This week, one of our newest buyers, Rachael Ryan, took us on a trip through Australia and New Zealand… I was most impressed by Australia this round. Rachael, who lived in Australia for a few years, made her passion for the country and the wide diversity of wines that are grown there palpable.
Read MoreEight exciting new wines will be open and available to taste for the month of August, including the likes of the world’s most epic sweet wine producer, red wine from one of Burgundy’s top Grand Crus, and one of our newest batch of Anonymous wines to taste before you buy. Check out the full line-up at somm.klwines.com or read on for the new list of world-class wines and what will be leaving at the end of July.
Read MoreThis week, Keith Mabry brought us on a winding little trip through some of the smaller regions that he sources from for his particular buying portfolio. I've talked before about how diverse and varied his regions are, and this staff tasting was a great tour of them.
Read MoreThis summer, K&L’s Champagne Buyer Gary Westby was once again honored with an invitation to join the Krug Ambassade Voyage—one of the most exclusive programs in the wine world. To celebrate this extraordinary experience, we’re spotlighting a selection of rare Krug bottlings straight from the house, alongside collectible icons from Champagne’s most storied names.
Read MoreWine producers exist in two categories: those who follow market trends and those who protect their land by making wine while preserving natural heritage. Ronchi di Cialla represents the most authentic embodiment of this latter spirit.
Read MoreThere are few places in Italy where history feels as raw and still present as it does in Campania. You can experience it while standing on any hillside where you can see Vesuvius's dark presence alongside Pompeii's ancient ruins and the stunning blue waters of Naples Bay. This land offers a combination of historical myths together with volcanic eruptions and breathtaking landscapes. The birthplace of Italy's deepest wine heritage exists in this region.
Read MoreIt was a great honor to be invited by Krug this July on their Ambassade Voyage. Spending time with other Krug lovers from the industry—mostly Michelin Star chefs—and learning about Krug was a highlight of my career. It is the second time I have had the opportunity to travel with this group, but the first time that the destination was Krug’s own facilities in Champagne. My mind is still blown—it was the experience of a lifetime.
Read MoreFor these Anonymous Wine Collective bottles, we've given a pinky promise and staked our reputations on keeping certain particulars under wraps. In return for a little anonymity, we're able to offer incredible pricing on these wines. If these wines were bottled by the original producer, they would sell for 60-70% more. Fortunately for us, the producers had more wine than they needed, and we felt like, gosh that would be an outstanding product to be able to offer our customers. We are extremely fortunate and thankful that our positive reputation has given us access to these wines, and, as more and more of them are released, we hope that you notice the theme of extreme price-to-quality ratios.
Read MoreAs many of you reading this will know, Sean Thackrey, the creative genius and free spirt behind Pleiades Wine Co., sadly passed away in 2022 after 40 years of inspiring generations of winemakers and wine drinkers alike. Sean was one of the most experimental, naturally gifted, intuitive winemakers California has ever known. Never confined by convention nor distracted by fads, Sean followed his own path guided by his one ultimate goal, to provide pleasure to those that drank his wines.
Read MoreAfter the incredible success of and great feedback on our initial Anonymous releases (that sold out VERY quickly) I’ve been working hard to get the next set of wines across the finish line. It’s taken a little longer than we hoped, but doing things right takes time, and good things come to those who wait! Finally I have not one, not two, but three new Anonymous wines to share with you all. I’m so unbelievably proud of these releases, I truly couldn’t be more excited about getting them in your hands and most importantly in your glass.
Read MoreLast month we finally pulled off a staff trip that had been six years in the making! I had long wanted to take our sales team up to the far West Sonoma Coast and Fort Ross-Seaview AVAs. This beautiful part of the state produces some of the very best and most distinctive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the world. However, the wineries and vineyards are extremely remote and getting to them requires long miles on very tiny roads full of switchbacks, precipitous drop offs, and centurion Coastal Redwoods. Putting together my dream itinerary for this trip was no small feat. Winemakers’ schedules had to align. I had to get 15 staff members on a bus to navigate these roads, and rely on the willingness of our fearless designated driver, Jorge Valencia, to traverse these coastal mountains, often on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere! But we finally did it!
Read MoreThere are so many incredible wines being made in the modern era of Bordeaux. From the 2016 to 2023 vintages, there’s no shortage of best-evers—we just need to give them some time. That’s where the cellar defenders come in: the great wines you open while the others age. These are the bottles you don’t have to think twice about pulling the cork on, but that are still good enough to deliver a remarkable fine wine experience.
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