Celebrating Clyde’s Birthday with Château Palmer

Château Palmer is easily on many wine consumers Top 5 all-time Bordeaux properties list—including mine—and for good reason! It’s technically a Third Growth, but one that ranks with some of the most well-regarded châteaux in the whole region. Recently, on not exactly just a random Monday night—but as Monday nights go this was not bad—I was lucky enough to experience a deep Palmer lineup and an exquisite food pairing menu. The occasion? It happened to be the only day that is a command (March 4th)—and my father, Clyde Beffa’s, birthday.

A Go-To Resource for Wine Collectors of All Stripes

Whether your cellar takes up an entire room or you've got your first few bottles stashed away as you start your collecting journey, K&L will be there for you every step of the way. Our industry-leading Key Accounts and Auction departments are ready to guide you to all the latest, greatest releases and library stunners, so dive head-first into this comprehensive guide to the joys of wine collecting.

When It Comes to Cabernet, Bordeaux Is King

If Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of red wine, and Bordeaux is the king of wine, doesn’t it follow that Bordeaux is the king of Cabernet Sauvignon? Of course, I am prejudiced as I have been collecting Bordeaux since 1971. Yes, I also have some California Cabernets, but 95% of my cellar is red Bordeaux—vintages ranging from 1918 to 2019.

Saying Farewell to Bordeaux Legend Jean-Michel Cazes

Jean-Michel Cazes was a genuine, kind, and sincere individual whose infectious energy took over the room wherever he went. He blazed a trail that many of us dream about and did so with an integrity and quality that is rarely seen. The wine world has lost a titan, and K&L (like many others) has lost a great friend. It will be hard to pick the perfect bottle of Lynch-Bages as the right tribute, as there are so many meaningful vintages that are delicious, engaging, and dynamic. But that in itself speaks volumes to the unforgettable force of Jean-Michel Cazes.

Our Comprehensive Guide to Bordeaux's 2022 Vintage

Today's Newsletter is our long-awaited, comprehensive report on all things Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur. After a whirlwind trip to the region in April, our team returned full of enthusiasm and insight for what can only be described as an unprecedented modern vintage. While the growing season was not without its challenges, numerous properties crafted renditions that will rank with their very best, and while prices are undeniably up from 2021, there are still remarkable values to be had when you know where to look. As with any potentially great vintage, the hype and hyperbole must be put into proper context to help our customers make their very best buying decisions—this year's En Primeur newsletter does just that. Please note - these wines are all being offered on a pre-arrival / futures basis.

News from Bordeaux: Early Thoughts on 2022 and In-Stock Favorites

Freshly back from Bordeaux’s En Primeur tastings, Clyde and his team have assembled a roster of the best and brightest Bordeaux that we currently have in stock. You’ll find notes about the lauded 2022 vintage to chew on while we assemble our in-depth vintage report and wines to keep your thirst slaked while we watch the 2022 campaign. All that and more in today’s newsletter!

The Best Bordeaux Vintages of the 21st Century with Clyde

When I heard that K&L Wine Merchant’s co-founder, Clyde Beffa Jr., was hosting a Bordeaux tasting for his birthday at our San Francisco store, I knew it was a can’t-miss opportunity.

The Fresh and Feisty 2020 Bordeauxs at UGC in San Francisco

On January 27, K&L hosted the Union des Grands Crus of Bordeaux tasting in San Francisco at City View Metreon, whereover 80 châteaux send winemakers, owners, and representatives to pour their current releases and discuss the vintage. We’ve had the honor of being the Bay Area host since the 2005 vintage, and our 15th event brought us the 2020s.

On the Trail, IRL

With France’s borders open again to foreign travelers, we’ve booked the next plane out of Dodge! We’ll be on the trail, in real life, in France starting June 10. Watch this space for news of the (wine) world beyond.

A Tribute to Mark Levin: Wonderful Man, Great Wine Salesman

The 2020 Bordeaux campaign is off and running with the release of Ch. Cheval Blanc from St-Emilion taking the lead. Unable to travel to taste the new vintage for the second year in a row, some estates overnighted their wines for us to taste; so, it’s still exciting. But it’s also bittersweet as, for the first time in 30 years, Mark Levin will not be a part of this campaign, as we lost him to COVID-19 on December 27th.

2018 St-Julien Sneak Peak

K&L's Team Bordeaux has sampled the 2018 vintage in bottle and their first reports are glowing. In today's blog, they've provided their notes on the exceptional wines from St-Julien, one of the standouts of the vintage. Many of these bottles are available on pre-arrival.

Bordeaux New Arrivals

K&L's Bordeaux Guru Clyde Beffa introduces us to a bunch of new-old wines on our shelves (some are new-new, as in young). You don't have to be a longtime collector or invest a lot of money to try mature Bordeaux! Check out why it's one of the longest-lived, most complex wines in the world.

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