March is Women’s History Month, and we’re excited to spend it here on the blog with a spotlight on some of the women who are kicking ass in today’s wine industry. We’re going to start our series in California with Alison Thomson, whose L.A. Lepiane label is an ode to her Italian heritage as well as her deep roots as a Californian. Esther Mobley, the SF Chronicle’s fantastic wine writer, called her a winemaker to watch in 2018 because she’s making “a convincing case for Italian varietals in California’s Central Coast.”
Once a month, in our Redwood City store, one of our buyers will host an after-hours tasting for the staff. This special, late night tasting allows us to sit down together, enjoy a little food, and dive deeper into a region or selection of wines. This week, with our Rhone tasting coming up tomorrow, our buyer Keith Mabry took us on a tour of the Rhone, sharing stories and details (and even soil samples!) from the regions of Côtes du Rhône, Châteuneuf-du-Pape, Côte Rôtie, Cornas and Hermitage.
Roger Morrison and Marshall Dawson were passionate about cocktails and the flavors of the Golden State, and they wanted to make something that tasted like it: grapes, fresh Pacific air, the grassy valleys, citrus groves, and eucalyptus. They started working on the blend for Jardesca, a series of red and white wine-based aperitifs each with a distinctively California personality.
Prices on Burgundy wines are outrageous and it’s scaring even the most intrepid (and wealthy) of enthusiasts away from this beautiful region. Unfortunately, this go-big-or-go-home attitude has monopolized our attention, but in fact there are still plenty of ways to stick your toe into the world of Burgundy without sacrificing your retirement. You just have to know where to look. A great place to start is by finding a reliable producer you can trust and with a style you like. One of our favorites in this area is Château de la Charrière
Welcome to Part 2 of the K&L story, where we delve into the decisions that kept the K&L boat afloat all these years, and that have made it the unique, multi-faceted enterprise that it is today.
What’s the trick for long-lasting friendship? If you are Clyde Beffa and Todd Zucker, owners of K&L, the trick seems to be going into business together. Todd and Clyde met in 1947 when they lived across the street from one another in San Mateo. Legend has it that some sand was flung at their first meeting (they were two), but they nonetheless became thick as thieves. And, after 42 years in business together, they still are.
Last night, Cinnamon and I enjoyed a fantastic bottle of 1996 Lynch-Moussas with a very nice piece of New York steak and I was moved to share a little bit about this Pauillac. I found this wine to be fantastically elegant, well balanced and restrained. It was a true gentleman of a claret, and seems in its prime at 23 years old.
A lot has changed in Napa Valley over the last forty years. Today, if you’re looking to start a winery, you better have a few million dollars in your pocket. But back in 1974, when John Williams arrived on a Greyhound bus from New York, all you needed was little determination, a lot of hard work, some good friends and a motorcycle to sell.
Grower/producer Pascal Lallement’s delectable Premier Cru Champagne from Chamery in the Montagne de Reims is textured and rich with incandescent energy. And for $34.99, it is an insane value for the price.
If you received our February wine club shipment, or if you went to our Loire tasting a few weeks ago, you might have had the opportunity to try the wines from Aurore Dezat. This small producer from Sancerre makes three wines, two Sancerre blanc and one Sancerre rouge, and is a relatively new sensation with our staff. We just started working with her a few years back and each year, her wines get better and better.
This past weekend, Cinnamon and I took a little mini-break up to Tomales Bay. We stayed at Nick’s Cove and made a trip out to the Hog Island Oyster beds, and we brought along a range of wine from star direct import producer Bruno Michel to have with our meals. It was a great success, and I thought I would take a moment to tell you all about them, as some of them are exceedingly rare and won’t last long.
