Last night, Clément Calleja of Champagne Billecart-Salmon kicked off our annual staff Champagne Summit with a big bang. He hosted a comprehensive tasting of their line paired with sushi from Kanpai at Cinnamon’s and my home in Menlo Park. The wines were unforgettable.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter shines the spotlight on arguably the most diverse and complex wine-producing country in the world. By volume and variety, nowhere tops Italy, which can make this ancient wine landscape somewhat difficult to navigate for the average consumer. Thankfully, K&L's Greg St. Clair is here to distill all these incredible styles and traditions into his absolute favorite picks, starting with three under-the-radar, off-the-beaten-path value gems from some lesser-known regions. Our direct-import portfolio continues to grow with a stable of must-have Montalcinos that will appeal to collectors and casual consumers alike. Finally, we survey Italy's white wine scene with hand-selected stunners that run the gamut from everyday, go-to performers to superb boutique gems that can stand with the finest collectible examples anywhere.
Read MoreAlexandre Le Brun is the smallest producer that we work with in Champagne. He has just seven acres and sells three-quarters of his production to Champagne Bollinger. He keeps the remaining quarter for himself, creating incredible wines of depth, concentration, and finesse in a 16th-century cellar underneath his ancestral home. Of this tiny production, he makes just one press load—and not every year—of his Révélation Blanc de Meunier. For those of you who tasted the 2009 or the 2012, the wine needs little introduction: it is flat out one of the best wines that we have in stock, regardless of price.
Read MoreThis Friday, Cinnamon and I enjoyed our traditional steak and claret dinner with a bottle of the 2000 Château Camensac Haut Médoc—on Clyde’s recommendation. As usual, his advice was golden, and the wine was magnificent with the food. For the first time, we had a Denver Steak from Five Mary’s Farms, a cut from under the front shoulder blade of the cow, which Cinnamon cooked on our charcoal hibachi. This flat cut cooks up like a skirt steak but is tender like a New York and very flavorful. It was a good night!
Read MoreToday’s newsletter takes us on a tour of some of the best vineyard sites in California. Our staff members in all three locations hit the road this summer to visit wineries and learn from some of the phenomenal winemakers that call California home.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter is an ode to summer in its dog days. Since we all know most of California has plenty of summer left, our buyers reflect on their favorite go-to winners that shine the brightest during the warm weather.
Read More‘Tis the season to throw some meat on the grill, break out some magnums, and gather the staff around ye olde parking lot. After a few strange years of no-to-minimal socializing (something we K&Lers do best), we’re finally able to gather again to break bread and enjoy good drink (another thing we do best).
Read MoreLast summer, Ralph Sands, K&L Bordeaux specialist, checked an item off his bucket list with an in-depth visit to famed Calera winery, located on Mt. Harlan in San Benito County. We are ecstatic at K&L to be able to offer a library of 40+ years of vintages in an acquisition of a lifetime. Now is a perfect time to line your cellar with these incomparable testaments to California vinous history.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter takes us to two of the world's most traditional yet dynamic wine countries—Spain and Portugal. K&L buyer Kirk Walker brings his trademark indefatigable enthusiasm for these inimitable wines and producers in this highlight tutorial of his favorite current releases.
Read MoreThis June, I traveled back to Champagne to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Champagne Launois. It was an honor to be invited. The party was unforgettable, hosted by no less than four generations of the family at their beautiful château just outside of Mesnil. There we spent the afternoon tasting, eating, and drinking… a six hour Champenois lunch!
Read MoreUsually, when I arrive in Brouillet, we do an extensive vin clair tasting of the last year’s harvest together. Since there was no 2021 to taste, Paul announced that instead we would do a retrospective of better years… And what a lineup he poured! This tasting was a true career highlight for me—each wine was great, and fabulous proof of the longevity that the great terroir of Brouillet is capable of producing in its wines.
Read MoreLast week, we were honored to host the Union des Grands Crus tasting of the 2019 Bordeaux vintage at the Metreon in San Francisco. We have been hosting this event since 2005, when our co-owner and Bordeaux evangelist Clyde Beffa Jr helped lobby to have two tastings in California, with K&L covering SF and Wally’s covering LA. Last Wednesday, after a two-year pause for the pandemic—as well as a reschedule this year for same—Bordeaux producers and enthusiasts alike came together, finally, to revel in the 2019 vintage.
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