A Winter Wonderland of Wine from the U.S.

Today's Domestic Newsletter must be one of the broadest and most comprehensive editions we’ve written to date. Domestic Buyer Ryan Woodhouse starts off with the highly anticipated 2019 vintage in the Napa Valley then moves his focus to the exceptional, world-class wines coming out of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Next, SoCal Domestic Buyer Kaj Stromer gives us a look back at some of the brightest spots to come out of 2021 by recapping the best Domestic deals. Unprecedented times produced unprecedented deals. Continuing on the theme of wines that overdeliver, Kaj highlights his favorite bottles for under $25. Finally, Kaj looks at what K&L staffers are drinking during these long winter months. Read on and enjoy!

Meet the Staff Series: Kaj Stromer Edition

Next up in our Meet the Staff series is Kaj Stromer, the Southern California half of the Domestic Buy Team Powerhouse Duo. His story involves following your dreams and taking big leaps, the stuff of all great modern tales. His love for Burgundy runs deep, and he’s on a never-ending mission to uncover what’s cool, unique, and utterly delicious about wine from the U.S.

Wine Chat with Team Domestic

K&L’s Domestic Buyers met up virtually for a fun chat on their latest favorites from the U.S. of A. Join us on Instagram for weekly live sessions with Buyers, winemakers, distillers, and more @klwines.

From Amador to Zinfandel: A Mammoth Domestic Wine Newsletter

From busting myths to discovering cool new wineries, K&L’s Domestic Team has been busy finding the greatest wines from the U.S. of A. to bring to our customers. This week’s mammoth 12-page newsletter has the fruits of their labor. Whatever your fancy, allow Ryan Woodhouse and Kaj Stromer to be your guides, as they champion the depth and breadth of wines from our home turf.

XXL West Coast Wines

As the temperatures rise across California, our Domestic Buyers have been grabbing their jackets and hitting the coolest spots up and down the coast. What they’ve found are some of the most exciting wines and winemakers in the entire US, and you'll find their stories in this month's newsletter. And there are plenty of stories to tell—so much so that this is the biggest newsletter of the year (so far!).

Ridge Vineyards: History in a Bottle with a Beautiful Future

To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris, we’d like to pay tribute to one of our very favorite California wineries, one whose 1971 Monte Bello came in fifth place in 1976, and whose 1971 Monte Bello came in first place 30 years later at the rematch—Ridge Vineyards. Our Domestic Buyer, Kaj Stromer, recently attended a Zoom tasting of Ridge’s spring releases, and he left thoroughly impressed. Click for his recap.

National Chardonnay Day the Oregon Way

We’re here today, on National Chardonnay Day, to celebrate this iconic, global grape, and specifically to celebrate what’s happening with it in Oregon. Pinot Noir definitely put Oregon wine on the map, but Chardonnay is no doubt becoming a major contender, and, if the bottles we have on our shelves are any indicator, the future looks incredibly bright for Oregon Chard.

Wonderful West Coast Wines in Our Domestic Newsletter

As we look to the state of Domestic wines for today’s newsletter, grace is the word on the tips of our tongues. From the vibrant, focused Cabernets coming out of Napa’s excellent 2018 vintage to the seductively aromatic Pinots from Oregon’s Arterberry Maresh, these pages showcase wines that achieve a seamless blend of elegance and self-possession that can only be encapsulated by the word grace. Take a stroll through the wine country of our own backyard and see what these amazing folks have been up to!

Wine Enthusiast 2020 Winemaker of the Year: Greg Brewer

Greg Brewer has been making gorgeous wines in the Sta. Rita Hills since 1996, first with his eponymous winery Brewer-Clifton, opened with Steve Clifton, then at Melville and Diatom wineries. Though the style is different at each winery, the message is the same: Sta. Rita Hills is world-class terroir, and it’s here to stay. If you want to understand Pinot and Chardonnay from the Sta. Rita Hills, Brewer’s wines should be where you start.

The Golden Age of West Coast Wines

There’s no doubt that the wines coming out of California, Oregon, and Washington State these days are better than ever. With an influx of new talent and well-honed skills from the veterans, the wines are not just a departure from the “go big or go home” model, they are in fact some of the most pure expressions of the specific and varied terroir that the West Coast has to offer.

K&L Wine Merchants

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