Introducing: Anonymous Wine Collective
I'm beyond excited to introduce the first releases in a new line of exclusive K&L collaborative bottlings—welcome to the Anonymous Wine Collective.
Those of you who have been shopping with us for many years will likely be familiar with our longtime house brand, Kalinda. Over the last 40 years, many of the biggest names in the wine business have made wines for us that were bottled under the Kalinda label. While that brand has been a conduit for many great wines, I have been dreaming for the past few years of taking our private label wine program to the next level. Finally, that next step has been taken!
Working for a greatly respected and long-established wine merchant like K&L for almost 14 years has afforded me the opportunity to make many fantastic connections and friendships across the wine industry. I have made it my life’s mission to understand the numerous growing regions and countless wineries across the West Coast. This knowledge, and these relationships, have given us access to some of the most incredible wines made anywhere on the planet. As the market ebbs and flows and grape yields vary from one season to the next, opportunity knocks.
The Anonymous Wine Collective is a dynamic range of wines made in collaboration between K&L and some of the most famous and critically acclaimed wineries in the biz. Some releases will be purely opportunistic, one-off wines, never to be repeated. Others will be ongoing collaborations where we work in tandem with world-class winemakers to make wines each year. Those ongoing relationships will be at the core of the project. Anonymous allows us to work with incredibly talented people and craft the wines, from vine to bottle. I’m proud to say that, with these first releases, I have personally walked in each of the vineyards from which they were sourced. The Anonymous Wine Collective isn’t about buying random, generic, soulless bulk wine. It’s about using our knowledge and long-cemented relationships to bring exceptional wines to our customers at prices that are a fraction of where these wines would typically sell. Our winery partners get an upfront commitment for the wines, often while they’re still in barrel; and in some cases while they’re still on the vine (now there’s trust for you)! In return, we get exceptional wine and phenomenal pricing, all while protecting the anonymity of the wineries behind the project.
The wines I present to you today offer the tip of the iceberg for the Anonymous Wine Collective. This is one of the most significant undertakings in my career at K&L. The wines we have in bottle today—and wines we have lined up for release in the coming months—are nothing short of breathtaking. Since starting this endeavor, I have been overwhelmed with the caliber of potential partners and wines coming forth to work with us on the collective. It’s gonna be one heck of a journey and it starts right now!
2021 Anonymous Wine Collective Central Coast Pinot Noir $16.95 (Elsewhere $40) Despite being a single-vineyard wine from one of the most historic sites in California, we bottled it under the broader Central Coast AVA to help protect the anonymity of the winery. This beautiful Pinot Noir from heavily limestone-influenced soils is just singing right now. A mixture of mostly Dijon clones with some heritage selections in the mix, too. Made using 30% whole-cluster fruit, native fermentations, and long elevage in top-quality French oak cooperage. The value here is just ridiculous. This wine also picked up some critical acclaim under its regular winery labelling, which sells at $40.
2022 Anonymous Wine Collective Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $49.95 (Elsewhere $250) The third and final wine in this first release of Anonymous shows the real power of this program. Fruit from two of the most highly renowned, critically acclaimed vineyards in all of Napa Valley. Both have strict NDAs controlling the use of their names. Both sites have produced 100-point wines. Despite these vineyards typically being bottled as flagship, single-vineyard designates, this producer actually blends these two world-class vineyards into this barrel-selection super cuvée. Eighty-five percent of this wine comes from a renowned and historic site. The remainder of the wine comes from a vineyard in Yountville, on an alluvial fan of gravel right at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains. This vineyard has become highly sought after by many of the most celebrated cult wineries in Napa Valley. This is bold, rich, powerful Napa Cab. It combines the warmth, ripeness, and lush mid-palate of Rutherford fruit with the more finessed, perfumed, lifted fruit from the cooler Yountville site. Raised for two years in a new French oak. This is a powerhouse, but there’s beautiful refinement and polish here, too.