Just 5 minutes from the beautiful French Riviera’s main drag, tucked between sea and mountains and summer tourists, lies this under-the-radar region that produces great Provençal wines you’ll hardly ever see Stateside. Luckily, we have Keith, who journeys far and wide to bring us such gems. In fact, you can’t find wines from Château de Bellet anywhere in the U.S. besides K&L, so we’re proud to have these special bottles on our shelves.
Read MoreOne thing I’ve learned at K&L is that if you’re going to get into a discussion about wine, expect it to be thorough. Last Tuesday, Ryan Woodhouse scheduled an after-hours staff tasting on the Santa Cruz Mountains and invited Assistant Winemaker at Rhys Vineyards, Sean Castorani, Winemaker and Owner of Mount Eden Vineyards, Jeffrey Patterson and Head of Viticulture at Ridge Vineyards, David Gates, to discuss their wines and this unique growing region.
Read MoreIt takes a lot longer than I would like to get Champagne from France, across the Atlantic and back up the Pacific coast. I think that the Champagnes from Nicolas Maillart have been well worth the wait. Those of you who are in the Champagne Club may have already tried his fantastic Extra Brut, but there is a lot to say about these- our latest addition to our direct import Champagne portfolio.
Read MoreGiven the impressive range and diversity of Italian wine, it is easy to forget that it’s less than three-quarters the size of the state of California. That Italy is able to pack so much into such a small area is a testament to both the country’s natural diversity and a culture that embraces that diversity.
Read MoreOne of the most exciting wines that I tasted on my last trip to Champagne was from Les Riceys, just three miles from the boarder that separates Champagne from Burgundy. I was with Vivien Lamoureux and his adorable dog, Noughat, in the families 17th century cellar underneath their home. He told me he had an exciting surprise for me and pulled out his first release of his Jean-Jacques Lamoureux Pinot Blanc Champagne. Now it has arrived in California.
Read MoreWe have been importing Champagne Aspasie for 18 years now; it was our first direct import Champagne. Many of you reading this have met the Paul Vincent and Caroline Ariston at our tent event tastings and some of you have even visited them in the picturesque village of Brouillet where they live, grow their vines and make their inimitable Champagne.
Read MoreToday, our staff was treated to a special visit from Mr. Florent Fresse, the export manager for Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The excitement for this visit has been building for weeks, and the seminar that he put on for us did not disappoint. He brought with him two vintages of Mouton, as well as one Petit Mouton, a Chateau d'Armailhac, a Chateau Clerc Milon, and the rare white from Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Aile d'Argent.
Read MoreAs most of you are probably already aware, we do massive amounts of employee tastings and education. Each Tuesday, we have a morning hour long tasting that revolves around a specific sector (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chile, you get it). In the afternoon, we supplemental tastings that are ½ hour long and are meant to be more fun. I’ve been trying to sneak more and more Champagne tastings into these because almost all of our (except one notable exception who shall not be mentioned) staff here in SF LOVE Champagne. I had planned on doing a look at soil and location on Tuesday, 4 June, but, one of our young “newbies”, Andrew Tobin, sommelier, came to me a few days previous and started asking all kinds of questions about our newly re-stocked Launois champagne.” Where is this winery?” “What are the differences between the various bottlings?” “What do they taste like?” So, on and so on. As I began to answer his questions, I thought of all of our new hires up here who had absolutely no info about these wines.
Read MoreCasey O’Brien’s new project is a label called Idle Chatter with a relatively straightforward goal: awesome wine meant to be drunk young and fresh at an everyday price point. But underneath a pair of great everyday wines is a remarkable project. Casey recently launched an initiative to give a percentage of his profits to LGBTQ charities. And underneath the friendly exterior, there’s a fascinating backstory to Casey.
Read MoreRecently, K&L domestic wine buyer Ryan Woodhouse took some of the K&L NorCal team up to Sonoma. We wanted to speak to some of the amazing wine producers located right in K&L’s backyard, so to speak. It’s always a good thing to get out of the shop to see where and how the wines we love are made. You can talk endlessly about terroir staring at shelves of bottles, but it doesn’t take on substance until you walk the vineyard grounds, touch the soil, smell the plants, and see everything that goes into producing those bottles you enjoy so much. Everyone in the wine industry knows this, of course, but there are times that understanding fades and it’s time to get back to Wine Country and refresh your mind as well as your palate.
Read MoreLast week, I enjoyed another of Clyde’s fabulous, ready to drink Bordeaux bargains with a juicy steak, the 1999 La Closerie du Poujeaux, Moulis ($29.99). I felt that it was so good, with so much great Cabernet texture and dark cassis fruit I wanted to share the story with everyone. When I got up the next morning, I immediately started searching for information on it, but very little was forthcoming. They don’t have a website. When I found them in the “pages jaunes” online, the email that I sent to the chateau bounced. When we reached out to the big négociant house in Bordeaux where we bought the wine, they said that they had asked for technical information, but received nothing. So mysterious!
Read MoreEarlier this week, our northern California heatwave started to break, and Cinnamon and I decided to celebrate with a bottle of 1995 Le Brun de Neuville "Grand Vintage" Brut Champagne on our patio. Cinnamon made a simple summer meal of olive oil marinated halibut on the grill and some pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes and asparagus. I love aged vintage Champagne as a dinner wine; they have the complexity that makes for a special occasion, but sill have the refreshment to be served on a hot summer night. It was a success, and I woke up excited to share the experience
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