While 2022 had more predictable yields, 2023 saw a harvest around 30% higher than normal, forcing winemakers to be selective both in the vineyard and on the sorting table. If there is a key word repeated to describe the 2023 vintage, it is abundant.
Read MoreThis week’s newsletter covers the full spectrum of what’s exciting right now, including a once-in-a-century Chablis collaboration celebrating La Chablisienne’s 100th anniversary and a deep look at the expressive, mineral-driven 2024 white Burgundy vintage. You’ll find standout values from Chablis and Pouilly-Fuissé, a focused selection of collectible benchmarks for the cellar, and details on our all-store White Burgundy tasting this Saturday, where we’ll preview the 2024 vintage side by side with a mature counterpoint. Whether you’re buying for tonight, the next decade, or tasting to learn, this edition is built to guide you through Burgundy’s most compelling releases right now.
Read MoreSometimes it’s simply kismet. Our latest private-label release is a collaboration with the famed Chablis producer La Chablisienne. K&L has worked closely with La Chablisienne for many years, and when the opportunity arose to create a private label together, we jumped at the chance. Adding to the magic is the timing: the 2023 vintage commemorates La Chablisienne’s 100th anniversary, while its release in 2026 coincides with K&L Wine Merchants’ 50th anniversary.
Read MoreThe end of the year is often when some of the best bottles get opened, and January is when the cellar shows the impact. This selection of old and rare wines and spirits is designed to restock cellars with bottles chosen for how they age, not just how they impress on release, including mature classics, proven benchmarks, and younger wines with decades ahead of them. You will find fully mature icons alongside bottles selected for long-term aging. For collectors looking beyond current inventory, our wine auctions and spirits auctions remain two of the strongest sources for rare, older bottles and singular releases that rarely reappear once they are gone.
Read MoreWe just had another fantastic tasting from Alex Pross, and I really loved the heck out of it. It was all reds from Burgundy, which typically means all Pinot Noir, and this was no exception. I have written before about how much I enjoy tasting a lot of something all at once, and this lineup showcased to me the beauty of this format. We tasted 22 wines, and all of them were unique with their own personalities. Sure, they were all Pinot Noir, but like all truly elegant and luxurious things it's the nuance that makes all the difference. The regional similarities were ultimately trumped by each wine’s more individual qualities.
Read MoreWe see it constantly: customers interested in Burgundy but intimidated by the complexity and nuance and overall high barrier to entry. Even those comfortable discussing a few favorite bottles may struggle to navigate an unfamiliar shop or wine list. While nuanced producer knowledge represents the pinnacle of Burgundy expertise, nearly 2,000 years of terroir knowledge is why the region is both revered and yet so complicated. Soil, slope, aspect, and weather are critical for finicky Pinot Noir and ripening-sensitive Chardonnay. Luckily, understanding a few top villages can immediately bring clarity, making it possible to move from overwhelmed to confident.
Read MoreThirty years ago when I first started out in the wine business, I honestly was not a big fan of Bourgogne Rouge. They were clipped, hard-edged, and lacking that beautiful fruit we associate with Red Burgundy. Today, however, everything has changed! The new generation of Bourgogne Rouges are flat-out delicious and often represent not only the best value to be had in Red Burgundy but also serve as a great introduction to the house style of their producers. The recent batch of landings all from either the 2022 or 2023 vintage—both of which were solar—are fresh, bright, lively, balanced, and packed with gorgeous fruit flavors.
Read MoreSixteen wines go into our WineEmotion machines each month—half at the start, half midway through—and with a simple tasting card activated at the register, you can try them by the ounce. Sometimes it’s a perfect weeknight red, sometimes it’s a bottle so rare and storied you’d never dream of opening it on your own. Either way, the idea is simple: to share the kinds of discoveries we’re fortunate enough to make here every day.
Read MoreWe’re thrilled to introduce Agnes Gleizes, a new K&L Exclusive Chablis label and a seven-generation family domaine with enviable holdings across top Grand Cru and 1er Cru vineyard sites. Domaine Gautheron, a top Chablis producer and a K&L fan favorite, is behind the Agnes Gleizes label. In fact, you’ll find the exact same juice in the Agnes Gleizes wines as in Domaine Gautheron’s. Thanks to our great relationship with Domaine Gautheron, we’ve been able to secure our own exclusive label! Not only are these wines fantastic but they are easily the best value we currently have in Chablis.
Read MoreOpen Cellar is ready for a mid-month refresh, so here’s a little sneak peek of some crowd favorites, some up-and-coming greats, and one legendary wine from an all-time-great vintage—each ready to be discovered one ounce (or two) at a time. Consider this your invitation to stop by to explore the greats or discover a new favorite before the lineup changes.
Read MoreK&L Buyer Alex Pross maps the White Burgundy landscape, highlighting his current obsessions. Inside: a Chablis discovery (Seguinot Bordet), Sauzet’s benchmarks, Samuel Billaud’s standout 2023s, a blue-chip in-stock roundup, and our upcoming White Burgundy tasting—a rare opportunity to taste some of the region’s top crus, producers, and vintages side by side! Use this guide to target what to drink now, what to cellar, and where to focus.
Read MoreDomaine Etienne Sauzet is easily among the top three to four estates in Puligny-Montrachet. They fashion wines of amazing grace, purity, and richness with that alluring and distinctive feel great Puligny-Montrachets achieve. Farmed organically since 2006 and biodynamically since 2010 with a certification in 2013, Sauzet’s wines are spectacular and can be enjoyed in their youth or cellared so they develop even more complexity and depth.
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