Our first small-batch rye came from an unlikely mash bill: 51% rye, 49% barley. It has the spice of an American rye and the stone fruit characteristics of a Speyside. Stephanie Manning on the five barrels, the Madeira finish, and why 111 proof was the right strength.
Read MoreWith the success of our Maison 76 Côte des Blancs Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne $44.99, which is in stock now, I spent some time on my last trip to Champagne bolstering our selection in this range. If any of the following interest you, I would suggest putting yourself on the waiting list now by following the links. We have good quantity coming on all of them, but last year our first batch of the Maison 76 was the fastest-selling Champagne we have ever had!
Read MoreHere's the math on summer: more bottles opened, more people showing up, same budget you had in June. So this week we kept things mostly under $20, added a few wines Keith Mabry can't stop drinking, plus the chillable reds on rotation at Chez Ryan Woodhouse. (There's also one splurge at the bottom, because rules are made to be broken...at least once.)
Read MoreFor fifty years, K&L has been in the business of finding the best wine and spirits for the best prices. We've built deep relationships across the industry, and that's been the secret ingredient in the K&L sauce. In the 80s, co-founder Clyde Beffa realized that some of his friends in California had made more wine than they could sell; he could buy the juice at a discount and pass along the savings to the customers—as long as he didn't reveal his sources. Thus Kalinda was born, and we started our foray into private labels. Since then, we've expanded to a family of them: Bordeaux and Italy bottled under our Discovery Series; French country wines blended as Rendez-Vous; a Grand Cru Champagne bottled for us as Maison 76; California wineries we can't name under the Anonymous Wine Collective; and casks we picked ourselves in Scotland and Kentucky. Every bottle below exists because a K&L buyer stood in a cellar and said yes.
Read MoreWhat do K&L customers actually drink? This is it. The twenty wines that outsold everything else in the first half of 2026 — from a $9.99 Vinho Verde to a 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains library Cabernet — ranked by bottles sold, with no scores and no spin. Alongside them: ten July staff picks including the second wine of Sassicaia and a $17.99 Crémant that drinks well above its price, plus eight summer whites and rosés every one under $35. Fifty years in, this is still the best list we publish.
Read MoreThe 2023 Napa Valley vintage is as good as anything I've tasted in years—and the pricing, somehow, is better than ever. Dominus released their 100-point 2023 at a lower price than the 2021! It's a rare combination: an exceptional-quality vintage paired with more favorable pricing. No complaints from me!
Read MoreWith the summer solstice already in the rearview mirror and 4th of July celebrations in full effect for America’s 250th birthday, I figured I should talk a little about some of the crispest, most refreshing wines in our selection. As a lover of white and rosé wines in general, I can’t get enough of wines that enliven the palate—wines that need nothing more than a little sunshine to pair with them. When the opportunity for some day drinking reveals itself, I like to be ready to roll. So let’s keep the fridge stocked, the cooler bag at the ready, and something zesty and refreshing always within arm’s reach.
Read MoreThere is no grape in Italy that demands more of you—or rewards you more deeply—than Nebbiolo. It's the reason I fell in love with Piedmont. It's the reason I keep going back. This week, we are exploring Nebbiolo in all its forms: from the graceful, approachable wines of the Langhe to the iron-fisted grandeur of Barolo, the alpine severity of Valtellina, and the haunting minerality of Alto Piemonte.
Read MoreThe 2023 Sassicaia earned 100 points from Wine Advocate. It is one of the finest vintages from this estate in years — and this is the final round of pre-orders. That would be enough. But this newsletter also has three 94-point Barolo at prices only K&L customers see, Fèlsina back in stock at market low after a long absence, and Vigneti Repetto — K&L's newest Direct Import from Piedmont's Colli Tortonesi, introducing the "White Barolo" to our portfolio for the first time. Orazio Campoli curates the complete Italy lineup below. Shop the Italy Newsletter →
Read MoreK&L Redwood City Tasting Bar Manager Aaron Hughes rounds up his favorite 2025 California and Oregon rosés, from a $14.95 Willamette Valley crusher to top-tier Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir rosé from Flowers and Marine Layer. All dry, all delicious, all worth your attention this season.
Read MoreTo celebrate its 50th anniversary, K&L Wine Merchants' New York store is opening its cellar—free—for 50 consecutive days. Krug, Cristal, Sassicaia, Pingus, Mouton-Rothschild, Dal Forno, Bollinger La Grande Année, Dominus, Peter Michael and more, poured daily from 2–5 PM at 270 Madison Avenue (corner of 39th). No sign-up. No ticket. Just show up. Three 2 oz pours per visit, two visits per week per person. The full 50-day lineup is below.
Read More99% no. Today's yes is a Syrah.
When people hear "private label," they think corner-cutting. Anonymous is the opposite.
The wines come from top-tier California producers under NDA so we don't undercut their flagship pricing. You're paying 2-3X less for the same wine.
Ryan Woodhouse, our longtime CA buyer, turns down 99% of what crosses his desk. Bottles from winemakers he respects, brokers he's known for years, rockstar names. If the price isn't right or the wine isn't ready, the answer is no. I check in with him regularly to find out what, if anything, has cleared his bar. Usually nothing has.
