Friday night SOS: a text from K&L colleague Dejah Overby: a photo of a massive wolf spider camped out in her bathroom. I knew the right move was to help a good friend out. I drove over and captured the spider for her. On my way out the door, Dejah handed me a bottle of red as a reward, one our colleagues had been raving about and calling a killer deal. That got my attention…
Read MoreImagine strapping yourself into a Victorian diving suit, lowering into the inky Atlantic, and finding—rather than shipwrecks and squid—an old Ardbeg cask still breathing with smoke and sea. That’s the feel of Ardbeg: The Abyss, a 34-year-old Islay single malt Scotch surfacing this October at K&L’s spirits auction… with a $1 reserve. Yes, one dollar. Try not to hyperventilate through your regulator.
Read MoreCompass Box and K&L have always had a special relationship. Since the inception of this special brand 25 years ago, we've seen eye to eye on every aspect of this business. It wasn't until 2011 that we were able to connect with legendary whiskymaker John Glasser about the potential to do an exclusive for K&L. We had access to anything back then, but one trophy alluded K&L and exclusive Compass Box. That was until 2015 when John Glaser invited our spirits buying team to select an exclusive blend from their stocks, a now legendary blend of old peated malt and a sherry aged malt—5th and Harrison was born. Now 10 years later, we were honored and surprised when James Saxon, Compass Box Master Blender, agreed to build a special batch just for us once again. We had a recipe that we loved, old peat and heavy sherry, but could they pull it off? Of course they did!
Read MoreThe K&L Discovery Series is a curated collection of wines selected by our expert buying team to spotlight what we believe are the hidden gems, overlooked vintages, and exceptional expressions worth discovering in today’s wine world.
Read MoreOne of the best, and sometimes most challenging, things about working at K&L is our weekly staff tastings. These aren't pleasure cruises that we calmly sail through, taking our time and leisurely enjoying each wine as we ponder possible pairings or accompaniments. These are gauntlets, tests of will and endurance that we charge through, tasting typically 20+ products in just 45 minutes each week. However, from these tastings I always gain amazing insight in that weekly category, and I always get super excited about some of the wines we tasted—and, gosh, I just wanted to share them with you.
Read MoreAll my French friends always ask me if I am going to the south of France on my trip. I tell them yes—I am going to Les Riceys! It is just three miles away from the northern border with Burgundy here, and has the same soil as in Chablis, the famous Kimmeridgian clay. Not only is the soil different than the chalk of the Marne, so is the climate—here it is far more continental with colder winters and warmer summers. Luckily today was picture-perfect French spring weather, and I hope that I’ll just be carrying around my winter clothes and not wrapping up in them.
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 MoreVery few wines in Napa have even a fraction of the pedigree and quality you'll find in the wines from Ad Vivum. They are sourced exclusively from one of the best parcels in one of the most highly respected vineyards in Yountville and hand crafted by a winemaker with unbelievable experience and excellence. Ad Vivum is a small project from longtime veteran winemaker Chris Phelps. Chris gained a degree in viticulture and enology at UC Davis before heading to France to further his studies at the University of Bordeaux. After becoming friends with mentor and vigneron Christian Moueix, Chris worked at Château Petrus in Pomerol and several other Moueix properties in the region. Earning his trust and respect, Moueix then handpicked Chris to become the founding winemaker of his new venture in Napa Valley—Dominus.
Read MoreWines that offer great value are a key focus for me whenever making buying decisions at K&L. Sure, some folks' definition of value might be quite different than mine, and not all great wines can necessarily be cheap. However, there’s something so satisfying when you find a wine that is just darn delicious for a great price. Even better (at least in my opinion) is when that delicious wine also happens to come from a small artisanal producer, hand-crafting wines from interesting vineyards in a non-interventionist style, with a great sense of place and authentic purity. This is exactly what I find in the wines of Ryan Stirm.
Read MoreWe come across many very exciting wines in our Auction Department, but we launched a listing today that’s truly once in a lifetime: a banded 6-pack of 1999 DRC Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru (OWC) in pristine condition from the original owner. The fact that this 6-pack is still sealed with the original band around its original wooden case from the winery makes this extremely rare. That it’s from one of the most lauded vintages of La Tâche in recent history and has been in the same hands since its original purchase? It’s an astonishing collectible.
Read MoreVigneron 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 MoreJura has always been one of my passion projects. Early on in my tenure as the French Regional Buyer for K&L, I quickly became engaged by the unique flavor profiles of the wines from the region. The reds are light and crunchy with more structure than you might expect, which contributes to a myriad of food-pairing possibilities. The whites are, of course, epic, and the reason why most people are drawn to this category.
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