The Opportunity of a Lifetime: Calera Library

The relationship between Calera and K&L is long and deep. In 1975 when the late Josh Jensen planted his first vines in the rugged limestone soils of Mt. Harlan, the idea of K&L was also taking root in the minds of our founders Clyde Beffa and Todd Zucker… Fast forward to March of 2022 when I was told that K&L was going to be offered access to these library wines—an opportunity that I was obviously never going to pass up! However, the sheer scale of the library didn’t hit home until I was in possession of a somewhat overwhelming spreadsheet of wines going back five decades!

A Great 2008 from Billecart

At the end of May, I was lucky enough to be hosted at Champagne Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil by none other than cellarmaster Florent Nys. We have known each other for many years, but I hadn’t had the chance to sit down with him since before the pandemic. He invited me into the new reception area at Billecart, and poured quite the tasting.

The Loire's Finest Values, Hidden Gems, and World-Class Buys

Today’s Loire Valley Newsletter starts with a few personal favorites of our intrepid Loire Buyer Keith Mabry, followed by an introduction to one of the great unsung heroes of the Chenin Blanc varietal—Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups. Next we dig a little deeper into the Loire's most famous region, Sancerre, by highlighting three under-the-radar stunners that provide everything Sancerre fans love about the appellation. The Loire's red wines get their due praise as Keith takes us through Cabernet Franc stunners that offer world-class appeal for simply unbeatable prices, and we round out the journey with thrilling examples of what the Loire arguably does better than anywhere else—provide exceptional wine drinking experiences for a mere song.

Bordeaux Newsletter: Modern-Classic Collectibles, Staff Favorites, and Everyday Stars

Today's Newsletter spans the length and breadth of the world's greatest wine region (and the foundation of K&L's business) with a stellar run of hand-picked favorites from our intrepid Bordeaux team, followed by recaps of the back-to-back outstanding 2019 and 2020 vintages.

Lamoureux—Champagne Three Miles From Burgundy!

Today I traveled to the very far south of Champagne, in the Aube department to visit my friend Vivien Lamoureux at Champagne J.J. Lamoureux in the beautiful village of Les Riceys. This is the southern tip of Champagne and only three short miles from the departmental border with Burgundy. Here the soil is not the pure white chalk of the Marne area, but rather nearly the same Kimmeridgian clay as in Chablis. Notably, Pinot Noir is king in this area, as Chardonnay buds too early and is at high risk for frost on all but the steepest and most perfectly east-facing sites.

La Montre est Bonne

My new French phrase for my first week in Champagne is “la montre est bonne,” an expression that means “everything looks good right now” for a good vintage in 2022. After the disastrously low yields of 2021, the generous set on the vines now is a site for sore eyes. The vineyards in Champagne are far ahead of schedule, with flowering happening as I type in many places, and the flowers are already here in Sacy, where I took the picture below. A big harvest would do a lot to stabilize Champagne, because currently stocks are low due to a big increase in global demand, the horribly short 2021 harvest, and the self-inflicted wound of tight yield limits in 2020.

Duménil and Jany Poret: One House, Two Terroirs

Today I drove over to La Petite Montagne to visit Frédérique and Hughes in the village of Sacy. They own 15 acres of vineyard in this village as well as 20 acres in the villages of Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly-la-Montagne, and Ludes. They split their production between Sacy vines, which include the historic Jany Poret name, and the rest, which are just called Duménil to respect the two separate families that became one when they married. All their wines are entirely 1er Cru, stainless-steel-fermented, and of exceptional quality. They have been members of the association “Special Club” since 2010, and, like all the others in this group, are in the top echelon of grower Champagne.

Pierre Paillard: The Great Terroir of Bouzy Grand Cru

One of the highlights of any trip to Champagne for me is a stop to see my old friend Quentin Paillard in Bouzy. We have been working together for more than a decade, and, in that time, he and his brother Anotine have taken this house to the top level of grower Champagne. Their goal is simple—to make terroir-driven Champagne from their old, massal-selected vines in Bouzy. This cru is renowned in Champagne for its powerful Pinot Noir that, at its best, does not lose its refreshing cut and clean minerality. In Quentin and Antoine’s hands, this cru is truly at its best.

In Champagne with Pierre Gonet of Champagne Pierre Mineral

It is bottling season for a lot of producers in Champagne, and when I went to visit Pierre Gonet, who makes Pierre Mineral Champagne, he was in the middle of the job…

On the Trail in Verzenay with Champagne Lallement

It is great to be back on the road in Champagne—the weather here has been properly hot (even warmer than in California), and, just like us, they have not had enough rain this year. The vineyards are going crazy, and the growers are having a hard time keeping up with their precociousness. Today I was visiting producers on the Mountain of Reims and was very impressed with one wine in particular, the 2013 Jean Lallement et Fils Brut.

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Newsletter: Adventure Awaits!

Southern Hemisphere wines are more exciting than ever, and K&L Buyer Thomas Smith has assembled a tour de force of the best on our shelves. Whether you’re looking for exquisite cool-climate Pinot, skin-contact summer sippers, or the most exciting producer to come out of South Africa, Thomas has got you covered.

2021 Bordeaux: Defying the Narrative

I’ll cut straight to the chase. The 2021 Bordeaux vintage is exponentially superior to what the narrative implied in the weeks and months leading up to En Primeur week. And, as of today, there’s still hope that first-tranche pricing will be grounded and we’ll have a meaningful futures campaign on our hands.

K&L Wine Merchants

www.klwines.com