Worth the Wait: the Champagne of Louis Brochet

The Brochet family has 32 acres of vines, almost all in the village of Écueil on the Mountain of Reims. They have been growers since 1882, at least, and have the distinction of possessing their own special selection of Pinot Noir, Pinot d’Écueil, which is an old massal selection passed down for generations in their family. Louis Brochet, the current winemaker, is qualified with a diploma of enology, a masters-level education in winemaking. With his learned skill, their special selection of Pinot, and the great terroir of the 1er cru of Écueil, the family is turning out fantastic wines. Since we have been buying direct from them for years, the prices are still super reasonable.

From Amador to Zinfandel: A Mammoth Domestic Wine Newsletter

From busting myths to discovering cool new wineries, K&L’s Domestic Team has been busy finding the greatest wines from the U.S. of A. to bring to our customers. This week’s mammoth 12-page newsletter has the fruits of their labor. Whatever your fancy, allow Ryan Woodhouse and Kaj Stromer to be your guides, as they champion the depth and breadth of wines from our home turf.

A Fine Dram of Spirits News

There is no shortage of great drinking available to the American consumer today—and, especially, we’d like to think, the K&L customer. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites in this newsletter and we hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

Beautiful Burgundy at Great Prices: Domaine Bart

Cinnamon and I just got back from a lovely vacation in Burgundy, and one of the highlights for me was visiting Domaine Bart in Marsannay. Located at the very top of the Côte de Nuits, just south of the city of Dijon and just north of Gevrey-Chambertin, this property was part of the historic Clair-Daü estate that was split between Bruno Clair, Louis Jadot, and, of course, Bart. They have an impressive 54-acre estate at Domaine Bart, and Pierre Bart was kind enough to lead us through his extensive range of wines with the help of his extremely cute dog Lemon.

Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Oh My: The Wonderful Rhône

In this week’s newsletter we celebrate the darling of southern France, the Rhône Valley. Complex, collectible, and kissed with sunshine, the wines of the Rhône will draw you in again and again. And, thanks to our robust Direct Import program, we can offer them at friendly prices to keep you well stocked. Buyer Keith Mabry takes us through some of the greatest hits of the region, from the serious Syrahs of Northern Rhône to the playful Grenache-based blends to the south.

Great Burgundy Wines Are More Affordable Than Ever

This week’s newsletter is devoted to Burgundy, and, as K&L Burgundy Buyer Alex Pross puts it, “We have never had this many great, affordable Burgundy wines to sell you.” Tariffs have finally been removed, value-driven regions such as the Mâcon are over-producing in quality-to-price ratio, and our Direct Import winemakers continue to produce insanely good wines way under market price.

Duménil Special Club: Special Champagne, Special Price

We just received an allocation of 300 bottles of the 2013 Duménil “Special Club” 1er Cru Brut Champagne at a nearly unheard-of price for a wine in the club trésors, $49.99. This group of 28 growers, which includes super stars like Paul Bara, Gaston-Chiquet, and Pierre Gimonnet all agree to put their top wine in the Special Club bottle, but only after it passes a blind tasting jury of members and oenologists. For grower Champagne, I can think of few better guarantees of quality than the Special Club.

A Mid-Summer Wine's Dream: Our Italian Newsletter

Though we may think of red-checkered tablecloths, spaghetti and meatballs, and wicker-basket Chianti when we think of Italian food, there is in fact a rich tradition of coastal cuisine based on seafood and dynamic, acid-driven whites. Italian Buyer Greg St. Clair has all that and more for you in these pages. From sparkling, dry, food-friendly Lambrusco to elegant and affordable Valpolicella from our new Direct Import producer, our maestro has the wine that’ll transport you to your own Italian daydream.

Roederer “Collection 242” Replaces Brut Premier

In the next few months, Champagne Louis Roederer will be replacing their Brut Premier, which has been pleasing palates since 1986, with the Collection 242, a numbered multi-vintage blend. This new cuvée is one of the most revolutionary moves—if not the most revolutionary move that I have seen from a grand marque producer in my 21-year career as Champagne Buyer here at K&L. I can’t wait for all my Champagne-loving customers and friends to try it when it arrives.

A Summer Sippers Jubilee

We’re deep in the dog days of summer, when nothing but a thirst-quenching glass of wine will do. In this week’s newsletter, our Buyers reveal some of their favorite refreshers from around the world, from Sauvignon Blanc to rosé to Gamay.

Lynch-Bages 2020: First Year in New Cellar

On the last day of our trip to Bordeaux, while Clyde was nursing a sore leg, Trey and I met up with Jean-Charles Cazes, fourth generation of the Cazes family, to tour their new cellar. With a new cellar and a ton of momentum in the market, it feels like an exciting moment for this château.

BDX 2020: Classic Wines, Atypical Year

When France opened its borders in early June, our team was on the second plane out of California. And indeed, we were among the very first Americans that many of the French had seen, and we were certainly among the only to taste the 2020 vintage at the châteaux. We were able to learn from the winemakers, taste wines fresh from barrels, and get a perspective on this vintage not afforded to those who didn’t leave terra firma in the U.S. In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find our direct-from-Bordeaux 2020 vintage preview.

K&L Wine Merchants

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