The Best Escargot Pairing

My son came home one night talking about something his teacher had mentioned: it was called escargot, and he was interested in it. I immediately snatched up the opportunity to get my kid to try a new thing and called my French friend Julie to hatch a plan. Within two days, we were gathered in my kitchen, cooking escargot and popping the corks on the Damien Hugot Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc and the 2017 Auxey-Duresses “Les Clous” from Jacques Bavard—each stunning and perfectly suited to our meal.

Thanksgiving Stars to Elevate Your Holiday Feast

Today's Newsletter gets us in the holiday mood with a truly all-encompassing look at our absolute favorite picks for pairing with a large and diverse holiday feast. Our best-in-the-business team of buyers has you covered with hand-picked selections that will shine in any holiday occasion, from the most casual, warm-hearted get-togethers to the most intricate and luxurious affairs.

The Krug Highlands Quest: A Once in Lifetime Trip!

I just returned from the most over-the-top wine trip of my life—and it wasn’t even to a wine-producing country! Champagne Krug invited me, along with about 80 of their top ambassade from around the world, on a two day “Highlands Quest”—filled with more great Krug than anyone has a right to drink in a lifetime. I still don’t think it has all sunk in…

Pessac-Léognan and Lamb for Easter

I have a friend named Julie who loves to cook and treats me with divine meals at the drop of a hat. Last week she invited me over for pre-Easter lamb, so I wanted to bring a special bottle. Hollywood staffer/Bordeaux specialist Jacques and I conferred, and we decided I should go with the 2010 Haut-Bergey from Pessac-Léognan. Julie is from Bordeaux, so I knew she’d appreciate this classic pairing of Pessac-Léognan and lamb. Plus, the 2010 vintage was an absolute blockbuster, so I was excited to try it with 12 years of age—especially at the $44.99 price tag!

2008 Krug: Monumental Champagne

This Friday night, Cinnamon and I shared a bottle of the greatest young vintage I have ever tasted from the legendary house of Krug, their monumental 2008. Expectations were high for this bottle, given that it was the most anticipated release in my 22 years of doing the Champagne buying at K&L. Those expectations were exceeded. This wine will be a legend like 1945 Mouton, 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle, or 1921 Salon. They nailed it.

Proper Aged Claret from Potensac

This Friday, Cinnamon and I had our traditional steak and claret night with some lovely shaved and roasted Brussels sprouts and jacket potatoes to pair with a new wine arrival to K&L: the 2007 Château Potensac. I must say that K&L’s Bordeaux Buyer Clyde has done it again—this is a spectacular drink for under $30, and showing both lovely clean fruit and resolved tannin at 15 years of age. Before publishing this blog piece, I will buy a case for our cellar!

Corned Beef and Crozes

For St. Patrick’s Day, I knew my friend was bringing Corned Beef (here’s the recipe she used), so my wine pairing was the 2018 Ferraton Père et Fils "La Matinière" Crozes-Hermitage. I adore Northern Rhône wines—and a Crozes-Hermitage for $19.99 was an immediate draw! Not only is the pricing off the hook, its pedigree is, too: it’s organically and biodynamically farmed thanks to major investment in this estate by Rhône giant Michel Chapoutier. Critics reap praise and scores on this estate. I had to try it.

Valentine's Day with Krug x Rice

On 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.

Bordeaux’s Brilliant 2004 Brillette

Last 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.

A Toast to Champagne!

In this week’s newsletter, Buyer Gary Westby brings you all of the fan-favorites: Franck Bonville’s exquisite Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côtes de Blancs; the meticulously crafted, micro-produced wines from Alexandre Le Brun; the Grand Marque elegance of Billecart-Salmon; the party-in-a-bottle of Baron-Fuenté. These are producers we’ve stocked on our shelves for decades because they are hands down some of the best in the biz, and thanks to our long-term relationships, we’ve got the best prices you’ll find anywhere. We love Champagne season and can’t wait to share these wines with you!

Turkey (Or Tofurkey) Tipples of Every Stripe!

We at K&L are Thanksgiving die-hards. It’s the one time of year when our collective favorite hobby is front and center: eating and drinking! In this week’s newsletter, our buyers have put together a compendium of some of their favorite turkey (or tofurkey) tipples—and there’s even a mortadella pairing if you want to veer off the beaten path.

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.

K&L Wine Merchants

www.klwines.com