa threw a party for the Redwood City staff after hours. He fired up two gigantic kettle grills and treated us to some excellent salmon, dry-aged ribeye, and lamb chops from local superstar butcher Pape Meat in Milbrae. He and our master of all operations, Jorge Valencia, cooked up a storm for the twenty-six members of the team who came for the party. Naturally, some corks were popped…
Read MoreWe are always happy to have a visit from our owner Clyde down in LA, and on Friday, Oct. 18th, we had the added bonus of a Clyde-hosted tasting–the first one ever in Hollywood! He poured a suite of Bordeaux wines from the 90s (which, to Clyde, includes 2000 but not 1990).
Read MoreIt was a special treat for the LA team to get to do a Bordeaux tasting yesterday with K&L’s owner/founder/Bordeaux evangelist, Clyde Beffa.
Read MoreOur July 2019 newsletter is chock full of Bordeaux oldies, values, and classics, plus Clyde’s favorite picks.
Read MoreHere’s the much-anticipated report from Clyde and his crew after their spring trip to Bordeaux. Clyde’s verdict? “The wines from 2018 are, for the most part, quite good— especially the red wines.”
Read MoreRecently, I’ve come across a bunch of articles claiming that Bordeaux is poised to make a comeback. I don’t know what all those writers have been drinking, but here at K&L, Bordeaux never went away. Sure we get a lot more requests for, say, skin-contact wines from Slovenia than ever before—and we love that—but Bordeaux has always been a staple for our customers. And perhaps that’s because y’all are extremely savvy people who know that Bordeaux wines are among the most ageable on the planet. But I’d wager there are just as many of you who buy Bordeaux because it can offer spectacular bargains if you know where to look.
Read MoreWe’re thrilled to welcome our Bordeaux guru Ralph Sands to the blog, where he revisits vintages past and looks with excitement toward the future.
Read MoreOn Thursday, at the Jeremy Hotel on the Sunset Strip, Will Blakely and I found ourselves among about 80 Bordelais and hundreds of thirsty Angelenos who were lined up to sample their wares. The annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting is a marvelous opportunity to meet winemakers and winery representatives, while viewing a Bordeaux vintage in toto. With glass and notebook in hand, we eagerly dove in.
Read MoreYou may have already heard this, but the 2015 vintage in Bordeaux is outstanding. According to our resident Bordeauxitarian in Hollywood, Jacques Moreira, everything that needed to happen happened. The stars aligned, the heavens opened, and the sunshine/rain/cool breeze combo proceeded exactly as needed to get the fruit to its most perfect state. Now that the wines are in-stock, it is a vintage that deserves any discerning wine drinker’s attention.
Read More
