Cerbaiona Joins K&L Direct Imports: A Cult Brunello di Montalcino Producer

I’m honored to welcome the cult Brunello di Montalcino estate Cerbaiona to our Direct Import portfolio. Located on a prestigious Galestro ridge in Montalcino, Cerbaiona is world-renowned for its high-altitude elegance and uncompromising traditional winemaking. This is a massive milestone for our Direct Import program. In the world of Montalcino, Cerbaiona is one of those names that collectors and buyers discuss in hushed, reverent tones. As the national buyer for Italian wine, I have spent years tracking this estate, and bringing it into our DI portfolio is a career highlight.

2021 Brunello di Montalcino Vintage Guide: Cellar-Worthy and Structured

2021 Brunello di Montalcino is starting to hit our shelves. This is the great “vertical” vintage—defined by precision, al dente structure, and mineral-driven energy. Transparent, cellar‑worthy, and built for the long haul, 2021 captures everything that makes Montalcino the benchmark for Sangiovese collectors.

2021 Brunello: A Return to Classicism

More tension-filled than the sunny 2020s and rivaling the monumental 2019s in elegance, 2021 is a vintage of scarcity and transparency, perfect for collectors who prize the savory, energetic, and terroir-driven soul of Montalcino.

October’s Italian Treasures: Brunello, Barolo, and Beyond

Italy never stops inspiring us. From mountain-grown Nebbiolo to the volcanic slopes of Sicily and the storied hills of Montalcino, each bottle tells a story of land, family, and tradition carried forward with passion. This month’s newsletter brings you everything from the unbeatable value of our new K&L Discovery Series arrivals to the unforgettable personality of Natalino Crognaletti and the reborn legacy of Giovinco. We're also featuring the soulful community of San Polino and a rare lineup of world-class collectibles like Masseto, Valdicava, and Castello di Ama.

San Polino: A Story of People and Nature in Montalcino

The San Polino estate exists as a living community that weaves together vines with forests as well as people and animals with unseen life connections. The terroir at this place represents both harvest seasons and the family bond that connects them to their ancestral land. During the early 1990s Luigi “Gigi” Fabbro and Katia Nussbaum discovered the forgotten 600-year-old olive trees which clung to sunbaked rocky slopes in the abandoned homestead of San Polino. No water. No electricity. But also: no chemicals, no scars, no interruptions. Just pure, untouched nature. And that is exactly what they were looking for.

What’s New for September: Bourbon, Bordeaux, Brunello

September brings another packed lineup of news and offers from K&L: our Top Ten Picks of the month, a tariff update and what it means for our customers, the much-anticipated 2020 Brunello arrivals, a standout Compass Box three-pack, and new Discovery Series arrivals. Here’s everything you’ll want to know this month.

Elegance and Energy from Montalcino’s Hills: Pian dell’Orino Hits Our Shelves

Pian dell’Orino delivers some of the most authentic Sangiovese from Montalcino’s hillside region. Located near the Biondi-Santi estate, the Pian dell’Orino name has become synonymous with outstanding quality. The winery has been able to rise to benchmark Brunello status while working biodynamically and using a Burgundian vineyard management. They represent one of the more forward-looking producers you can find nowadays in Montalcino.

Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello: The Ultimate Guide to Italy’s Wine Vintages

It has been a long time since I first wanted to write a vintage guide for the main categories of wine that Italy offers. As wine professionals, we often place too much emphasis on vintage and risk miscommunicating its importance to customers. While vintage undoubtedly impacts the wine’s final taste, it doesn’t tell the whole story. A good bottle is a good bottle, and how it tastes depends as much on your expectations as on the vintage itself. Moreover, a great producer rarely makes a bad bottle, even in challenging years. In fact, I truly enjoy tasting wines from great producers in less favorable vintages; it’s fascinating to see how they interpret the conditions of the year.

Tuscany’s Wines Provide Endless Charm

Tuscany is a region with endless charm. It combines the beauty of nature with its historical heritage, and it has a deep-rooted connection to viticulture. It has complex hills that brings various micro-climates and a centuries-old winemaking tradition that makes this region one of Italy's most famous. Join us this Saturday, Feb 1st to taste, and join me On the Trail to explore these wines.

Thanksgiving, Italian Style

Italian may not be the traditional route for a Thanksgiving feast, but the food friendliness of these wines will make them an absolute knockout at your table. Whether you're looking for a crisp white, a luxurious red, or something bolder, look no further than K&L’s Italian aisle.

Our Italian Inspiration

Few people are as synonymous with Italian wine as Greg St. Clair, a luminary and veteran of the category, and a standard-bearer for our buying team at K&L. Today, we are taking a moment to congratulate Greg St. Clair on his incredible tenure, wish him the best in retirement, and acknowledge that although he won't be around every day, we look forward to continuing to pop bottles with Greg in the coming years. We will have some exciting news coming in the next few weeks about the new leader for the category, but for now, grazie e congratulazioni, Greg!

Arrivederci to One of the Best in the Biz

Greg St. Clair has been at the heart and soul of our Italian wine program for 28 years. He has excelled at finding us wonderful wines from Italy at great prices, as well as being the greatest ambassador for everything Italy. He’d pour the staff a wine and accompany it with a story about eating nothing but wild boar for a week in Tuscany or climbing a precariously sloped vineyard in Soave, with such vivid details that we it was easy to feel transported to another world—his version of Italy is the best version, the one where your glass is never empty and your stomach always has room for the never-ending parade of mouthwatering food that your dear friends are cooking for you. He is passionate about Italy, and it was hard not to fall in love with it too when he was pouring wine. He embodied the dolce vita and was always there to remind us of the pleasures of the table.

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