We landed early: caffeinated and on a mission.
Premier week in Napa Valley is not a casual affair. Sunrise departure out of LAX, a Sacramento pickup, a quick team rendezvous—and suddenly we were off to two tightly packed days of tastings, sub-appellation deep dives, and enough Cabernet to recalibrate the palate for weeks.
Read MoreMore tension-filled than the sunny 2020s and rivaling the monumental 2019s in elegance, 2021 is a vintage of scarcity and transparency, perfect for collectors who prize the savory, energetic, and terroir-driven soul of Montalcino.
Read MoreA recent K&L staff trip to Napa Valley saw the NorCal sales team explore the cooler parts of the region with a day in Carneros and Coombsville, two of the southernmost sub-AVAs of Napa, with lots of moderating influence from the nearby San Pablo Bay. We started off the day with an incredible 8:30am visit with Steve Matthiasson at his Cressida Vineyard in the upper Carneros, right at the foot of the Mayacamas range as it descends towards the bay. The weather in Carneros behaved perfectly with thick morning fog slowly receding back to the bay as our crew walked up into the vineyard with the first patches of blue sky being revealed.
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 MoreHave you ever wondered what a bottle of 2003 Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac $1049.99 100WA 98JS 97WE 96WS tastes like? At nearly $1,100 per bottle, only a fortunate few have the means to purchase a First Growth Bordeaux—let alone a perfectly stored, 22-year-old bottle. But at K&L, we believe wine is for everyone; it’s meant to be enjoyed, explored, and shared. That’s why we created a new way for you to experience the world of wine in our stores—through the lens of our new automated WineEmotion machines. This new program features 16 rotating selections available by the 1- or 2-ounce pour, all priced to make the world of high-end, collectible wines accessible to all.
Read MoreWe’re back on the trail, getting ready to taste the 2024s in Bordeaux, while catching up with our friends in the region. It is one of the great traditions in the world of fine wine—and quickly becoming an indispensable part of my year. The exhausting (trust me…) trek through the region will give us a wonderful perspective on the wines that will be released for sale as soon as next week—another chapter in the storied history of Bordeaux.
Read MoreFrom our Bordeaux Buyer Ryan Moses, Director of Auctions John Christensen, and Private Client Services Advisor Chelsea Herholdt, we bring you a lineup of some of our most collectible bottlings from producers who continue to inspire. With the goal of introducing—or reintroducing—you to bottles that promise to delight for years to come, we're thrilled at the opportunity to dive into these stellar selections from some of the world's very best.
Read MoreWhen it comes to finding the perfect gift, a truly exceptional bottle is often the way to go. While we take great care every day to ensure that everything we bring in meets the highest standards, these are some of the wines I would go to first. Each one is sure to make a memorable impression and offer an experience that will be appreciated by any wine lover.
Read MoreAfter returning from my fifth visit to Bordeaux to taste the new vintage (where’s my 5-timer robe??), I can say with confidence there is a lot to like about the 2023 vintage. This is a vintage like no other, where the best wines are exciting, vibrant, and emotionally thrilling, capturing the best of warm-vintage depth-of-fruit and the alluring qualities of cool-vintage freshness and minerality.
Read MoreChâteau Palmer is easily on many wine consumers Top 5 all-time Bordeaux properties list—including mine—and for good reason! It’s technically a Third Growth, but one that ranks with some of the most well-regarded châteaux in the whole region. Recently, on not exactly just a random Monday night—but as Monday nights go this was not bad—I was lucky enough to experience a deep Palmer lineup and an exquisite food pairing menu. The occasion? It happened to be the only day that is a command (March 4th)—and my father, Clyde Beffa’s, birthday.
Read MoreIt’s nearly time for the Academy Awards! If you’ve managed to see any of the movies, even those that clock in at under 3½ hours long (thanks for pointing that out, Hugh Grant!), you’ll have seen some very deserving technicians and artists. My favorite thing to have while watching the show is either fried chicken with French fries and a salad (which I use to fool myself into thinking that I’m eating semi-healthily), or Kung Pao chicken, rice, and steamed asparagus with sliced almonds and a clear sauce… No matter what foodstuffs you are planning, there is only one beverage that matches perfectly with this event...Champagne!
Read MoreWhether your cellar takes up an entire room or you've got your first few bottles stashed away as you start your collecting journey, K&L will be there for you every step of the way. Our industry-leading Key Accounts and Auction departments are ready to guide you to all the latest, greatest releases and library stunners, so dive head-first into this comprehensive guide to the joys of wine collecting.
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