We’re all super excited for this weekend’s Champagne Tent Events in Hollywood and San Francisco, so we’ve been talking about bubbles all week. I had a chance to chat with Valerie McDaniel, who represents both Bollinger and Ayala, and I learned a ton about these fascinating, historic houses. Ayala and Bollinger are two of the most notable producers in the village of Aÿ, in the heart of the Valle de Marne, and since 2005 they’ve been inextricably linked under the same ownership. But their friendship goes back even further. Ayala’s tale is one of riots and war and golden times, and it’s a great foray into Champenoise history.
And so there we were, in 1100 square feet packed with people and barrels and grapes and a forklift and a bucket of Tecate—at ground zero of what I have no doubt is a new moment for wine in this city, because here’s the thing: the wine is good. And they have the momentum and enthusiasm behind them to keep these wheels turning. Owner Jasper Dickson is a bon vivant/musician/winemaker/entrepreneur, who has a passion for wine and for LA—and he’s got a plan for both.
Last Friday was International Champagne Day and we hosted Enguerrand Baijot, owner of Champagne Lanson, in our Redwood City store for a special tasting. Baijot poured six of his wines and shared interesting insights with our crowd of guests.
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.
We’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.
Gary 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.
Some 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.
If 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.
A 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.
The 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.
An 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.
Tucked 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.
