The 2025 Vintage in Champagne Benefits from the Gift of Experience
K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby just returned from two weeks tasting the 2025 harvest in Champagne. The verdict? Surprisingly fresh—despite temperatures hitting 107°F. Find out which villages performed best, why Blanc de Blancs will be scarce, and what to buy now while it's available.
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The Champagne Train: A Buyer's Guide to the Gare de l'Est to Épernay Ride
Gary Westby traces the 90-minute ride from Gare de l'Est to Épernay — the vineyards, the villages, and the growers worth knowing out the window. Plus three bottles from Dérot-Delugny, one of the Marne Valley's best-kept secrets, starting at $39.99.
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Olivier Krug Visits K&L: What We Learned from Six Generations of Champagne's Greatest House
Olivier Krug—sixth generation, Director of Maison Krug—visited our Culver City store for a masterclass on the world's most meticulous Champagne. We tasted the 173rd Edition Grande Cuvée and the 28th Edition Rosé. Notes were taken. Opinions were formed.
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Billecart-Salmon's 2018 250th Anniversary Cuvée: Two Centuries of Champagne, One Bottle
A Champagne Made for America — and Only Available Here
The Billecart-Salmon 2018 250th Anniversary Cuvée celebrates 200 years of the house and 250 years of American independence. It's U.S.-exclusive, built from Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit, and one of the most precisely balanced wines we've tasted from the record-hot 2018 vintage. Power and acidity in equal measure.
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Our Buyers' Mother's Day Picks 2026: Champagne, Barolo, Rosé & Spirits
Every year our buyers put together their honest picks for Mother's Day—not the obvious stuff, but the bottles they'd actually bring to their own mothers. This year that means Grand Cru Champagne from Avize, modern Barolo from one of Piedmont's most important winemakers, six Provence rosés all under $34, and three spirits that will make her cocktail hour considerably better. Plus two events worth getting off the couch for, and a couple of gift options that keep delivering long after Sunday.
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Maison 76: K&L's Own Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from Avize
After 25 years of sourcing Champagne for K&L, Gary Westby finally made one of his own. Maison 76 is a Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs from Avize, made in collaboration with Olivier Bonville — 60% reserve wines, three years on the lees, dosed at just 5.8 grams per liter, and priced under $50. Gary calls it one of the greatest brut sans année offerings K&L has ever carried. The first case off the truck went straight to his house.
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Champagne for Mom: Franck Bonville's Grand Cru Avize Is a Sure Thing
If you want a Champagne that never misses—for mom, for the table, for any occasion worth celebrating—Franck Bonville from the Grand Cru village of Avize is the answer. Gary picks three bottles for every kind of mother, from $53.99 to a once-in-a-while splurge that will genuinely stop her in her tracks.
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Give Mom Champagne All Year Long
The gift that keeps arriving. Our Champagne Club delivers two bottles every other month — each from a different corner of France's most beloved region. Starting at $69.95 a shipment, with member discounts on every bottle. Cancel anytime. Give mom something she'll actually look forward to.
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A Rare Night of France’s Iconic Wines at Frances with K&L
Join us on Tuesday, March 24th, to dine with four of France’s great wine families at a rare, one‑night‑only dinner at Frances in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. We’ll taste exquisite Burgundy, Chablis, and Champagne alongside the benchmark wines of Alsace, guided by the people who steward these estates. This very special gathering offers a singular chance to explore the breadth of French wine at the highest level, in the company of those who know it best.
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Discover the Latest Champagne Treasures
February is all about Champagne at its most thrilling. From the laser-focused precision of Damien Hugot to the beautifully mature old-vine depth of Fallet-Dart, this month’s selections celebrate grower brilliance and grand marque mastery alike. We spotlight collectible bottlings of Cristal, revel in Pinot Noir–driven power, and savor the final allocations of Krug Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition. Plus, we honor the enduring elegance and innovation of Laurent-Perrier. Whether you’re cellaring icons or discovering new grower stars, there’s never been a better time to explore Champagne’s latest treasures.
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A Long Legacy of Perfection from Laurent-Perrier
For as long as I have worked at K&L—20+ years—Laurent-Perrier has been a favorite Champagne of both our customers and our staff. Six years ago, I had the opportunity to go into the deep cellars of Laurent-Perrier to see the oldest blends of the Grand Siecle, including the first bottling, released in 1959. It was composed of juice from the vintages 1952, 1953, and 1955. It also contained juice from 11 of the 17 Grand Cru villages in Champagne and sat for 10 years on the lees. This formula carries through to this day.
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Savor the Last of Krug's "Grande Cuvée" 172ème Édition
While some may disagree with me, I think that the Grande Cuvée isn’t just the equal of the other offerings at Krug; I think it is their best wine. The thing that I like the best about it is the combination of youthful exuberance and profound, aged depth that it shows at the same time. This is something that just gets better with age. Every time that I have done an event with Krug, it has been the oldest Grande Cuvée that has been my favorite wine, and I have been lucky enough to do a lot as a Krug Ambassade.
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