With the huge amount of trust and recognition K&L has built over 50 years in the business, plus my own deep personal connections to great producers across California and beyond, I strongly believe that the sky is the limit for what we can achieve with this range of wines.
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 MoreFor the past several weeks, I’ve noticed customers scanning the New Zealand racks, asking the same questions: “Are they back in stock yet? Do you know when they’ll be here?” As the newly minted buyer for the Southern Hemisphere, I was intrigued. What are these Te Whare Ra wines everyone has been asking for?
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 MoreWelcome to the wine list for our first annual West Coast Wine Tent Event at K&L San Francisco! This is more than just a wine tasting. It’s a rare opportunity to sample over 100 wines from California and Oregon’s most celebrated and emerging producers—all poured by the people who made them. Meet legendary and emerging producers alike, from wineries including Ridge, Spottswoode, Rhys, Hundred Suns, Walter Scott, and more! If you love West Coast wine, this is an event you don’t want to miss.
Read MoreSome winemakers create wines that seem to have a life of their own. The wines tell stories. The wines alter your perception about a location. Arianna Occhipinti is one of those winemakers.
Read MoreEleonora and Gloria Barale are the fifth generation to hold the reins at Barale Fratelli, a winery whose history in Barolo runs 150+-years deep. The fact that they are not fratelli (brothers) at all, but sorelle (sisters), reflects the new generation in Barolo: women holding leadership roles in what was once a very male-dominated industry, who use modern technology and farming practices but traditional winemaking methods to create flat-out fantastic wines.
Read MoreClos de l’Anhel is one of the first producers I recruited after taking over the French Regional progam at K&L. Vigneron Sophie Guiraudon established Clos de l’Anhel in the appellation of Corbières just over two decades ago. She proudly states that she is a first-generation winemaker. Beginning her career at another winery in the region, she felt like she could do the same thing they were doing but better and organic—so why not strike out on her own?
Read MoreI love to cook so I was also an early adopter of Friendsgiving. For many years, I have been hosting them at my home (or at friends’ homes) where I prepare a meal. I usually plan a themed meal around my Friendsgiving since I already get to do all the traditional stuff on regular Thanksgiving. I always deconstruct turkeys for my Friendsgivings and make a variety of dishes using various turkey parts. I always make a turkey Bolognese and have made other things like tom kha gai turkey soup or a turkey paitan ramen (that’s like Tonkotsu ramen but with a creamy turkey broth). I even served turkey stuffing gyoza as an appetizer for the ramen dinner! Last year, I did a brunch themed Friendsgiving which I now call Brunch-giving—maybe it will stick.
Read MoreEven though they are an historic property, Mas de Libian still falls a little under the radar. For me, though, they check a lot of boxes. They have long practiced organic farming and are now Demeter-certified biodynamic. They make fresh, vibrant wines that are accessible, quaffable, sumptuous, and compelling. It doesn’t hurt that the property’s terroir is a dead ringer for that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its calcareous iron-rich clay soils and galets roulet (the rolled stones) sitting on the surface and radiating warmth back to the vines. With all these pluses, it is hard to believe that not a single one of their delicious wines retails for north of $30!
Read MoreThe wines from the 2022 season are fantastic across the board. The fruit profiles are pure, expressive, rich, and vibrant. There’s plenty of freshness and definition to the wines. The delayed harvest meant, despite the warm weather that persisted into October, the shorter days and longer, cooler nights at that time in the season allowed beautiful acid retention to balance the ripe fruit. The critical acclaim for the vintage bears witness to this; every report published has been bristling with huge scores and glowing praise for the wines. They’re easy to love, supremely accessible, flavorful, and energetic. I’m thrilled to have such a fantastic array of these 2022 wines in stock right now.
Read MoreDomaine Begude was created by James and Catherine Kinglake in 2004. Tired of working in finance in London, they fled to the south of France and bought an old estate where they put down roots. They went through the growing pains of learning the wine industry and navigating local government, all while starting their family. After 20 years, they have weathered the financial hardships of running a small winery, suffering through Brexit (they are still British citizens), and the expenses of their daughter starting college. It’s been a wild ride for sure, but James, along with his winemaking team, continues to make some of the finest bang-for-the-buck wines to grace our shelves year after year.
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