I don’t know if I am ready for a better Champagne to be released in 2024 than the 2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne $199.99. I have been lucky enough to have tasted it three times since its release this April, and to drink it once at home as well. This is a Champagne that epitomizes the elegance of this great house, and of Grand Cru Chardonnay from the region.
Read MoreIn the part of Champagne known most for Pinot Noir, there is a magical place called La Perle Blanche de la Montagne de Reims, the east-facing slope of this small but prominent hill. The first village of this sub-region is the Premier Cru of Trépail, where the Petiau family tends to a small but exceptional vineyard... Because we buy the bottles directly from the family, the value is also outstanding.
Read MoreAll of the big houses say that this part of the Marne is just for Meunier and only good for the shortest-aged blends. Fallet-Dart proves them wrong. They grow great quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir here as well as fantastic Meunier and offer the longest-aged current release Champagne that we stock at 19 years old. Everything that they make is grown on their own estate. I should not have been surprised by how well the wines showed given how long we have worked together, but wow, these are world class, and the value from top to bottom is simply amazing.
Read MoreDomestic Buyer Ryan Woodhouse has been on a tear lately, unearthing one new fantastic discovery after another. This month's newsletter shines the spotlight on three exceptional finds from California, encompassing not only some of the best hidden-gem, hand-crafted Pinots and Cabs, but also a sparkling wine producer that's set to make a big splash on the scene. We'll also check in with a perennial favorite Oregon producer that's taking their game to a whole new level in the 2022 vintage.
Read MoreBack in March I attended the aptly named “World of Pinot Noir” in Santa Barbara. This is an enormous event spread over several days, consisting of educational seminars, winemaker dinners and lunches, plus a couple enormous “Grand Tastings” with hundreds of wineries in attendance from all over the globe… One of my favorite “discoveries” during the event were the wines I tasted with Dusty Nabor.
Read MoreDespite being a relatively new project (founded in 2015) Hundred Suns very quickly became a huge staff favorite here at K&L. They have the magic trio of factors to become such “house wines” with our staff: phenomenal quality, really cool people, fantastic value for money.
Read MoreI first tasted a bottle of BxT sparkling wine during a fantastic wine dinner at Heitz Cellars last Fall… I was immediately intrigued by the quality of the wine and the fact that I had never seen nor heard of the wines before. Then came the revelation that BxT is actually a small passion project from Tom Sherwood, who just so happens to be the husband of immensely talented Heitz winemaker Brittany Sherwood.
Read MoreWe've been saying it for years, but it bears repeating—you'd be hard pressed to find any region in the world that offers more consistent and diverse value propositions than the Rhône Valley.
Read MoreThe beautiful sun that ripens the grapes in France’s Southern Rhône Valley translates to fruity, delicious wines in your glass. With the help of the hearty Mistral wind that blows through the vineyards, these wines retain freshness and verve all while delivering complex, full-flavored wines. Do not miss these!
Read MoreThere’s something about Northern Rhône that unites wine lovers. It happens to present perfect conditions to really understand terroir—that is, how different places can affect the same grape’s profile in the final wine. Northern Rhône is to Syrah lovers what Burgundy is to Pinot lovers: an intellectual playground for the grape.
Read MoreCôtes-du-Rhône and the Cru Villages offer some of the best QPR anywhere in the world. Here are some of the best of the best in the category.
Read MoreChâteauneuf-du-Pape still remains the most recognized region in the Rhône Valley, which is a hub for fantastic values across the spectrum of its offerings. As with the everyday value that Côtes-du-Rhône provides, the cost-to-quality ratio for the higher-end wines from Châteauneuf is nearly insurmountable by any other region.
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