An Interview with Chad Melville on his Magical 2016 Estate Pinot

The Melville Winery has set the benchmark for silky, aromatic Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir during its 20+ years in the region. Chad Melville is the man behind the magic—son to the founder and both lead winegrower and winemaker. He spoke with me about their 2016 Estate Pinot, a wine that is always special, but that shines particularly brightly in the 2016 vintage, which also happened to be his first as lead winemaker.

Kate SotoNovember 22, 2019K&L Wine Merchantasta rita hills, melville, pinot noir, santa barbara county, chardonnay, syrah, california wine, chad melville, winemaker interview, value pinot, central coast pinot

Another Brunello di Montalcino Vintage of the Century!

Greg St. Clair isn’t called the “Mayor of Montalcino” for nothing! He’s been specializing in this Italian wine region since 1982, and he’s declaring the 2015 vintage to be an exceptional one. Make room in your cellars, folks!

Greg St. ClairNovember 21, 2019K&L Wine Merchantsbrunello di montalcino, brunello di montalcino 2015 vintage, italian wine, italian wine vintages, greg st. clair, mayor of montalcino, tuscany, tuscan wine, klwines, klwine blog, k&l wines

The Thanksgiving Before Thanksgiving

Every year, Cinnamon and I cook up an early Thanksgiving dinner, which I try and tell everyone is a work project. All of my friends and colleagues see right through me; I love Thanksgiving, and I would be happy to have it three or four times if I could.

Gary WestbyNovember 20, 2019domaine bart, Champagne Aspasie, turkey wine, turkey pairing

A Visit From Françoise Antech

If you’ve been following our social media, you might have noticed that one of our favorite women winemakers from France was out last week visiting California. Françoise Antech, the sixth-generation winemaker from her eponymous estate, was on a quick tour of California and managed to stop in all of our stores, holding three staff tastings and two public tastings. Her incredible energy and enthusiasm was absolutely infectious, and her knowledge and stories were a highlight of the week.

The Sublime La Gaffelière—A Star of St.-Emilion

“I think it’s the 1955. Yes, it’s the 1955.”

We all watched as Bordeaux buyer Clyde Beffa’s jaw dropped. He slowly pulled down the brown paper bag that was hiding the mystery wine he brought with him from California that was in our glasses. Sure enough. 1955 La Gaffelière-Naudes, St. Emilion.

The Quintessence of 2008

Every year, my father and I celebrate our birthday together by having a wine dinner. This year, we started with the 2008 Pierre Paillard Grand Cru "La Grand Récolte" Extra Brut Champagne, paired with my mother-in-law’s excellent salmon pate starter. Everyone was taken aback by the incredible youth of this 11-year-old bottle, and by the stupendous breed and length. It was a fantastic way to start the party.

The Cost of a Tariff: What to Expect at K&L

As we navigate new import tariffs, it is worth taking the time to discuss with transparency what to expect with this tenuous situation. We will continue to update this post as we have more information so that you can shop with confidence and clarity.

On the TrailNovember 13, 2019K&L Wine Merchants

Hallelujah It's Almost Thanksgiving!

Hooray! The best foodie holiday of the year is nearly upon us! Our buyers have put together some of their favorite wine pairing recommendations for your turkey/tofurkey/turducken to get you ready for the big bacchanal of Thanksgiving. Bon appetit!

Kate SotoNovember 12, 2019K&L Wine Merchantsthanksgiving, thanksgiving wines, wine pairing, turkey wine, pinot noir, cabernet sauvigno, beaujolais, bubbly, holiday wines, holiday wine picks, klwines, k&l wine merchants, kl wine blog, thanksgiving recommendations, tgiving, turkey pairing, wines to bring to dinner, dinner wine recommendations, wine recommendations, riesling, rose wine, best thanksgiving wine, wine for thanksgiving, klwine, holidays, holidays 2019 ideas, hollywood wine shop, buying wine online, what to buy for thanksgiving dinner, how to pair wine with thanksgiving dinner, is burgundy good with turkey, is beaujolais good with turkey, what to pair with tofurkey, what wine to drink with tofurkey, what wine to drink with turducken, wine shop near me, wine shop in los angeles, wine shop in san francisco, wine shop in redwood city

Fleury: Thirty Years of Biodynamic Excellence

It is hard to believe that it has already been thirty years for Fleury making biodynamic Champagne. These wines were our first organic Champagnes at K&L, and we have been importing them directly for almost as long as I have been working for the company. As I always say to customers considering their Champagne, we don’t work with them just because they are organic; we work with them because they make great wine. To celebrate thirty years of biodynamie, they have released a special wine, the Fleury Cuvee 30 Ans, and it is one of the most profound and complex Champagnes they have ever released.

ChampagneGary WestbyNovember 11, 2019champagne, biodynamic, klwines, k&l wine merchants, k&l wines, small producer champagne, biodynamic farming, biodynamic champagne, fleury champagne, organic wine, biodynamic wine, pinot blanc, pinot noir, chardonnay, brut champagne, gary westby

The King of Wines and the King of Crabs

Yesterday, I got the call from my oldest friend, Henry Hiatt, who manages the Fish Market restaurant in San Jose. His one allocation of fresh King Crab, aired in from Alaska, had arrived. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to enjoy this rare delicacy for several years running thanks to Henry, and after experimenting with Chablis, Puligny, Chassagne, and all manner of white Burgundy and Champagne, we have settled on a pairing that we think works best.

BordeauxGary WestbyNovember 7, 2019kingcrab, fieuzal, wine pairing, white bordeaux, semillon, sauvignon blanc, crab season, alaskan king crab, food and wine pairing, klwines, k&l wines, k&l wine merchants, gary westby, fieuzal pessac leognan blanc, domaine de chevalier, pessac leognan blanc, bordeaux blanc

New DI Producer to Watch: New Zealand's Matt Connell

New Zealand is killing it right now with Pinot Noir, and we at K&L are completely on board the NZ Pinot train. Our Australia/New Zealand Buyer Thomas Smith is one of its biggest advocates, and has brought in some stunning wines from new Direct Import producers that are really breathing life into the category for us. And we’re excited to use this blog space to introduce you to them. First up: a fellow by the name of Matt Connell.