Sancerre is the quintessential paradise of country France. It is only two and a half hours from Paris by car, but it might as well be on another planet. This is a peaceful place that runs at French small-town pace. I can’t recommend a vacation here highly enough and wanted to share some of the highlights of my ten days there.
Read MoreItaly! The food, the landscape, the films, the fashion—and the wine! There’s much for a wine lover to swoon over in this land that was once named Oenotria by the Greeks for its many vines. Our Italy newsletter showcases some of the best and brightest on our shelves. Join us this Saturday as we celebrate a festa d’Italia in all three stores. Cin Cin!
Read MoreI am extremely fortunate that our Champagne tastings attract a really fun and diverse group of people. All ages (you were born in 1998, what?!) and incomes, as well as localities. (“We came in from the wilds of Walnut Creek.”) I’ll be seeing a couple of hundred of you on October 20th at the Champagne Tent Event. (Remember to hydrate!)
Read MoreThis past weekend, we tasted wines from Australia and New Zealand in all our stores. Although Kumeu River didn’t make the lineup this time around, I couldn’t help but add it to the current conversation. Gracing my table several times this summer, the Kumeu River Chardonnays have been some of my favorite whites to break out over dinner. These wines, which have often gone head to head with (and been victorious over) some very serious white Burgundies, are beautiful, vivacious wines that are fantastic with food, and a great value for the quality.
Read MoreWinemaking in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa is on fire these days, with a commitment to organic and biodynamic farming, excellent winemaking, and terroir-driven wines. Think beyond Shiraz and Sauv Blanc—the wines are fresh and exciting and will blow your expectations out of the water.
Read MoreA farewell to a true friend, a great winemaker, and a champion of Champagne.
Read MoreLaurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle is in a class of its own. A true tête de cuvée, it makes up a tiny proportion of Laurent-Perriers total production. The tank room for Grand Siècle, which I have been lucky enough to visit on many occasions, is less than half the size of our sales floor in Redwood City. It has always been composed of three years, all of which that have been selected to make vintage Champagne at Laurent Perrier. This process allows them not only to produce tête de cuvée of remarkably consistent high quality but also of remarkable maturity, given the abundance of reserve wines inside.
Read MoreHappy National Pinot Noir Day! Here’s our ode to this beguiling grape. The Hollywood staff each picked a favorite bottle from a region around the world. If you’d like to scratch your Pinot itch, might we suggest one of these?
Read MoreThe 2016 vintage in Bordeaux is being heralded as one of the greats. Not only for the sheer quality of the wines - but for it’s breadth across tiers. In the upper ranges, you’ll find some truly stunning wines worthy of their expensive prices, but what is more exciting is how many mid-tier wines, in the $20 to $40 range, are equally as impressive. And, while you have to wait for some of these other wines, many of these mid-priced 2016s are arriving and ready to enjoy now.
Read MoreThis past Sunday evening, the K&L Redwood City team got together for our annual summer barbeque and bottle share party. We were using this occasion to bid farewell to our dear colleague Cameron Price, who is returning to Paris with his wife. In the past year, he has made a big impact around here, and we are all going to miss him a lot. So we toasted him, again and again with every type of wine imaginable. I was barely strong enough to wheel out our recycling bin the next morning!
Read MoreIt was a special treat for the LA team to get to do a Bordeaux tasting yesterday with K&L’s owner/founder/Bordeaux evangelist, Clyde Beffa.
Read MoreLast night, we were treated to an incredible after-hours staff seminar on the Champagne of Krug. Mr. Roberto Loppi, the new Krug ambassador for the US, presented the history, the savoir-faire and the wines of this top Champagne house to our Redwood City crew. We packed the tasting bar with our team and learned a lot about what I consider to be one of the greatest producers of wine in the entire world.
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