Today's Newsletter is a fun, fascinating, and enlightening deep dive into the many facets of Italy's wine culture that we don't often see. Our long-time Italian buyer Greg St. Clair has spent decades traversing the country in search of the very best under-the-radar finds, and he's curated a can't-miss selection of his current favorites all in one place.
Read MoreI have been waiting for the release of the 25th iteration of Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle for years, and, now that it is here, I am happy to say it has delivered on all my expectations.
Read MoreLast week, I had an exceptional opportunity to drink the rare and tightly allocated 2016 Bollinger “La Cote aux Enfants” at home with dinner. This is a wine that I have only ever had thimble pours of in tastings in the past and I am not sure when I will have another opportunity to drink it freely again. This special red wine is normally saved for Michelin-starred restaurants—it was quite a thrill to have it with homemade chicken pot pie chez Westby!
Read MoreWe have been working with Vivien Lamoureux from Champagne Jean Jacques Lamoureux for seven years now, and their wines have always been not only a great representation of the terroir of their village, Les Riceys, but also a great value. Now, with the world inflating around us, and especially the prices of Champagne shooting up, these wines are a real steal… Especially Vivien’s $36.99 tête de cuvée bottling, the Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut.
Read MoreSouth American Wine Buyer Kirk Walker has assembled a line up of wines from Chile and Argentina that will make you rethink what you know about this winegrowing region! Collectibles, cult producers, value wines—maybe even the world's best value Pinots?
Read MoreWe at K&L are fastidious about our website and have a stable of editors who make it their mission to check every comma and critic review that goes up. In today’s Meet the Staff blog, we meet one of our fearless Grammar Crusaders, Chris Puppione! Chris and I actually started at K&L at the same time, back in early 2015, so he’s just celebrated his seventh anniversary with the company. Since then he’s had his hands full, starting both a family and a family winery! I wanted to know what it was like to be on the production side of things after so many years in retail, so I peppered him with questions.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter brings us many of the greatest white wines in the world, all from undisputed masters of their craft. To make matters even more compelling, they also represent some of the greatest values in long-term, cellar-worthy wine you'll find anywhere.
Read MoreIf Champagne has a lot of one thing in the pipeline for us Champagne lovers, it is hot vintages. The 2015 vintage unseated 1852 as the hottest vintage ever, only to be unseated itself by 2018. There was no shortage of sun in 2019 or 2020 either. While the power and roundness of ripe vintages like these are widely appreciated, I think that in the fullness of time, there is a lot to be said for a cool vintage as well. The 2011 Deutz "Amour de Deutz" Blanc de Blancs Champagne that I just had is a great example of the sleek elegance that strict selections can yield in a cold year like this.
Read MoreOn Monday, for Valentine’s Day, Cinnamon and I opened the best bottle of wine I have drunk in quite a while. It was the Krug Grande Cuvée 165ème edition, which had been in my cellar for just over four years. Just last week, Krug announced their ingredient of the year—rice—as part of their wonderful single-ingredient program. Each year they choose a “humble” ingredient to inspire everyone from top chefs to Krug-loving home cooks to come up with great pairings. Cinnamon and I had been talking about which rice dish to cook ever since. I settled on crab risotto, a dish we used to make every Dungeness crab season, but due to poor supply of the crustaceans over the last few years, have not made in quite a while.
Read MoreLast night, Cinnamon and I enjoyed the perfectly aged 2004 Brillette, Moulis with a big cowboy steak, diced potatoes, and a steakhouse salad. Now that my case is safely in my cellar, I can tell you about this wine: it’s the best deal in aged Bordeaux to come along in some time here at K&L.
Read MoreFor those looking for a sharp buy in beautiful bubbly, Champagne Buyer Gary Westby celebrates the dynamic releases from fan-favorite value producer Egrot. Alex Schroeder then discusses the brilliant biodynamic releases from Solemme. Scott Beckerley revisits an old friend with the perennial excellence of Aspasie. And Giovanni Bueno takes a look at the luxury of Laurent-Perrier. All of these stories just scratch the surface of the remarkable range of top-flight Champagne that you'll find at K&L. From everyday bubbles to cellar-worthy icons, we have you covered.
Read MoreLast week, the wine world lost one of its giants: Anthony Barton had shepherded the estates of Léoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton into legendary status, and was often called the “gentleman of Bordeaux” for his charm and humor. He was well known for being an entertaining racontuer and was a dear friend to K&L. In today’s blog, some of our Bordeaux staff pay tribute to this great man.
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