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K&L Italian Wine Buyer Orazio Campoli introduces Vigneti Repetto—a new Direct Import from the Colli Tortonesi. Two vintages of Timorasso Derthona, the "White Barolo," plus serious Barbera at exclusive pricing.
Rachael Ryan has traveled to both Spain and Portugal in 2026 — and she's come back convinced the Iberian Peninsula is producing better wine than ever. This month's selections span López de Heredia Viña Tondonia releases stretching back to 1961, the introduction of Dominio de Atauta as K&L's newest direct import partner, and a deep run through Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Albariño, Cava, and the Douro Valley. World-class quality, many at prices that would be unthinkable from Bordeaux or Burgundy.
Rachael Ryan just returned from Portugal, and her verdict is unambiguous: Douro red wines have never been better. A region once defined almost entirely by Port has transformed over the past decade into one of Europe's most exciting sources of unfortified red wine — fresh, structured, and priced at a fraction of comparable bottles from France or Spain. Six bottles from $16.99 to $79.99.
Most people know Spain for structured, age-worthy reds. Rachael Ryan makes the case for its other side — the vibrant Albariños of Galicia, the crisp sparkling wines of Penedès, the lively Txakolina of the Basque Country, and a new generation of chillable reds that beg to be served cold. Twenty bottles from $12.99 to $44.99, all built for summer.
While Bordeaux and Burgundy push collectors further out of reach every vintage, Spain quietly offers some of the world's most age-worthy wines at prices that shouldn't be possible. Rachael Ryan makes the case — and backs it up with bottles from López de Heredia, Vega Sicilia, Muga, CVNE, Clos Mogador, La Rioja Alta, and Telmo Rodríguez, ranging from $59.99 to a once-in-a-lifetime 1961 Gran Reserva.
Few Rioja producers walk the line between tradition and modernity as gracefully as Bodegas Miguel Merino. Founded in the mid-1990s by Miguel Sr. and now guided by his son Miguel Jr. and daughter-in-law Erika, the winery is making some of the most elegant, terroir-driven wines in Briones—including single-vineyard bottlings of Garnacha, Mazuelo, and a white Rioja that will make you rethink the region entirely. Seven bottles from $21.99 to $64.99, all direct import.
Rachael Ryan has been hunting for the right Spanish direct import partner for years. She found it in Dominio de Atauta — a Ribera del Duero producer working with pre-Phylloxera vines averaging 85 years old, some exceeding 120, at elevations that give the wines a freshness and elegance the region isn't always known for. Four bottles, from $19.99 to $44.99, all worth your attention.
K&L Champagne Report — June 2026
Gary Westby just returned from Champagne. Olivier Krug visited our Culver City store. Billecart-Salmon made a bottle exclusively for America. And we found growers worth knowing from $39.99. Everything in one place.
Growers Since 1610. Three New Bottles Worth Finding.
The Fallet family has been farming Charly-sur-Marne since 1610. Scott Beckerley reviews their three newest releases — including a Pur Meunier that makes the case for why this grape deserves your attention.
[Read the full review →]
4 Champagnes That Surprised Our Culver City Spirits Guy
Jonathan Parnell spends most of his time in whisky. But after learning from K&L's Champagne buyers, he has opinions—and three bottles to back them up. From a our $44.99 house Champagne to a Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs that held its own against Cristal.
[Read his picks →]
A Champagne Made for America — and Only Available Here
The Billecart-Salmon 2018 250th Anniversary Cuvée celebrates 200 years of the house and 250 years of American independence. It's U.S.-exclusive, built from Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit, and one of the most precisely balanced wines we've tasted from the record-hot 2018 vintage. Power and acidity in equal measure.
[Read the full review →]
Olivier Krug—sixth generation, Director of Maison Krug—visited our Culver City store for a masterclass on the world's most meticulous Champagne. We tasted the 173rd Edition Grande Cuvée and the 28th Edition Rosé. Notes were taken. Opinions were formed.
Gary Westby traces the 90-minute ride from Gare de l'Est to Épernay — the vineyards, the villages, and the growers worth knowing out the window. Plus three bottles from Dérot-Delugny, one of the Marne Valley's best-kept secrets, starting at $39.99.
[Read the full guide →]
K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby just returned from two weeks tasting the 2025 harvest in Champagne. The verdict? Surprisingly fresh—despite temperatures hitting 107°F. Find out which villages performed best, why Blanc de Blancs will be scarce, and what to buy now while it's available.
[Read the full report →]
The 2023 Sassicaia earned 100 points from Wine Advocate. It is one of the finest vintages from this estate in years — and this is the final round of pre-orders. That would be enough. But this newsletter also has three 94-point Barolo at prices only K&L customers see, Fèlsina back in stock at market low after a long absence, and Vigneti Repetto — K&L's newest Direct Import from Piedmont's Colli Tortonesi, introducing the "White Barolo" to our portfolio for the first time. Orazio Campoli curates the complete Italy lineup below. Shop the Italy Newsletter →
This summer, our NYC store is pouring 50 days of free tastings at 270 Madison Avenue. Mouton-Rothschild. Cristal. Pingus. Dal Forno Amarone. No ticket. No sign-up. Just show up between 2 and 5 PM, May 26 through July 23. Meanwhile, our buyers are sharing what they're actually drinking this season. Aaron Hughes on the domestic rosés worth the fuss. Ryan Woodhouse on six Sauvignon Blancs built for summer. Jonathan Goldstein on the spirits worth stocking right now. Half a century of buying relationships. This is what it looks like.
Summer calls for a different kind of bottle. K&L NYC Spirits Buyer Jonathan Goldstein has five picks for the season — tequila, mezcal, rum, and Japanese whisky, all under $50, all chosen for one reason: they're genuinely delicious over ice on a hot day. Lost Explorer Blanco at $44.99. Hamilton Demerara Rum at $24.99. Iwai 45 Japanese Whisky at $32.99. Plus a South African pineapple rum that will surprise you. Read Jonathan's full notes and shop the complete summer lineup below. Shop Summer Spirits →
K&L Domestic Wine Buyer Ryan Woodhouse makes his case for Sauvignon Blanc as the ultimate summer grape—and backs it up with six picks spanning Dry Creek Valley, Coombsville, Rutherford, and Mendocino Ridge. From a $14.95 everyday crusher to a 50%-off Beckstoffer vineyard gem, these are the bottles passing through his refrigerator this season.
K&L Redwood City Tasting Bar Manager Aaron Hughes rounds up his favorite 2025 California and Oregon rosés, from a $14.95 Willamette Valley crusher to top-tier Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir rosé from Flowers and Marine Layer. All dry, all delicious, all worth your attention this season.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, K&L Wine Merchants' New York store is opening its cellar—free—for 50 consecutive days. Krug, Cristal, Sassicaia, Pingus, Mouton-Rothschild, Dal Forno, Bollinger La Grande Année, Dominus, Peter Michael and more, poured daily from 2–5 PM at 270 Madison Avenue (corner of 39th). No sign-up. No ticket. Just show up. Three 2 oz pours per visit, two visits per week per person. The full 50-day lineup is below.
K&L Burgundy Buyer Alex Pross calls 2024 one of the greatest White Burgundy vintages of the past quarter century—crystalline, precise, and built for the ages. Here's your complete guide to the best producers and pre-arrival offerings, from village Chablis to Grand Cru Montrachet.
99% no. Today's yes is a Syrah.
When people hear "private label," they think corner-cutting. Anonymous is the opposite.
The wines come from top-tier California producers under NDA so we don't undercut their flagship pricing. You're paying 2-3X less for the same wine.
Ryan Woodhouse, our longtime CA buyer, turns down 99% of what crosses his desk. Bottles from winemakers he respects, brokers he's known for years, rockstar names. If the price isn't right or the wine isn't ready, the answer is no. I check in with him regularly to find out what, if anything, has cleared his bar. Usually nothing has.
Domaine Marc Colin is one of the great family trees of modern Burgundy—the estate behind Caroline Morey, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, and Joseph Colin. The original domaine remains every bit their equal. The 2024 lineup covers the full Côte de Beaune—Saint-Aubin Premier Cru at $89.99, Chassagne, Puligny, and a Montrachet Grand Cru that earned 96–98 from Vinous. In one of the greatest White Burgundy vintages in a generation, these wines deliver at every level.
Few estates tell the story of Puligny-Montrachet as completely as Domaine Jean Chartron. Founded in 1859 and led today by Jean-Michel Chartron, the domaine produces some of the most precise, mineral-driven White Burgundy on the Côte de Beaune. The 2024s are exceptional. Village Puligny and Chassagne at $99.99. A Premier Cru "Clos de la Pucelle" at $179.99—95 Decanter. And their monopole Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru "Clos des Chevaliers"—98 points from both Decanter and Jeb Dunnuck.
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is one of Chassagne- Montrachet's finest value producers—and the 2024 vintage is their best argument yet. Led by Céline Fontaine and Frédéric Robert (formerly of Domaine Armand Rousseau), the estate crafts richly textured, mineral-driven White Burgundy that consistently outperforms its price. Critics agree: 91–96 points across the board. Village Chassagne at $79.99. Six Premier Crus at $129.99–$159.99. Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru at $499.99. In a landmark vintage for White Burgundy, these are the bottles to buy.
The 2024 White Burgundy vintage is one of the greatest in 25 years; the wines are crystalline, precise, and classically Burgundian. The catch: yields are down 40–80%. These wines will disappear. 2024 belongs alongside 2014 and 2017 as a modern benchmark for White Burgundy. Don't sleep on 2023 Red Burgundy either. It's drinking beautifully now, built to age.
Our buyer Ryan Moses just returned from Bordeaux. His verdict: this is the vintage serious collectors have been waiting for. Low yields. Moderate alcohol. Classical structure. Pricing aligned with 2024—for a significantly better vintage. Pontet-Canet: 98–100 Wine Advocate—$89.99. Malescot-St-Exupéry: 97 points—$49.99. Laroque: 96 Decanter—$31.99 Critics call it "the concentration of 2022 with the freshness of 2016." Pre-arrival. Estimated delivery September 2028.
The 2025 Bordeaux Futures Campaign marks a rare intersection of compelling pricing, limited production, and high‑quality wines. After years of uneven alignment between market conditions and vintage quality, 2025 stands out as a campaign that rewards informed buyers—offering expressive wines, moderate alcohol, and real value at release. This guide explains what sets the vintage apart, what to expect from the campaign, and how K&L is approaching futures on behalf of collectors.
