2022: Investments in What Bordeaux Does Best

It may sound surprising to describe 2022 as a breakout, turn-of-the-decade moment—especially at the outset. The vintage began with unusually warm and dry conditions, prompting many of us to brace for excess, over-extraction, or relentless heat. Yet as the wines start to land and open in bottle, I’m sensing something else entirely: an unlikely alchemy. The season’s heat became a crucible—sharpening focus, forcing the vines to tap deep into their roots; the consistency of the weather (no late drought shocks, no mildew threats) allowed each château to lean into detail, precision, and balance. What emerged is less about ripeness and more about architecture—wines that feel built to last, with energy, nuance, and a compelling tension.

Tariff Update: Navigating a New Reality with the Same Values

There are times in this business when the ground shifts under your feet. Some changes are seasonal—tied to harvests, vintages, or evolving tastes. Others arrive with more permanence. The introduction of new tariffs on imported wine and spirits is one of those moments.

Giuseppe Quintarelli – A Legacy Bottled in Time

During the last hundred years the Quintarelli family has established its reputation through their estate located on the eastern slope of the Negrar Valley in the middle of Valpolicella. Silvio Quintarelli established the winery in 1924. It was his son, Giuseppe, also known as Bepi, however, who helped the winery achieve worldwide recognition. The winery has maintained its dedication to traditional methods and patient winemaking since Silvio’s era, but Bepi’s influence is incalculable. His manual label writing became an unmistakable signature for the brand, showing what a labor of love each and every bottle is. Combined with his use of ten-year Slavonian-oak barrel aging, Bepi developed a signature Amarone style that established itself as the reference point for many Italian winemakers.

The White Burgundy Issue—Names to Know + Blue-Chip Collectibles

K&L Buyer Alex Pross maps the White Burgundy landscape, highlighting his current obsessions. Inside: a Chablis discovery (Seguinot Bordet), Sauzet’s benchmarks, Samuel Billaud’s standout 2023s, a blue-chip in-stock roundup, and our upcoming White Burgundy tasting—a rare opportunity to taste some of the region’s top crus, producers, and vintages side by side! Use this guide to target what to drink now, what to cellar, and where to focus.

The 2023s from Samuel Billaud Are Top Notch

Domaine Samuel Billaud has definitely entered the discussion about top domaines in Chablis. They are definitely shoulder-to-shoulder qualitatively with Droin, Fevre, Pinson, Billaud-Simon, Christian Moreau, and Louis Michel.

A Wonderful Chablis Discovery: 2023 Seguinot Bordet

The roots of Seguinot Bordet trace back as far as 1590 in Chablis. The modern incarnation is the Domaine Seguinot Bordet, which is run by Jean-François Bordet. Jean-François Bordet fashions top-notch estate Chablis, Chablis Vieilles Vignes, as well as 1er Crus and Grand Cru offerings. Aiming for wines of purity that display both Chablis typicity as well as a wealth of gorgeous fruit notes, the wines of Seguinot Bordet are fantastic drinking from Chablis.

Domaine Etienne Sauzet: A Titan of Puligny-Montrachet

Domaine Etienne Sauzet is easily among the top three to four estates in Puligny-Montrachet. They fashion wines of amazing grace, purity, and richness with that alluring and distinctive feel great Puligny-Montrachets achieve. Farmed organically since 2006 and biodynamically since 2010 with a certification in 2013, Sauzet’s wines are spectacular and can be enjoyed in their youth or cellared so they develop even more complexity and depth.

Newsletter: Wines of the Mediterranean

Salt, stone, and sun. This issue channels the Mediterranean’s clean lines—precise rosé, sea-sprayed whites, volcanic reds, and traditional-method sparklers—handpicked by Keith, Rachael, and Orazio. Smart values to cellar pieces, all built for warm-weather tables.

Spanish Wines from the Catalan Coast

Priorat, like so many classic regions in Spain and beyond, is having a renaissance. Though once known for rich, extracted wines with big points to match, many new winemakers on the scene are harvesting earlier and fermenting the wines more gently, avoiding any harsh over-extraction of tannins.

The Mediterranean’s Most Famous Pink Wine Producing Region: Provence

Stretching along France’s sun-drenched Mediterranean coast, Provence is the epicenter of the world’s most iconic rosés. At its heart lies the famed Côtes de Provence, flanked by its satellite appellations Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence. When global demand for Provence rosé soared, these additional zones expanded access to high-quality wines from across the region. From mountain-framed vineyards to breezy seaside villages, each subregion delivers its own expression of the classic Provençal style.

Meet Our New Buyer: Rachael Ryan

We’re thrilled to introduce a new buyer to our team: Rachael Ryan. This deeply knowledgeable wine pro will be buying for an exhaustive list of categories: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Spain, and Portugal. To celebrate her first newsletter with K&L, we sat down with Rachael to get to know her a bit more.

McLaren Vale Is Producing Some of Australia’s Most Exciting Wines

McLaren Vale is a fascinating study in the convergence of historic and modern winemaking. Driving through the backroads of McLaren Vale, historic sandstone cottages and stone wineries are interspersed with more modern wineries, often with innovative architecture and cutting-edge technology.

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