One of my favorite Champagne occasions of the year is la fête de mères, Mother’s Day. Who else in the world is more deserving of being celebrated than mom? Nothing matches this day of flowers better than rosé Champagne, and no rosé Champagne is as iconic as the Laurent-Perrier. I think it is the perfect wine for a perfect day.
Read MoreLet’s be honest, being a mother is a lot of work—it takes your soul, your body, and your mind to do it well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly rewarding, but let’s just say that when Mother’s Day rolls around, I really lean into this holiday. And for me, that means bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.
Read MoreThe Henriot Cuvée Hemera is not a household name when it comes to tête de cuvée Champagne, but this is a wine that deserves to be much better known by Champagne lovers than it is. Unlike the most famous tête de cuvée offerings, this is a small-production Champagne with an extraordinarily strict selection and a very, very long ageing time on the lees. Some producers even offer “late disgorged” Champagne that is younger than the current release of the Hemera.
Read MoreLast week, my wife, Cinnamon, found ramps, a rare onion that has a very short season and usually must be foraged at our local market, Sigona’s. As I wrote about earlier this year, Krug features an ingredient every year to pair with their Champagne, and this year it is Krug x Onions. Clearly, this was a Krug occasion, and I didn’t hesitate—we had to try these rare onions with some Krug Rosé.
Read MoreI have drunk countless bottles, magnums and even a few halves of the Ariston Aspasie Blanc de Blancs. I am confident that it is the Champagne that I have consumed more of than any other over the course of my life, and I wouldn’t put back a single drop.
Read MoreCinnamon and I try to make every Sunday special as it is our one day off together, and this week she treated us to a special Dungeness crab dip for our aperitif. To go with it, I opened perhaps the most “under the radar” of all the great houses’ tête de cuvée bottlings, the 2010 Drappier "Grande Sendrée" Brut Champagne. It was a great reminder of the incredible depth and pleasure that this single-vineyard Champagne has to offer and went fabulously with the crab dip.
Read MoreEvery year, Champagne Krug selects an ingredient to pair with their wines. This year the ingredient is the onion—and I have to admit to already being a convert to this combination—it is a great partner to Krug! Mentioning the word Krug to my wife works magic, and she did not hesitate to volunteer. She made a gorgeous tarte à l'oignon that included leeks and shallot as well as a little Beurre Bordier butter from Brittany. I am a lucky man—all I had to do was open a bottle of Krug "Grande Cuvée" 168 ème Édition Brut Champagne and enjoy!
Read MoreSo many of the wonderful bottles on our shelves are made by wonderful people, and our relationships are the cornerstone of our business. At this time each year, we normally send our Champagne crew out to visit the cellars and taste vin clair in Champagne, gathering intel and great deals to bring to our customers. Alas, times are different, and we are thinking fondly of those folks (whom we also missed seeing at our annual tent event last year). Next best thing: photos and tasting notes and stories about some of our fave Champagne producers.
Read MoreEach time we get a new shipment of Launois it is a cause for a little bit of celebration at K&L—and a lot of employee purchases! This is especially true each time we get a new vintage of their spectacular Special Club bottling, which is always one of the top Champagne cuvées that we have at any price. Last week, our first shipment of the year arrived, and we got our first look at the 2013 Launois “Special Club” Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut. It exceeded our high expectations.
Read More2020 will be hard year to forget for many tough reasons that no one looks at our blog to be reminded of. Today I am flipping through last year’s wine notebooks and finding the good memories for my annual Champagne retrospective. I hope that you enjoy taking a look at these 10 memorable Champagne’s from 2020 as much as I have enjoyed remembering them!
Read MoreChampagne Liaison Scott Beckerley unearthed a treasure recently from his cellar: a bottle from LeClerc Briant, a beloved producer who sold off their exceptional biodynamic vineyards upon the owner’s passing. Luckily, the vineyards were bought by Roederer, and the superb terroir lives on in their wines.
Read MoreChampagne Billecart-Salmon has been making Champagne for over 200 years, and change comes slowly and incrementally to this great house. This year has been revolutionary for Billecart, as they have introduced not one, but two new cuvées, first the Les Rendezvous #1, and now the Billecart-Salmon "Brut Nature" Champagne. If you are a fan of truly dry Champagne or of pairing your bubbles with food, the Brut Nature is not to be missed!
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