As we get ever closer to the holidays, life gets more hectic. But the best part of the season is the friends’ Christmas, or, as we call it, our Holiday Champagne Club meeting.
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This weekend, K&L Hollywood got together for our annual holiday party. And, if anyone has any doubts, let me assure you that K&L knows how to throw a party. But the highlight for me was the penultimate course: a cheese and Sauternes pairing. Sauternes tastes like springtime sunshine when it is young, and like summer afternoons on a hammock when it is aged. It is pure daylight, and it is amazing—and way under appreciated in America. If you pair it with the right foods—especially the right cheeses—the heavens open up and shine down upon you.
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I have to admit that I am always skeptical about co-branded products, especially when they have a super cool box. I should know better—the house of Bollinger has a commitment to quality that is second to none, and the 2011 Bollinger "James Bond 007" Brut Champagne exceeded my expectations in every regard.
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This spring, Champagne Buyer Gary Westby was lucky enough to be at Champagne Fallet-Dart in the little hamlet of Drachy, just as they were releasing their 2012 vintage. Our allocation of the 2012 Fallet-Dart Vintage Brut Champagne has now arrived, and he’s very excited about it.
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Here we have our heavy hitters, our high-scoring, critic-darling wines of 2019. The wines in this newsletter are worthy of cellaring, worthy of gifting, worthy of sipping with the greatest gusto and the greatest of friends. Scores might not be all there is to understanding a wine, but you can at least be assured that some very experienced palates highly endorse these bottles.
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We’ve got a win/win proposition for your: fill your Christmas stockings with half-bottles of wine, and then split the bottle with your partner while opening presents.
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The last time we had the 2006 Arnauld, Haut-Médoc in stock, I bought a case. I am thrilled that the wine is back in because we have been going through this outstanding Left Bank value a little bit too fast at home.
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On this, the eve of the most American of holidays, Shelby ponders the most American of grapes: Zinfandel!
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The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nick would fill them with booze.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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