A Winter Wonderland of Wine from the U.S.

Today's Domestic Newsletter must be one of the broadest and most comprehensive editions we’ve written to date. Domestic Buyer Ryan Woodhouse starts off with the highly anticipated 2019 vintage in the Napa Valley. He calls it a “modern classic” with rich, ripe, forward, exotic wines that are going to give folks a lot of early drinking pleasure. These are exuberant, powerful wines that scream “Napa Valley!” Next up is a focus on the exceptional, world-class wines coming out of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We’ve long been a huge fan of these wines, but recently winemakers in the region have taken it to a whole new level and gotten the huge critical acclaim they deserve.

Next, SoCal Domestic Buyer Kaj Stromer gives us a look back at some of the brightest spots to come out of 2021 by recapping the best Domestic deals we offered over the course of last year. Unprecedented times produced unprecedented deals. Continuing on the theme of wines that overdeliver, Kaj highlights his favorite bottles for under $25. Your dollars will go farther than you expect with these stunning values. His picks include a sub-$20, 95-point old-vine Riesling; a 94-point Châteauneuf-du-Pape look-alike from Santa Barbara at $22.95; a stunning Zin from some of the most famed ancient vines in the world at $23.95; and legit Napa Valley Cabernet for under $20! Finally, Kaj looks at what K&L staffers are drinking during these long winter months. Read on and enjoy!