This past Thursday I flew out to Hollywood for a very special vertical dinner of Louis Roederer’s Cristal. K&L’s own Sharon Kelly organized the event, and 25 happy customers joined us. Dirk Smits from Champagne Louis Roederer lead us through the wines, which were paired expertly by Chef Walter Manzke and his staff at République.
Read MoreWe’re still tasting our way through the bounty of Southern Rhône from the heralded 2016 vintage, and boy are the wines good. In Jeb Dunnuck’s words: “The 2016 vintage was truly extraordinary for the Southern Rhône and is a vintage that readers should buy with abandon. This is the greatest young vintage from the Southern Rhône Valley I’ve ever tasted, both in terms of quality as well as consistency… In fact, it’s difficult to find a truly bad wine in 2016.” From what I can tell so far, I can’t argue with him. And thanks to our Direct Import program, there are some great values on our shelves to boot.
Read MoreGary Westby, our Champagne Buyer, invited me to join them for their annual Champagne Summit, a daylong tasting that happens every fall. Each year, in order to get ready for the busy holiday season, the buyers invite some of the biggest houses in France to pour their Champagnes.
Read MoreSome of us industry folk had a beautiful opportunity recently to attend the annual Taittinger Somm Night event in SF. This is a great occasion wherein vendors, distributors, retailers, and wait staff can get together and hang out. It’s especially nice because we all get to be under one roof without any expectations of wheeling and dealing – we don’t need to sell or push or network. We were there to unwind, chat, and drink some tasty Champagne as we roll into the ever-busy Autumn months.
Read MoreIf you’re a regular shopper at K&L, or receive our weekly Events email, you know about our in-store wine tastings held every Thursday and Saturday. These informal, educational (and social!) meetings provide the opportunity to explore a region and expand your palate. But did you know we have an exciting new way to learn about wine? This summer, we rebooted our offsite wine dinner series as a way to elevate the food-and-wine pairing experience and to connect our customers to the people behind the wine.
Read MoreA big boat just landed in California, carrying some wines we’re pretty jazzed about—all hailing from Rhône’s phenomenal 2016 vintage. Both Northern and Southern Rhône knocked it out of the park in 2016. We’re excited through and through for this vintage, and wines from La Ferme du Mont in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are topping our list of what to open first.
Read MoreThe Loire Valley doesn’t often get much attention, especially when standing next to other French behemoths like Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone. Pouring the full range of wines, Loire Wine Buyer, Keith Mabry, took us on a journey up and down the river, sharing the flavors and stories that make this place so unique. Whether you’re planning on attending the tasting this Saturday, or maybe you just want to learn more about the area, below are a few essentials to get you started.
Read MoreAn icon in California wine, Talley is a family-run farming operation who’ve been growing and bottling classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from the Central Coast since the 80s. This is their 33rd harvest since they began, back in the day when they were the first growers of Pinot and Chardonnay in the region. I talked to Brian about cooking, food, wine, and the holistic approach that is the backbone of his family business.
Read MoreTucked in the northeastern corner of Napa Valley, just south of the Palisades Mountains is the legendary Eisele Vineyard. Long recognized as one the finest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Napa Valley, this stunning site owes its success to its various owners over the last century, each who contributed significant influences to the quality of vineyard. It is no surprise then that the new owner, François Pinault from Château Latour, is likewise elevating the standards that were already so remarkable. As the 2015 vintages are being released, we are starting to see these new influences, and it’s pretty exciting.
Read MoreA much overlooked region, the Finger Lakes are rich in history and are producing wines that are better than ever. Our colleague Muriel Sarik recently took a trip to the region and found that while Riesling rules, there is wonderful depth that wine lovers of varying palates will adore. Join her for a tour of some of the top wineries, some beautiful scenery, and a few unexpected discoveries. As she says, “they will make the best wine they possibly can.”
Read MoreBack in March of 2018, we ran a small piece detailing the full cycle of the K&L Spirits single barrel program. Our spirits buyers, after tasting through dozens of samples/barrels at the source, hand select the best single casks from Bourbon country to be bottled up and sold a few times a year. Occasionally, we end up with the empty barrels which we hand deliver to local breweries. This program really gained steam in late 2014 when David OG from K&L hooked up his childhood friend Jacob McKean of Modern Times. Don’t miss this thrilling new release!
Read MoreWhen K&L Champagne Buyer, Gary Westby, asked if I had any thoughts on a cocktail for using the Baron-Fuente Grande Reserve bottles I knew I had a shortlist of recipes that I wanted to try, but I ultimately settled on the Champagne Old Fashioned, or as I fondly refer to it: That Old Fashioned Champ. As its name implies, it riffs on one of the most classic of all cocktails, and just as the traditional Old Fashioned relies on simplicity of function to let the few ingredients shine beautifully, this Champagne version takes the same approach so you can appreciate each element that contributes to the beverage.
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