On this, the eve of the most American of holidays, Shelby ponders the most American of grapes: Zinfandel!
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The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nick would fill them with booze.
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Greg St. Clair isn’t called the “Mayor of Montalcino” for nothing! He’s been specializing in this Italian wine region since 1982, and he’s declaring the 2015 vintage to be an exceptional one. Make room in your cellars, folks!
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If you’ve been following our social media, you might have noticed that one of our favorite women winemakers from France was out last week visiting California. Françoise Antech, the sixth-generation winemaker from her eponymous estate, was on a quick tour of California and managed to stop in all of our stores, holding three staff tastings and two public tastings. Her incredible energy and enthusiasm was absolutely infectious, and her knowledge and stories were a highlight of the week.
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It is hard to believe that it has already been thirty years for Fleury making biodynamic Champagne. These wines were our first organic Champagnes at K&L, and we have been importing them directly for almost as long as I have been working for the company. As I always say to customers considering their Champagne, we don’t work with them just because they are organic; we work with them because they make great wine. To celebrate thirty years of biodynamie, they have released a special wine, the Fleury Cuvee 30 Ans, and it is one of the most profound and complex Champagnes they have ever released.
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Yesterday, I got the call from my oldest friend, Henry Hiatt, who manages the Fish Market restaurant in San Jose. His one allocation of fresh King Crab, aired in from Alaska, had arrived. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to enjoy this rare delicacy for several years running thanks to Henry, and after experimenting with Chablis, Puligny, Chassagne, and all manner of white Burgundy and Champagne, we have settled on a pairing that we think works best.
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Hot off the presses, our current newsletter, where French Regional Buyer Keith Mabry takes us on a Tour de France, covering some of the hottest Rhône, Loire, and Rousillon wines on our roster. Vintages have been good, and our producers are knocking it out of the park.
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We are always happy to have a visit from our owner Clyde down in LA, and on Friday, Oct. 18th, we had the added bonus of a Clyde-hosted tasting–the first one ever in Hollywood! He poured a suite of Bordeaux wines from the 90s (which, to Clyde, includes 2000 but not 1990).
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Greg recently returned from a trip to Italy and he brought back some great finds that will be coming into the store over the next few weeks. First to arrive is De’Ricci, a new direct import from Montepulciano. This is an exciting new producer - not only for us, but for the region as a whole. With an interesting past, as well as a promising future, this winery offers some really fun and delicious wines.
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We at K&L are pretty jazzed about our Direct Import Champagnes, which undeniably deliver the finest bubbles-to-price ratio we’ve ever seen. In this week’s newsletter, we’re thrilled to introduce a few new producers to our shelves and to celebrate some of the tried-and-true who have offered consistent quality and value for years. They’ll get you in the mood for our annual tent event this weekend! Let the Champagne jubilee begin!
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Quartz Reef has always had a cult following at K&L. Which is why I jumped at the chance to meet up with Rudi Bauer, founder and winemaker behind Quartz Reef this August. Rudi first moved to New Zealand from his native Austria in 1985 and after stints at Mission Vineyards, Giesen and Rippon, quickly became known as one of the pioneers of Central Otago, and one of the first adherents of Biodynamic farming in New Zealand. He founded Quartz Reef in 1998 and today, he’s considered a legend in the Central Otago winemaking scene.
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Here’s the much-anticipated report from Clyde and his crew after their spring trip to Bordeaux. Clyde’s verdict? “The wines from 2018 are, for the most part, quite good— especially the red wines.”
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