Spain & Portugal: World-Class Wine at Every Price Point
Rachael Ryan has traveled to both Spain and Portugal in 2026 — and she's come back convinced the Iberian Peninsula is producing better wine than ever. This month's selections span López de Heredia Viña Tondonia releases stretching back to 1961, the introduction of Dominio de Atauta as K&L's newest direct import partner, and a deep run through Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Albariño, Cava, and the Douro Valley. World-class quality, many at prices that would be unthinkable from Bordeaux or Burgundy.
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Introducing Dominio de Atauta: Our Newest Spanish Direct Import
Rachael Ryan has been hunting for the right Spanish direct import partner for years. She found it in Dominio de Atauta — a Ribera del Duero producer working with pre-Phylloxera vines averaging 85 years old, some exceeding 120, at elevations that give the wines a freshness and elegance the region isn't always known for. Four bottles, from $19.99 to $44.99, all worth your attention.
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The Case for Collecting Spanish Wine: World-Class Quality at a Fraction of the Price
While Bordeaux and Burgundy push collectors further out of reach every vintage, Spain quietly offers some of the world's most age-worthy wines at prices that shouldn't be possible. Rachael Ryan makes the case — and backs it up with bottles from López de Heredia, Vega Sicilia, Muga, CVNE, Clos Mogador, La Rioja Alta, and Telmo Rodríguez, ranging from $59.99 to a once-in-a-lifetime 1961 Gran Reserva.
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The Douro Valley Beyond Port
Rachael Ryan just returned from Portugal, and her verdict is unambiguous: Douro red wines have never been better. A region once defined almost entirely by Port has transformed over the past decade into one of Europe's most exciting sources of unfortified red wine — fresh, structured, and priced at a fraction of comparable bottles from France or Spain. Six bottles from $16.99 to $79.99.
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The K&L Champagne Report: June 2026
K&L Champagne Report — June 2026
Gary Westby just returned from Champagne. Olivier Krug visited our Culver City store. Billecart-Salmon made a bottle exclusively for America. And we found growers worth knowing from $39.99. Everything in one place.
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Fallet-Dart: A Grower Making Champagne Since 1610
Growers Since 1610. Three New Bottles Worth Finding.
The Fallet family has been farming Charly-sur-Marne since 1610. Scott Beckerley reviews their three newest releases — including a Pur Meunier that makes the case for why this grape deserves your attention.
[Read the full review →]
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A Spirits Guy's Guide to Champagne: 3 Bottles Worth Knowing Now
4 Champagnes That Surprised Our Culver City Spirits Guy
Jonathan Parnell spends most of his time in whisky. But after learning from K&L's Champagne buyers, he has opinions—and three bottles to back them up. From a our $44.99 house Champagne to a Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs that held its own against Cristal.
[Read his picks →]
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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.
[Read the full report →]
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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.
[Read the full guide →]
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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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2025 Bordeaux: Frequently Asked Questions
The 2025 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign has generated more questions than any vintage in recent memory—about quality, pricing, tariffs, and whether to buy now or wait. Here are the answers to the questions we're hearing most from collectors, with links to the full analysis where relevant.
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2025 Bordeaux: Like Never Before
I don't think Bordeaux 2025 compares to anything else, from the growing season to the En Primeur campaign. Harvests were as early as they've been since 1989 and yields were as low as they were in 1961. The solar vintage seemed to hint at 2022, but the result is something far more restrained. It's with these thoughts that I'd advise throwing all other vintage comparisons out the window and consider 2025 like this: there are a lot of remarkable wines that are very refreshing in style, complex in structure, and at prices that range from sharp to can't miss.
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