Today is the worldwide release for one of the best of the great 2012 vintage in Champagne, and we are lucky to have an allocation. We had a preview of the 2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne before today’s release, and. after tasting it in the morning with Clément from Billecart, I knew that I had to make something special to have with it at dinner. This is a Blanc de Blancs that has it all—and promises to develop well for at least a generation.
Read MoreOn Wednesday evening, K&L San Francisco welcomed a dynamic, female-led team for a celebration of one of the most revered pairings: caviar and Champagne. A group of 15 guests joined the K&L team to delve into the complexities of flavor, texture, and terroir inherent in both Champagne and caviar.
Read MoreI have the great fortune of belonging to a Champagne tasting group that meets quarterly. Since August 2019, we have been having our get-togethers. Everyone in this group is an absolute Champagne fiend. Luckily, we have never had to suffer through an even slightly mediocre tasting. Yes, a couple of bottles have been corked here and there, but, amazingly it’s only been very, very, few—especially considering that we taste 15-plus bottles per meeting. This last one, a week ago, was another stunner.
Read MoreOn Friday, the 23rd of June, we had the extreme pleasure of hosting a wine tasting with the Champagnes of Louis Roederer in all three of our K&L locations. I am reporting on the San Francisco tasting, which was hosted by Roederer representative Andrea Miranda. We will start with what everyone was the most excited about, the 2015 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne.
Read MoreOn the morning of May 12, 2023, our San Francisco staff had the extreme pleasure of attending a seminar and tasting with Mathieu Roland Billecart of Champagne Billecart-Salmon. We learned about the history of Billecart-Salmon, including its founding in 1818 occasioned by the marriage between Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Billecart fans will likely be familiar with these names as they appear on the current 2008 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart" NFB Brut Champagne and on bottles of the famous Cuvée Elisabeth Brut Rosé that we regularly have in stock.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter gets us back to bubbles in a big way, and not just any bubbles. Champagne buyer Gary Westby and his team have been as busy as ever tracking down the region's best direct-import buys to fill your cellar without breaking the bank. From everyday values to showstopping collectible vintage stunners, our Champagne portfolio is full to the brim with proven performers and new discoveries that with thrill even the most seasoned aficionados.
Read MoreThis past May, I traveled to the far west of Champagne, to the lovely, tiny village of Crouttes-sur-Marne, to visit brother-and-sister team Laurent and Claire at Champagne Derot-Delugny. They are one of the oldest grower producers in the western Marne Valley, having sold Champagne in bottle since 1929. This long tradition has given them the gift of patience and the ability to sell vintage Champagne at 10 years old, the 2012 that is the main subject of this article.
Read MoreChampagne Buyer Gary Westby and his team have assembled a lineup of Champagnes that range from everyday values to the height of luxury. No matter the occasion, we have a Champagne to pair with it!
Read MoreLast night, Clément Calleja of Champagne Billecart-Salmon kicked off our annual staff Champagne Summit with a big bang. He hosted a comprehensive tasting of their line paired with sushi from Kanpai at Cinnamon’s and my home in Menlo Park. The wines were unforgettable.
Read MoreI just returned from the most over-the-top wine trip of my life—and it wasn’t even to a wine-producing country! Champagne Krug invited me, along with about 80 of their top ambassade from around the world, on a two day “Highlands Quest”—filled with more great Krug than anyone has a right to drink in a lifetime. I still don’t think it has all sunk in…
Read MoreLast night, Cinnamon and I treated ourselves to some sushi from the recently reopened Kanpai in Palo Alto and paired it with the magnificent 2007 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne. I had opened it to make a little video presenting the wine (see below), and we enjoyed the rest paired with the great variety that a sushi dinner has to offer. This over-200-year-old house continues to push and strive for ever more quality, and this all-Chardonnay tête-de-cuvée is proof of that.
Read MoreThe Henriot Cuvée Hemera is not a household name when it comes to tête de cuvée Champagne, but this is a wine that deserves to be much better known by Champagne lovers than it is. Unlike the most famous tête de cuvée offerings, this is a small-production Champagne with an extraordinarily strict selection and a very, very long ageing time on the lees. Some producers even offer “late disgorged” Champagne that is younger than the current release of the Hemera.
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