It’s an exciting era in Pouilly-Fuissé, as the region finally gets awarded premier cru status for some of its best vineyards. Historic families with excellent holdings like Denis and Maxime Dutron of Château Vitallis are exemplars of the quality coming out of the region.
Read MoreIs “affordable Burgundy” an oxymoron? An urban myth? Not at all! You just have to have the right Virgil to guide you. Enter Alex Pross, our Burgundy buyer, with a newsletter devoted to values in the region. As he says, “With a string of good-to-great vintages dating back to 2014, Burgundy is poised to offer a better, less expensive, and more interesting array of wines than ever before.” Read on for Team Burgundy’s top picks and news from their recent buying trip.
Read MoreOur July 2019 newsletter is chock full of Bordeaux oldies, values, and classics, plus Clyde’s favorite picks.
Read MoreHere’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.”
Read MoreOver the last few years, one of the biggest trends that I have witnessed in Champagne has been the drive toward extra brut by the Champenois. This is because of three main factors: climate change, the French fine dining scene, and a strange perception of diet.
Read MoreThe other day I tucked into a Syrah-dominated bottle of Minervois made by Chateau St-Jacques d’Albas, and was reminded exactly why I love Minervois. The bottle, from the 2015 vintage, was all juicy black fruits with structure and a sexy smokiness at an excellent price. And this is what good Minervois can do: knock your Tuesday night out of the park. I’m always on the hunt for an imminently drinkable companion to everyday life that will be more delicious than precious. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for precious wines, but I love a wine that punches way above its weight class. And Chateau St-Jacques delivers.
Read MoreIn a few days, Cinnamon and I are going to the Loire Valley for the first time, spending the whole trip relaxing in one place: Sancerre. I have been so excited about this trip that I couldn’t wait to get a little taste in advance, and started searching around online for recipes to go with the iconic Sauvignon Blanc from the region. I settled on the salade au crottin de Chavignol as inspiration, and read a number of recipes online. Naturally, I picked the wine first—and went with the 2017 Domaine La Clef du Recit, a recommendation from our Loire Valley buyer Keith Mabry.
Read MoreJust 5 minutes from the beautiful French Riviera’s main drag, tucked between sea and mountains and summer tourists, lies this under-the-radar region that produces great Provençal wines you’ll hardly ever see Stateside. Luckily, we have Keith, who journeys far and wide to bring us such gems. In fact, you can’t find wines from Château de Bellet anywhere in the U.S. besides K&L, so we’re proud to have these special bottles on our shelves.
Read MoreIt takes a lot longer than I would like to get Champagne from France, across the Atlantic and back up the Pacific coast. I think that the Champagnes from Nicolas Maillart have been well worth the wait. Those of you who are in the Champagne Club may have already tried his fantastic Extra Brut, but there is a lot to say about these- our latest addition to our direct import Champagne portfolio.
Read MoreOne of the most exciting wines that I tasted on my last trip to Champagne was from Les Riceys, just three miles from the boarder that separates Champagne from Burgundy. I was with Vivien Lamoureux and his adorable dog, Noughat, in the families 17th century cellar underneath their home. He told me he had an exciting surprise for me and pulled out his first release of his Jean-Jacques Lamoureux Pinot Blanc Champagne. Now it has arrived in California.
Read MoreWe have been importing Champagne Aspasie for 18 years now; it was our first direct import Champagne. Many of you reading this have met the Paul Vincent and Caroline Ariston at our tent event tastings and some of you have even visited them in the picturesque village of Brouillet where they live, grow their vines and make their inimitable Champagne.
Read MoreToday, our staff was treated to a special visit from Mr. Florent Fresse, the export manager for Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The excitement for this visit has been building for weeks, and the seminar that he put on for us did not disappoint. He brought with him two vintages of Mouton, as well as one Petit Mouton, a Chateau d'Armailhac, a Chateau Clerc Milon, and the rare white from Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Aile d'Argent.
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