Château Vitallis is in the town of Solutré surrounded by Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards in southern Burgundy’s Mâcon region. They can trace their origins back to 1835 when the Dutron family took over the domaine. The same family is still at the helm, with Denis Dutron in the driver’s seat and his son Maxime managing the winemaking responsibilities. They have an envious selection of vineyard holdings scattered across appellations focusing mainly on Pouilly-Fuissé.
Read MoreMany of the lesser-known appellations in Burgundy have been making huge improvements in quality over the last 10+ years, and I’ve been travelling to these regions each year to find the hidden gems. Let’s take a deeper look at the Mâcon, Beaujolais, and the Côte Chalonnaise. These are all regions that are absolutely bursting with amazing values.
Read MoreWines from Chablis are currently seeing a surge in popularity. The problem with that is, like much of Burgundy, Chablis has seen a decrease in production thanks to hot vintages and then a disastrously cold, wet, and fraught vintage in 2021. We are always searching for new producers to import directly, but they have to pass our high standards at K&L to make the cut for our shelves. Fortunately for all of us Chablis lovers, Robert Goulley aced the exam.
Read MoreThe Mâcon is just a quick 90-minute drive south from the town of Beaune, which essentially functions as the mid-point of Burgundy and divides the Côte de Nuits (north) from the Côte de Beaune (south). Once you arrive in the Mâcon you are greeted with rolling hillsides, quaint small villages, and a farmer-driven culture of winemaking. The Mâcon is home to approachable, ready-to-drink, and affordable wine values, which makes it incredibly important—and rare—in the Burgundian ecosystem. Domaine Renaud has been fashioning some of the best values to be found in Mâcon from an array of vineyards scattered throughout the many appellations located within the Mâconnais.
Read MoreI have long believed that the Santa Cruz Mountains are a truly special place to grow grapes. This rugged coastal range forced up by the collision of two tectonic plates has an incredible bounty of complex soils. It’s a geological kaleidoscope of ancient uplifted seabed, volcanic deposits, and metamorphic rock bent and twisted by the immense pressures below. All of this is churned up by the San Andreas fault and weathered down by several millennia of coastal storms.
Read MoreTo someone outside of California, saying “North of the San Francisco Bay” would indicate a large territory, including the lumping of Sonoma and Napa Counties together. Being just a quick 30-minute drive apart from each other means that many out-of-town visitors make plans to hit both areas in one go, especially for wine tasting expeditions. Yet, separated by the Mayacamas Mountain Range, these two wine-driven counties are, surprisingly, incredibly different from one another—in personality, in terroir, and ultimately in the wines that they produce. A few weeks ago, the Key Accounts team had an opportunity to spend a day in Sonoma and surrounding areas, and a day in Napa, side by side.
Read MoreEarlier this week, the K&L Champagne team kicked off our annual staff summit with a dinner hosted by Billecart-Salmon. It has become a welcome tradition to start off our yearly survey of all the grande marque producers with a sushi dinner at my place featuring the wines of this great house. Christian Esser, who just returned from a visit to Billecart, and Eric Lecours presented the wines and treated Scott Beckerley, Michael Benoit, Philip Roufail, Will Langhi, Cinnamon and me to a great spread from Kanpai sushi in Palo Alto.
Read MoreWell over a decade ago, we were introduced to an outlier producer in Limoux called Domaine Bégude whose focus was on pure varietal still wines, all farmed organically. Vigneron James Kinglake was and his wife Catherine established this small estate in 2003 when they fled London’s financial industry and decided to take on the “low-key” world of winemaking in the south of France. Of course, the dream never starts easily, but, now on their 20th vintage, they have grown the winery, received organic certification, raised a daughter, and created one of our favorite brands from the south of France!
Read MoreDuring our lovely vacation in Chablis, Cinnamon and I visited Seguinot-Bordet to meet Jean-François Bordet, see his facility, and taste his wines. He is located in Maligny, a picturesque 10-minute drive north of the town of Chablis. Along the way you cross the river Serein to la rive droit and pass in front of Les Clos, Grenouilles, and Bougros Grand Crus and the Premier Cru of Fourchaume—a gorgeous ride!
Read MoreJust a few short weeks ago the K&L Redwood City sales team went on the trip of a lifetime. We traveled to the vineyards gently climbing the coastal mountain range that separates Salinas Valley from the coasts of Big Sur.
Read MoreIt is hard to come back from Chablis. After a week vacationing in this paradise-like northern corner of Burgundy, I think I have fallen in love for ever. Cinnamon and I had a great time there cooking with the local ingredients, dining at wonderful local restaurants, hiking in the vineyards, and of course, visiting a few producers. One of the catalysts for this trip was a bottle of 2014 Domaine Gérard Tremblay Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir that we drank on Christmas eve from the case that we bought several years ago. Paired with our local Dungeness crab, it beguiled us, and the empty ended up going on our wall of fame.
Read MoreOur Domestic Buyer Ryan Woodhouse shines a spotlight on the Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County’s rising superstar wine region. This cool climate zone produces some of the most exciting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the state, and our pages are packed with some of Ryan’s favorites. He also includes a focus on an Oregon Riesling producer who knocked his socks off and a roundup of under $20 bottles that overdeliver.
Read More
