For Burgundy lovers, there’s a lot to be happy about with the 2017 vintage, especially for fans of whites. After frost damage and small yields in 2016, crops were back to normal in 2017, and quality was pretty consistently strong—meaning there’s some great wine out there and more of it. Neal Martin says of the vintage: “Some quite brilliant whites that, many growers are beginning to opine, equal or even surpass the haloed 2014s”—a lofty pronouncement, but the only way to find out is to drink!
On Thursday, at the Jeremy Hotel on the Sunset Strip, Will Blakely and I found ourselves among about 80 Bordelais and hundreds of thirsty Angelenos who were lined up to sample their wares. The annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting is a marvelous opportunity to meet winemakers and winery representatives, while viewing a Bordeaux vintage in toto. With glass and notebook in hand, we eagerly dove in.
This past Sunday, K&L held its 30th Fête de Bordeaux. What first began in 1989 (originally promoting 1986 Bordeaux), has developed into a perennial tradition featuring representatives from some of Bordeaux’s finest estates. This year, we hosted Châteaux Léoville and Langoa Barton from Saint Julien, Château Lynch Bages and Château Ormes de Pez from Pauillac, and Château Figeac and Petit Figeac from Saint Émilion. The event began with a tasting of the 2016 wines, followed by a four-course meal featuring older vintages.
With lyrical prose and an ability to write convincingly about inspiration, Theise takes readers on a journey through his life in wine. He doesn’t try to teach about terroir (though he contemplates the topic) or about how to find meaning—he just lets us accompany him as he finds his own passion in a glass.
Ian Brand is one of the hottest rising talents coming out the Central Coast right now. Recently named Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle, he is an incredibly passionate winemaker with a vision, not only for his own wines, but for the region as a whole. Wine Enthusiast described him as “innovative, experimental and eager to push the envelope in Salinas Valley and beyond.” He currently has three wine brands, La P’tit Paysan, La Marea, and I. Brand & Family, each crafted to capture the unique beauty of the vineyards, the grapes and the distinctive region. Ian will be pouring his wines this Thursday in our San Francisco store, so I took the chance to catch up with him this week.
Yesterday we had a showdown in our Hollywood tasting bar. Domestic Buyer Kaj Stromer pitted Oregon Pinot vs. Santa Barbara Pinot for a Battle Royale. Who was the winner? We all were! The wines were awesome.
This weekend, we have our first Saturday wine tasting of the year. Aptly, for this belt-tightening time of year, we are sampling domestic value wines under $20. These are wines that deliver the best bang for the buck. Not surprisingly, I noticed many of these wines are second labels to high-end producers. Although they do not share the same name as their illustrious parent wine, these wines often share a similar philosophy, winemaker, and sometimes vineyards or winemaking techniques. Because of this, second labels can be a pretty reliable bet when trying to find a good deal.
This year, I am all about choosing a resolution that will stick - something that is not only beneficial, but enjoyable. This is the year to follow a passion - to learn more, experience more and dive a little deeper. So, if you’ve had a love for wine simmering, now is the time to dive in. Lucky for you, at K&L we have plenty of opportunities that will allow you to go in depth into the world of wine, and if you sign up to receive emails, most of that info will be sent directly to your inbox (the effort-to-reward ratio is very promising).
It’s not often that we get to write about vintage port. The declaration of a vintage happens only two to three times a decade. The last one was five ago in 2011, which was remarkable year, and has proven to be a hard act to follow. But the wait is over. This past April, on St. George’s Day, a majority of the port houses agreed to declare 2016. Now, this winter, we are just starting to see the bottles hit the shelves. So far, this new vintage is proving equally as stunning, showing both power and finesse with a fresh, elegant profile and beautiful aromatics.
Happy New Year! I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2019 than to write about what’s going on over at Tablas Creek. They’re still making graceful, seductive Rhône Blends out of Paso Robles, but the way they are thinking about their land strikes me as an essential model for sustainability in California winemaking. They’re going above and beyond organic farming. They are building a complex, self-sustainable world on their 300+ acres, and they’re leaving the land even better than they found it. They’re putting carbon back into the soil to hold more water. They’re adding new species of grasses. They’re minimizing potential risks for fire. And they’re doing it all with sheep.
The French 75 cocktail dates back, at least, to Harry’s Bar in Paris in the 1900s, but it didn’t appear in print until the Roarin’ 20s, when they knew how to make drinks that packed a punch (apparently this is the only classic cocktail officially born in America during Prohibition). Her’e’s Will’s take, adding festive elements such as pink lemonade, raspberries, and rosé Champagne. It’s downright delicious and is the perfect way to bid adieu to 2018.
