The Oft-Overlooked but Overdelivering White Wines of the Rhône

One of the categories that I love but does not get a lot of attention is the white wines of the Rhône Valley. I think there is so much to unpack here, it would take a few newsletter articles to do it all justice. I love that these wines do not fit the mold of the more famous white varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc—and they are about as far away as you can get from wines like Riesling and Pinot Grigio. The Northern Rhône is home to Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne grapes. The mostly granitic and alluvial soils make for beautiful stone-fruited wines that can be both aromatically expressive, like Viognier, or heady and rich like Marsanne and Roussanne.

A Smorgasbord of Seafood and Laurent-Perrier

On Tuesday evening, Lilia from K&L Redwood City and I were lucky enough to be invited to a dinner at the Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse by Naomi Smith, the director of sales for Laurent-Perrier in the U.S. It was a marvelous night with two of my favorite women in the wine business, and the fantastic seafood went perfectly with the elegant wines of Laurent-Perrier.

Cristal and Sushi with Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon

Last night Cinnamon and I were treated to a once in a lifetime evening of sushi and Champagne with Jean Baptiste Lécaillon, the chef de cave of Champagne Louis Roederer. He invited us to Sushi Hashiri for a special meal paired with Roederer, including five vintages of Cristal, by chef Toshiaki and my long-time friend Yuri Shima. The wines, the food, and the pairings were unforgettable.

Finding Inspiration Across the Globe: K&L Buyers' Top Wine and Spirits Picks

Our Buying team truly comprises some of the most knowledgeable, passionate wine and spirits experts in the biz, and we’re happy to bring you a set of their favorites from across our aisles. From years of traveling and extensive experience in the industry, each buyer represents a wealth of knowledge broadly about wine and spirits, but very deeply about their own regions and categories. If you want to shoot the breeze about soils, talk about best vintages to buy, or just learn what’s new and exciting—they are unparalleled resources! Seek them out on our sales floor or shoot them an email via our Staff Profile page.

Misunderstood Meunier

Even though the grape variety Meunier covers about one-third of the Champagne region, it is still little understood by most wine lovers. Follow Gary Westby on the trail through Champagne to explore the wonder of this dynamic and not-to-be-missed varietal that great Champagne could not do without.

In-Stock Champagne Highlights

As a long-time lover of this historic wine, I’m excited to share with you some of the finest and most unique Champagnes we’ve discovered recently as well as sharing a few highlights as I reminisce on 2024. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or just beginning to explore the world of Champagne, I’ve handpicked some exceptional bottles and offers that I think you'll absolutely love. Cheers to great bubbles and even better moments ahead!

My New Favorite Collectible: K&L Keywords

Every single day, we’re on an endless treasure hunt at K&L, scouring for the next jaw-dropping collectible to share with you. The thrill of discovery never gets old, and luckily for you, we’ve got one of the most customized e-mail platforms around to keep you in the loop. Seriously, it’s like your own personal shopper on autopilot. All you have to do is log in to your account, select your interests, decide how many emails you want to receive per month (a little or a lot, totally your call), and voilà—you’re set.

Bullish on the World of Fine Wine and Spirits

While the fine wine and spirits industry is experiencing some turbulent times, I find myself still enamored with the products, culture, and people who make this one of the most exiting businesses in the world. The joy I get from pulling corks is not going away, and, while everybody is fretting over trying to mobilize the next generation of collectors, I firmly believe that there’s a significant and not-to-be-missed trend towards better and more accessible products that will be the great leveler.

A Toast to the New Year with Our Sparkling Wine Recommendations

The year 2024 was certainly one for the record books at K&L. It’s been a year of big changes: we opened the Culver City store at the beginning of the year—our first new location since 2007—and celebrated with a wonderful party filled with winemakers and friends. We also held our annual Champagne Tent Event in Culver City for the first time, after many years in Hollywood.

Antech, Our Favorite Sparkling Wine from Limoux, Is Back!

One of our great long-standing Direct Import partners is Famille Antech. Proprietor and sixth-generation winemaker Françoise Antech-Gazeau has been a dear friend for many years, and her son Baptiste joined the winery a few years ago. There have been some great initiatives at the winery over the last couple of years that are now coming to fruition.

Gary’s Recipe for NYE Success: Laurent-Perrier and Caviar at Home

New Year’s Eve is the one night of the year when everyone is having a party. For me, I prefer to do it at home—it gets a little crazy out there with all those people who don’t get out much! So I save my budget for caviar, and, of course, Champagne, and have a great time at my own dining room table! Caviar and Champagne are a great and storied pairing, but I have found it to take a little more attention than just throwing any bottle together with those precious eggs.

SF Crowns the 2nd Annual Big Cheese

One of the great benefits of working at the best wine shop in the city is pairing gorgeous wines with their perfect partner! I want to thank our SF sales team for using their taste buds extraordinaire in creating an impressive and delectable lineup of holiday cheese and wine pairings for our 2nd Annual Big Cheese competition. Our team made their selections based on a process that considered each cheese's unique flavors and textures and how they complemented our wines.

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