As my colleague Ralph Sands says, right now, this is a vintage with good wines. Whether or not it is a great vintage is still very much up in the air, and tastings will continue to prove it out either way in the coming days. In our first main day of tasting, we visit St-Estephe, the powerhouses of Pauillac, and start into St-Julien.
Read MoreThis year, we started our visits with the infamous Bill Blatch, a fount of knowledge who tasted us on Sauternes, but is as well-versed in Bordeaux as anybody you’d meet. When asked about the vintage for sweet wines, his answer was very refreshing and grounding. Instead of reaching for superlatives and quotables, he produced a series of charts that showed the weather conditions in the region for every single day. We asked for conclusions. Instead, he gave us information, paired it perfectly with the wines, and set us down our own paths.
Read MoreLast Friday, Bordeaux guru/Big Cheese Clyde Beffa and I hosted an Instagram Live tasting of nine value bottles, each under $50 and some well under $50. One of my favorites from the IG tasting was such a bottle: the 2004 Vieux Robin, Médoc $29.99. It was just hitting that perfect sweet spot for older Bordeaux: where it’s still fresh and alive, but all the hard edges have mellowed into tune. Last Friday (and even open after a few days), it was absolutely delicious.
Read MoreThe 2022 Bordeaux vintage has finally arrived, and the wine world is buzzing with anticipation. This is why we travel to En Primeur - to separate the hype from reality. We’ll report in over the coming weeks and see just how much this is a vintage that will reward the premium prices we expect to see.
Read MoreToday's Newsletter looks at one of the world's most revered and traditional wine regions through a fresh new lens. In recent years, the Burgundy category has seemingly charged out of reach of anyone but the most affluent collectors, but nothing could be further from the truth. New investment in winemaking and viticulture across the board have many of the region's lesser-known appellations and domaines turning out their best results ever, and K&L buyer Alex Pross is ready to give you the full rundown of some of our surefire winners off the beaten Burgundy path.
Read MoreChampagne Billecart-Salmon is on fire with great releases this year. All the wine lovers reading this article know them as one of the true greats in the world of Grande Marque Champagne, but this year Mathieu Roland-Billecart and his chef de cave Florent Nys have taken this house to another level. Last month, we had the release of the mind blowing 2010 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne, and now, the incredibly long-aged 2008 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvee Nicolas François Billecart" NFB Brut Champagne is finally out. I had a chance to taste a pre-release bottle of this with Clément Calleja from Billecart at the beginning of the month, and what a wine it is…
Read MoreDuring our lovely vacation in Chablis, Cinnamon and I visited Seguinot-Bordet to meet Jean-François Bordet, see his facility, and taste his wines. He is located in Maligny, a picturesque 10-minute drive north of the town of Chablis. Along the way you cross the river Serein to la rive droit and pass in front of Les Clos, Grenouilles, and Bougros Grand Crus and the Premier Cru of Fourchaume—a gorgeous ride!
Read MoreIt is hard to come back from Chablis. After a week vacationing in this paradise-like northern corner of Burgundy, I think I have fallen in love for ever. Cinnamon and I had a great time there cooking with the local ingredients, dining at wonderful local restaurants, hiking in the vineyards, and of course, visiting a few producers. One of the catalysts for this trip was a bottle of 2014 Domaine Gérard Tremblay Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir that we drank on Christmas eve from the case that we bought several years ago. Paired with our local Dungeness crab, it beguiled us, and the empty ended up going on our wall of fame.
Read MoreWhen I heard that K&L Wine Merchant’s co-founder, Clyde Beffa Jr., was hosting a Bordeaux tasting for his birthday at our San Francisco store, I knew it was a can’t-miss opportunity.
Read MoreIt is only rarely in my career that I have encountered a Champagne as entrancing as the just-released 2010 Billecart-Salmon Rosé.
Read MoreRedwood City staffer Lilia McIntosh is a masterful home cook. She has whipped up a pairing that looks simply mouthwatering: a Premier Cru Burgundy from direct import producer Jean-Michel Giboulot and a elegant green-peppercorn duck. She originally made this last Christmas, but it would be perfect on an Easter or Passover table.
Read MoreLast week in the James Barr Tasting Room at K&L in Redwood City, the staff was honored with a visit from Bordeaux, France, from Léa Zuger, fourth-generation owner of one of the top wineries in the Margaux region, Malescot-St-Exupéry. Between the riches of the cellars of Château Malescot and the vast stores of knowledge of K&L owner Clyde Beffa, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The staff tasted ten different vintages of the 3eme Grand Cru Classé château ranging from 2000 to 2019.
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