A Tribute to Clyde Beffa

I can safely assume that I speak for everyone at K&L when I say that there’s no proper tribute to encapsulate the magnitude of Clyde’s impact on K&L. Notwithstanding the fact that there would be no K&L without Clyde, there’d also be a much different company. The warmth and friendship that Clyde has brought echoes throughout. He practices what he preaches: we get to sell really cool, rare, aged, allocated, and special wines—but, thanks to Clyde, we’ve gotten to taste those too. Never has there been an event where Clyde is present without some exciting bottle he’d dug up from the cellar. He’s showed us the joy of collecting wine: it’s saving a bottle for the perfect moment, and then sharing it with people who will enjoy it too. In doing so, he brought us together, off of the sales floor and around a table over good food, good drink, good company. That is Clyde’s presence in a nutshell.

Introducing Our New Bordeaux Buyer: Ryan Moses

It’s a bit of a fool’s errand to try to follow in Clyde’s footsteps. But my years working with him have inspired me to realize that the biggest challenges are often the most worthwhile. I’ve also been fortunate to learn from Clyde how to run a rewarding and compelling Bordeaux program, and my main goal is to continue that legacy, ensuring that the remarkable depth and selection at K&L remain fundamental to our organization’s future.

Big News from a Beacon in the Bordeaux Biz

I don't know where to start, but I will be brief here as I am sure there are a lot of great Bordeaux wines to get to in this newsletter. As some of you already know, I have retired from K&L after starting it with my partner Todd on December 31, 1976!

Clyde’s Advice on Wine Collecting

K&L’s co-founder/co-owner Clyde Beffa Jr. shares his tips for building your collection bottle by bottle.

Sauternes for Your Sweetie This Valentine's Day

What wine is more romantic than a delicious Sauternes? Bordeaux’s infamous dessert wine is versatile enough to accompany so many different activities and foods. They are good as an apéritif when they have fine acidity and not too much sweetness. Of course, with foie gras, they are perfect, as are they with a fruit dessert or custard or flan. Just no chocolate please—save that for after Sauternes with your Port. Here are a few suggestions that are in stock and a few superb pre-arrival offerings (you’ll be ahead of the game for next year).

Perfectly Aged Bordeaux Favorites Ready to Drink

One of the beautiful things about Bordeaux is its ability to change and evolve over quite a long bit of time. Collectors love it for its ageability—but we believe you don't have to have a deep cellar in order to appreciate the joys of aged Bordeaux. Our many connections in the region help us to source bottles with excellent provenance (meaning they've been perfectly aged) at excellent prices. Check out Bordeaux Buyer Clyde Beffa's roundup of aged in-stock beauties, ready to drink!

Holiday Buying Guide: Bordeaux for Ballers and Budgets

Clyde Beffa Jr. is a legend around these parts. Co-owner, co-founder, K&L visionary, and Bordeaux cheerleader. He and childhood friend Todd Zucker started K&L 48 years ago, and today we’re all living the K&L dream because of him. He’s been traveling to Bordeaux every year for 40+ years, and he knows everyone! He hosts numerous events to bring the winemakers to us in California. Clyde’s ethos is that Bordeaux can be an everyday wine; you just have to know where to look. He finds perfectly aged bottles from vintages overlooked by critics, and we get to reap the rewards—by which I mean drinking great aged Bordeaux at affordable prices.

Holiday Buying Guide: Léoville-Barton, Bordeaux Château of 2023

I love the wines from Léoville-Barton.They are a true delight to drink, and they offer fabulous values in today’s high-priced Bordeaux market. Very much Cabernet Sauvignon–based, Léoville-Barton makes full-flavored, old-school Bordeaux wines that are very fairly priced. We have many vintages in stock (back to 1995) and offer a fine selection of Bartons.

Bordeaux Exactly As Intended

Last week, I had the pleasure of tasting the wines of Poesia (Argentina), Barde-Haut and Clos l'Eglise (St-Émilion and Pomerol) with Bordelais winemaker Hélene Garcin-Lévêque at our San Francisco location. Afterward, I joined her, Clyde, and K&L staff members for a Bordeaux-focused dinner on the patio of Mathilde French Bistro, which is walking distance from the store. Great little place! And I will say, the 2015 Poesia pairs beautifully with steak-frites.

En Primeur: Memory Lane

As we wrap up the end of this year’s En Primeur week, we’ve got a look back at years past. These are photos from Clyde’s archives, with his captions below each. Enjoy!

2004 Vieux Robin Is in Its Sweet Spot

Last Friday, Bordeaux guru/Big Cheese Clyde Beffa and I hosted an Instagram Live tasting of nine value bottles, each under $50 and some well under $50. One of my favorites from the IG tasting was such a bottle: the 2004 Vieux Robin, Médoc $29.99. It was just hitting that perfect sweet spot for older Bordeaux: where it’s still fresh and alive, but all the hard edges have mellowed into tune. Last Friday (and even open after a few days), it was absolutely delicious.

Malescot-St-Exupéry in Redwood City

Last week in the James Barr Tasting Room at K&L in Redwood City, the staff was honored with a visit from Bordeaux, France, from Léa Zuger, fourth-generation owner of one of the top wineries in the Margaux region, Malescot-St-Exupéry. Between the riches of the cellars of Château Malescot and the vast stores of knowledge of K&L owner Clyde Beffa, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The staff tasted ten different vintages of the 3eme Grand Cru Classé château ranging from 2000 to 2019.

K&L Wine Merchants

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