I’ve worked in the wine trade for over 45 years and have tasted well over 100,000 wines. But last year I drove to the train station, took the hour ride into San Francisco, and grabbed an Uber to our store, and then back home—all to taste just two wines. That’s a lot of travel and a long day, but Mr. Lorenzo Pasquini was in San Francisco, and for the chance to taste the young wines of Château d'Yquem with its director, I would have walked!
Read MoreChâteau 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.
Read MoreWhat 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).
Read MoreClyde 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.
Read MoreToday'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.
Read MoreI missed the introduction to Lorenzo Pasquini before he began guiding the Château d’Yquem staff tasting last week at our San Francisco store. When I nosed the first pour, I didn’t know what he did for the winery. All I knew was that the wines and his passion and charisma shone brilliantly, which inspired me to ask if he would sit down for an impromptu video tasting.
Read MoreI have a dear friend Julie who hails from Bordeaux and is an excellent cook. She loves the challenge of matching her food to whatever wine I pick out for our dinners together. So, when I told her I’d picked up the 2017 Haut Charmes from Sauternes and the 2010 Lestage from Listrac-Médoc on the Left Bank, she said we’d have to have a traditional Bordeaux dinner like she did with her family growing up. She tout suite dispatched an order to D’Artagnan, her favorite purveyor of meats and other French products. Foie gras and duck were on the menu, and we timed the event for Easter weekend.
Read MoreThis weekend, K&L Hollywood got together for our annual holiday party. And, if anyone has any doubts, let me assure you that K&L knows how to throw a party. But the highlight for me was the penultimate course: a cheese and Sauternes pairing. Sauternes tastes like springtime sunshine when it is young, and like summer afternoons on a hammock when it is aged. It is pure daylight, and it is amazing—and way under appreciated in America. If you pair it with the right foods—especially the right cheeses—the heavens open up and shine down upon you.
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