K&L Wine Merchants will soon be opening a retail store in Los Angeles. This marks K&L’s first foray into the Southland. As K&L’s emissary down here, I will be posting a weekly blog on the food of Los Angeles and Orange County, along with recommendations on a few of my current favorite wines.
October 19, 2005
Long Beach… home to Snoop Dogg, Boeing’s corporate headquarters and what may be the most abysmal food scene of any major city in the western reaches of the U.S. Many consider this port town to be a mere suburb of the sprawl that is Los Angeles, but Long Beach is actually the fifth largest city in California. As befits a major American metropolis there are many dining establishments here, some of them pricey too. And most should be very very ashamed of themselves.
In an effort to keep this, my first K&L post, on a somewhat positive note, I will let you in on the best food in Long Beach. It is not that spendy Italian place downtown (although it’s good, and will get its own review in time), or that newish fusian eatery in Long Beach’s toniest strip mall (I kid you not). The best food in Long Beach is not served at a restaurant per se. There is no wine list, for one. No servers, and only about eight tables, if you count the three or four outside on the sidewalk.
Hole Mole is the name, and it is a taqueria unlike any in San Francisco. Pay no attention to the “Mole” on all of the brightly colored signage. There is no mole offered on the menu, which is fine by me. The focus here is piscine, though many basics in the turf category can also be procured. By all means order one of them if you are allergic to fish. The chicken tacos and burritos, as well as the carne asada are all serviceable versions of their type. They are good. Sometimes really good. But in comparison to the fish and shrimp burritos they are nothing at all. And compared to the fish tacos, well nothing at Hole Mole, and nothing edible in all of Long Beach can compare to those.
I am almost rendered speechless by the beauty of these fish tacos. Almost. I will write a poem, since prose is too limited, too structured for such sensory perfection.
Taco taco. Fry of fish (fried fish!). Here, gilded by green cabbage, pungent salsa, tangiest of sour cream-based sauces. Soft and gummy doubled corn tortilla. Crisp, salty fish. Are you tilapia? I do not know. And then the cabbage, crunchy delight.
I can eat four fish tacos. They are not big, but they sneak up on you. This might be due to the fry grease or the fat of the creamy sauce. They are not healthy, though they do contain fish. And cabbage!
Rather than eat them in the exceedingly cramped though cheerful establishment or outside on the depressing street (most in Long Beach fall under this category), take your tacos home (count them first, they sometimes short change you, though I am sure this is not purposeful…see how positive I am??). Eat them in front of the TV (living in Long Beach will turn you into a TV junkie), and wash them down with rosé or a crisp, totally unoaked and very straight-forward French or Spanish white. Minerals are good, but you don’t need them here, not with these tacos. A few suggestions currently on offer at K&L are the classic 2004 Viña Sila Naia Rueda ($10.99) or the 2004 Vincent Raimbault Vouvray Sec ($13.99) in the white category, and the 2004 Bodegas Aldeanueva Cortijo Iii Rosé ($8.99) and the very juicy 2004 Saint Chinian Domaine Rimbert Rosé ($9.99) for pinks. If you ever find yourself in Long Beach you should definitely check out the fish tacos at Hole Mole. It may even be worth the detour off the 405 if you find yourself en route from L.A. to Orange County.

Hole Mole
421 Obispo Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90814
(562) 439-2555
1 Fish Taco $1.45

Got foodie tips on the scene down here? Please post your comments! —Elisabeth Schriber

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2004 Palladino Gavi del Commune di Gavi ($17.99) Okay, the grape is cortese, and this wine is from Serralunga D’Alba. One of this producer’s most popular wines. Low temperature fermentation in stainless steel and then aged for 18 months in Slovenian oak. Beautifully balanced you will find peaches, pear and minerality and a chalky finish. Will work as an aperitif or with light fish dishes and fresh cheeses.
2002 Savese Picchieri “Le Petrose” Primitivo del Taranto IGT ($15.99) Primitivo and zinfandel share the same DNA, as one Puglian put it, “They are like twins separated at birth.” This wine’s bouquet has plum and currant and the palate brings plum jam, blackberries and raspberries notes with under tones of hay and oriental spice. This full-bodied wine will show best with red meats, game and stews.
Poggiarellino is one of those small boutique wineries in the town of Montalcino. Small production, HUGH values.
2003 Poggiarellino Rosso di Montalcino ($13.99) Baby Brunello at its best! This rosso is aromatic, balanced with the terroir of Montalcino. Bright fruit jumps out on the palate, raspberries and black cherries rounded off with touches of leather, spice and a cherry stone bitterness on the finish. Try with aged Pecorino or a Tri-tip steak. Yum!
2000 Poggiarellino Brunello di Montalcino ($29.99) Yes, that’s right, $29.99 for a Brunello! Needs a couple of hours of decanting, and this baby is good to go. On this full-bodied wine you will find plum, chocolate and cherries dancing with smooth and silky tannins. This Brunello will age well for another four to five years, but no need to wait. Prefect accompaniment to hearty pork dishes or the classic accompaniment: wild boar! Salute! —Mike Parres

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I have been looking for a Prosecco producer that we could import directly for a few years. Last April in Italy I met with the very young bother-and-sister team of Silvano and Alberta Follador. We didn’t even taste their wines when we first met. They just wanted to meet me before we even thought about the wine. We liked each other immediately. In today’s world of fast-paced business it was very refreshing to see that producers were more interested in who was going to take care of their wines rather than how much we were going to buy. I walked away hoping that they made wine that was at the very least good. A month later we tasted the samples and YOWSA! We were stunned by the quality; I have never tasted better Prosecco than these. Dumfounded by the quality, humbly I asked for the price list knowing the quality and the stunning package would demand some outrageous price. The prices matched their personalities, however, humble and honest.
Prosecco, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, is a grape, just like chardonnay or cabernet. As a grape, it can be made into sparkling, semi-sparkling, still or sweet wine. The towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano are the center of the DOC production and lay about an hour to the northwest of Venice. In the Silvano Follador Prosecco Valdobbiadene Brut ($10.99), the first thing you notice is the incredibly perfumed nose. Beautifully balanced and delicate, it is followed by refined fruits with hints of yeasty complexity without being ponderous. This sparkling wine is a perfect aperitivo—long, pure and refreshing. It makes you want to drink glass after glass. The Silvano Follador Prosecco Valdobbiadene Extra Dry ($10.99) has a slightly higher dosage, and that gives this wine a slight more heft on the palate. Prosecco is generally made at the Extra Dry level, where its creamier feel gives more body to the generally slightly lower alcohol levels of 11.5%. It is truly an exceptionally versatile food wine! The Silvano Follador Prosecco Valdobbiadene “Superiore di Cartizze” ($17.99) comes from the most famous “vineyard zone” in the region, a 266-acre slope framed by the villages of San Pietro Barbozza, Saccol and Santo Stefano (from where the Folladors hail). Cartizze traditionally has a higher dosage than the rest of the wines, but its increased power carries it off well. More complexity, broader on the palate, richer flavors, this is certainly a marvelous match for spicy cuisine. Although we weren’t originally given any samples of the Silvano Follador Prosecco Valdobbiadene “Sui Lieviti” Frizzante ($10.99), when I saw it in their catalog I had to ask about it. Silvano said, “Oh that’s just what we drink locally here.” I said that’s what I’d like to drink here! It is Prosecco fermented in the bottle and not disgorged, so there are still some dead yeast cells in the wine that make it a little cloudy. If you are a beer drinker, it is sort of like a Hefe-Weizen Prosecco! Enjoy! —Greg St.Clair

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2003 was a vintage in Burgundy unlike any in memory, thanks to the ferocious heat wave. The wines are often very different than in a typical Burgundy vintage. This left some growers in a dilemma. If their wine did not fit their style, either they had to change their style for the vintage, or they had to take a financial loss and bulk out the wine.
I was most interested when Daniel Johnnes, sommelier and importer, approached me in May with an offer for a 2003 Nuits St. George, Premier Cru, at a great price. He told me that one producer in Nuits St. Georges had had several barrels of a single vineyard Premier Cru that just did not fit into their desired style, and that they were interested in selling it in bulk. Of course, it would be labeled as a negociant wine, even though it was all from a single one of their Premier Cru vineyards. When I visited Burgundy in June and tasted the wine, I was delighted to find a beautiful Nuits St. Georges. The 2003 Nuits St. Georges, 1er Cru, La Cerisière ($29.99) is big and rich, with ripe fruit and a brawny charm reminiscent of the old Jules Belin style. A fat and luscious nose is followed by rich blackberry notes on the palate and lots of grip. We grabbed all there was, both for our Signature Red Club and for our retail customers. I felt like a cherry-picker, which is fitting. After all, when you get a chance to be a cherry picker, and get the perfect thing, the next thing you want to be is a Cerisière (a cherry seller). At these prices I do not expect the wine to be around for long. Á Santé. —Keith Wollenberg

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Please permit me to throw my hat into the already frantic discussion of what to drink with your Thanksgiving meal, the most over thought wine/food pairing in history. Every major wine publication will feature their experts on why an aged Merlot goes best with farm-raised chestnut-fed turkey stuffed with morel mushrooms slowly roasted, covered, uncovered, basted, brined and beaten… or most definitely it is Pinot Noir you want to drink to encompass the entire meal and its myriad flavors. But wait! Not just any Pinot Noir; it must be from Oregon and from a cool vintage to better enhance the subtle earthy flavors the pecans add to the stuffing. My advice as a certifiable wine person is to order Thai food, tell them you want it real hot and open a few bottles of Riesling, then wait till the next day and visit your friends for those turkey sandwiches that always seem to be so much more satisfying. Wait wrong article… So what you want to do is drink wines from the Loire Valley with your holiday meal or Alsace for that matter because these are the perfect wines to match the complexities of your now featherless friend. Listen equally featherless friends, there is no need to stress (funny it is me saying that). The straight deal is this: Turkey is a bland bird, not much flavor, a bit like chardonnay in the sense that it takes well to adornment, hence all the fine recipies to dress it up. Turkey as it is most often cooked—roasted—goes best with white wines with clean flavors and not too much oak. Second best is light to medium bodied juicy reds with low tannin levels and again clean flavors and not too much oak. Now, unless you are me or the three or four other people who actually read this column each month and say “yeah man, that’s it” then you should drink what you like. Since you know what? You have to drink it. If you were like me, or you want to be like me, you would drink these:
To start- Jean-Louis Denois Brut Rosé Pinot Noir ($12.99), not from the Loire, but I just love it. 100% pinot noir rosé made by skin contact, bright juicy and darn fine. Then the 2002 Domaine Vincent Ogereau Anjou Blanc ($12.99), 100% hand-harvested chenin blanc from a parcel of schist-laden soil in the commune of Saint Lambert. It is vinified in 500 liter Tonnes on its lees until bottling in May. The wine is saturated with wet stone flavors with hints of stone fruits, ginger and sweet herbs and is possibly the most versatile and friendly chenin blanc I have tasted. For the reds I suggest two: the 2004 Domaine de la Pépière Cuvee Granit Rouge ($10.99), from our friend Marc Ollivier in Muscadet, is his take on cheery red wine, though not without substance. It fits the bill (or beak) with its juicy, supple personality. A blend of côt, gamay and merlot (Oh no). Or if you are flush, the 2003 Château du Hureau Saumur Champigny Cuvée Lisagathe ($24.99), a great cab franc from a hot vintage that is seething with rich luscious fruit and minerals that will satisfy even the “big” wine drinkers. No more room - Gobble, Gobble. —Jeff Vierra

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This month I would like share with you two wines from Bergerac. Like its famous neighbor, Bordeaux, red wines here rely on merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon while the white wines are typically comprised of semillon and sauvignon blanc (Perhaps more famously, Bergerac is also home to the famous Cyrano de Bergerac). The 2004 Château de Calabre Bergerac Rouge ($10.99) is a lovely example of a merlot-based red from the appellation that is both inexpensive and extremely versatile at the table. Comprised of 80% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc, and vinified in stainless steel, the Calabre exhibits hints of black cherry, blueberry and violets. This would be just the thing with meatloaf!
In 1994 Englishman Charles Martin purchased the Château de la Colline and immediately began restoring and re-planting the vineyards with semillon, sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Carminé is the estate’s top red wine and is made from 95% merlot and 50% cabernet sauvignon aged in new oak barriques for 18 months. The 2001 Château de la Colline Bergerac Carminé ($17.99) is a rich and elegant southwestern red with crushed red raspberries and rich mocha notes. Enjoy with a gorgeous piece of filet mignon or braised beef shortribs. A bientot! —Mulan Chan

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Yesterday, Mr. Jim Barr, one of K&L’s best wine guys, showed me an extraordinary piece of history. A customer had given him a wine list from a restaurant in Bremen Germany, circa 1935. The most interesting thing to me about this lovely old menu was the pricing, particularly the comparative pricing of the wines. While one could enjoy a bottle of 1911 Cheval Blanc (about 25-years old at the time) for 15 marks, and the legendary 1921 d’Yquem for 20 marks, even the least expensive non-vintage Champagne on the list was 25 marks. The
contrast to present times is striking. Many of our customers will request a “decent” bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon in the $30 price range while almost all of our most exciting Champagnes are under $30!
One of the most striking values we have in Champagne is the De Meric Grande Reserve Sous Bois Brut Champagne ($27.99). Composed of 75% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay and 5% meunier from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards, this wine was aged for four years on the lees before release. It is a combination of the 2000, 1999 and 1998 harvests, and half of the juice was fermented and aged in neutral barrels and foudres without malolactic fermentation. The other half of the juice was fermented and kept in stainless steel and allowed to go through malolactic. This Champagne has a great core of black cherry pinot noir fruit and ample yeasty, toasty flavor. The texture and length of this wine are exceptional as well, and it makes anytime that I am drinking it feel like a special occasion or when shared with just one special person over a great dinner at home. —Gary Westby

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I am high. I am high above the Earth. I am high above the Earth in this tin can they call a spaceship. My name is Jim Barr. I am a professional clodsmonaut searching for the legendary Apes That Dance Around A Granite Slab. I drink wine. Lots of wine. If you think this story is slow, try the movie. One big bathroom break.
The crew consists of myself, Dave and our on board calculator, the H.A.L. 3.14159. We call him Pi, and he hates it.
So this is the future: everyone wears white outfits, speaks in drugged dulcet tones and seems capable of enduring searing cattle prods of boredom. The future… space is riddled with junk. Ritalin is a food group. And symphonic versions of Ted Nugent classics are pumped into the black holes of the thoughts of humankind. So. It has come to this.
“Dave,” drones Hal, in a liquid sneer. “Please don’t call me Pi. I really hate it.” “Maybe you ought to lube your attitude, Hal,” Dave retorts. “Oh? I understand, Dave. Please watch yourself when you are outside the ship, fixing the turn indicators.”
So far, I’ve said nothing, and so have not said anything stupid. I am on this voyage for one reason: to study the effects of red wine in space. I have extensive notes on pouring wine onto a ceiling. Hal calls me Jackson Pollack, but I am not Polish. I am drinking 1992 Pichon-Lalande ($89.99 1.5L) through a straw. Not the best way, but not a bad way either. Lovely herbal character, still fairly firm. A classically styled wine with elegance and restraint. I toast Dave as he floats outside the ship. “Oh dear,” drones Hal. “Looks like Dave’s safety cord has malfunctioned. Goodbye Dave.”
Dave looks a bit like Kenny on Southpark as he gets smaller and smaller. I admire his sense of adventure.
The next year is uneventful. I lose 5300 straight chess matches to Hal. Stanley Kubrick seems completely stumped by his inability to craft a screenplay that is worth filming. Or writing poorly about.
In addition, Hal’s attitude has worsened, and I am reduced to calling him Master. A bright spot for me is another vintage of Pichon, this time the 1993 Pichon-Lalande ($134.99 1.5L). A fine ripeness is balanced by firm structure and notes of cedar. Really tasty stuff, a wonderful value. Pairs well with Marmite and toast.
Hal is drinking wine now, and I pull another cork for him. He is getting chattier, too. “Jim, I should show you the monkeys. Would you like to see the monkeys, Jim? Right after you go outside and change the turn indicators.” “Oh boy! Thank you Pi,” I say. I like monkeys.
My safety cord seems to have snapped. Hal’s metallic lips move in the window of the ship. He is saying something about hating pie. A Soylent Green container floats by. Conductorless classical music is playing. My head is getting light, even more than usual. A giant baby looms before me.
David Bowie is singing now… I see the Jetsons in the distance… goodbye Hal… I’m sorry that I called you Pi… —Joe Zugelder

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Happy beginning of the holidays, everyone. I cannot believe that this year has passed already and that we are into Thanksgiving and Christmas time (Don’t I say this every year?). As of this writing (September 28th), our winemaking group has yet to receive any grapes; they are not ripe at this point. This harvest has been very late, and the only positive side to it is that we hope for no rain and tons of hang-time with warm, not extremely hot weather. The other problem that I noticed is that many of the vines are beginning to go dormant and shut down due to the fact that we have been averaging ten to fifteen degrees cooler than normal—not good for a late vintage. The positive side to this, Indian Summer gave us a call today for the first time with temperatures into the 90s… It’s about time!
We just landed some incredible directly imported, reasonably priced Bordeaux. Let me begin with the 2003 Château Saint Hilaire Queyrac, Médoc ($14.99), a blend of cabernet sauvignon (50%), merlot (45%) and cabernet franc (5%), which is an incredibly lush, well-rounded, new-world fruit-driven wine. Deep ruby in color, the nose explodes with focused currants, roasted coffee bean and blackberries. In the mouth, this is an incredibly broad, fleshy wine with soft, silky tannins, ripe fruit, good complexity, cedary undertones and a long, warm finish. Anderson says for all of you to do yourselves a flavor: Buy a case or two at this price and enjoy.
Another Bordeaux, the 2003 Château Souvenir Bordeaux Superieur ($9.99), that we have been importing for nearly ten years, is a wonderful drink-me-now red. A blend of merlot (60%), cabernet franc (20%), and cabernet sauvignon (20%), the nose is typical of this ’03 vintage, showing ripe, lush curranty to blackberry fruit with just a hint of minerality and no oak interference that carries over through a broadly fruited, soft tannin impression and a finish that lingers. A great value that will drink nicely for the next five years.
Believe it or not, we are still finding some 2000 and 2001 Bordeaux to buy that are not only good, but totally pocketbook friendly. The 2001 Château de Francs, Cotes de France “Les Cerisiers” ($12.99) is a wonderfully dense, ripe wine that shows tons of lush, concentrated cassis to black currant fruit with just a hint of cranberry and cedar on the nose and in the mouth. As with many of the 2001s, the fruit is broad, round and forthcoming but with excellent acid structure. This puppy should drink fantastically well for the next 5 to 8 years. Anderson has told me that this and the above two reds will be our house reds for the month. We might even serve it with our Thanksgiving wild turkey, if he can catch another one.
The 2003 Blason wines were big hits in our store last year. How do the Blasons do this and charge such reasonable prices? I think they function under the age-old atitude that wine is a food source meant to be consumed on a daily basis versus a collector’s art piece. Thank you, Giovanni. The 2004 Blason Friuli Pinot Grigio ($7.99) gushes with jasmine aromas. The mouth is lush, rich, yet clean, crisp and viscous across the tongue, and the finish is to die-for. This is absolutely wonderful and one of the best Pinot Grigios I have ever put in my mouth! How much is it? Greg, are you kidding? Eby has told me that this will be our house white for the month.
We hope you enjoy this month’s selections! —Jim, Anderson, and Eby

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Before we get real serious about Spätburgunder and why you should be drinking more of it, you need to get out your calendars and block off Saturday January 21 for our Third (not exactly annual) Terry Theise German and Austrian Tour Tasting. This year we will be holding the event in San Francisco at a very hip yet undisclosed space. It will cost some amount of money, and you will get some amount of food. How’s that for exclusive? Come rub elbows, taste and chat with some of the hottest growers from the coldest regions, learn why drinking Riesling will make you better looking, how a steady diet of Grüner Veltliner has been proven to make you happier and more content, how Blaufränkish has been known to cause sudden outbursts of extreme joy… in other words don’t miss it. We will be pouring a ton of 2004s and some others: whites, reds, sparkling and down-right weird. The final list of producers is not yet firm, but I can say now that they will be many and most of them tall. Stay tuned for more info, or send me an email (jeffvierra@klwines.com) to be put on a notification list. There will be a bottle of wine for the person who travels the furthest to attend this spectacular event.
Now on to your new passion… German Pinot Noir aka Spätburgunder in the homeland. First, I must say that if you are the type who likes pinot more in the style of syrah, big and dark with super-ripe flavors and lots of new oak, please do not buy these wines. You will hate them and me for suggesting them to you. If finesse and subtlety appeal to you, then we are on the right track. German Pinot Noir is, as you can imagine, more of a novelty in this country, not because it is no good but because it is in such short supply and what we get here is usually the lowest quality wine made by large blenders (any one remember the monkey bottle?) The market is so strong in Germany for great Spätburgunder that some of the wines routinely fetch over 100 Euros. and are much coveted by collectors. We have two great wines in stock now to introduce you to this important cool-climate style of Pinot.
2004 Weingut Binz Nackenheimer Spätburgunder ($12.99), grown on the red slopes of Nackenheim, is a bright zesty style of pinot, balanced with reasonable alcohol level, full of spice, wild cherry and hints of earth. Yes I said $12.99!! The 2003 Bercher Jechtinger Eichert Spätburgunder Spätlese Trocken ($28.99) is from just east of Alsace in the warmest growing region of Germany, the Kaiserstuhl. Here is where you find some of the most sought-after reds in the country and where most of the great Pinot comes from, like this supple beauty. Rich and lush with great power and depth, this wine will convince even the most skeptical among you. Live in the Light! —Jeff Vierra

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Yes, it is upon us, the holiday season. This is the season when we find ourselves spending our time and money on everyone else but ourselves. Two months of being pulled in every direction possible. With that in mind I’ll keep it short and sweet, shooting it to you straight, three wines that make me smile.
From the Rust region, here is…
2004 Heidi Schrock Muscat ($21.99) This spicy little beauty will just make you tingle inside. Made up of 40% gelber muskateller, 20% ottonel muskateller, 40% sauvignon blanc and a whole lot of love, this is a must have. Fragrances of a newly flowered spring meadow race around the rim of the glass. I swear I saw a couple of fairies from the land of Aromatica, it’s a fairly new country, that came flying out of the bottle when it was uncorked. When I finally decided to find out what the rest of this wine had to offer I took a sip. A feeling of brilliant purity zipped across my palate backed up by a freshness of pears that are interlaced with mint and crystal clear water from the high mountains.
From the Kamptal region I give you…
2004 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner “Gobelsburger” ($13.99) A lighter, polished style of Grüner, with an unexpected, hidden core of fruit that will, truly, make you smile. A truly classic Grüner, aromas of a peppery earthiness linked with a racy acidity that will tantalize your palate, leaving you with the realization that you just got one heck of a wine for, only fourteen bucks.
And last but not least, from the region of Mittelburgenland, here is…
2003 Paul Lehrner Claus ($16.99) A vibrant, juicy red blended from 85% zweigelt and 15% blaufränkisch. Here is a wine you don’t have to put away and forget about for years and years. Drink it today, or tomorrow if that is better for you! This is really a warm, delicious wine packing quite a bit of life. A bit of smokiness, a hint of fresh herbs and just enough acidity to make everything balance out, it’s a quaffer!!!
—Eric Story

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2004 Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo ($6.99) This awesome Verdejo reminds me of a NZ Sauvignon Blanc—dry, crisp with great body and charm. It’s a perfect pick for cocktail party snacks!
2000 Mont Marçal Brut Reserva Cava ($11.99) Is there a better way to begin a fiesta than with a glass of bubbly? The Mont Marcal is one of the best Cavas around. Rich and creamy with a crisp finish, this wine from the Penedes is sure to please even the fussiest palate!
2004 Valminor Albariño, Rias Baixas ($11.99) 2004 is an truly great vintage for white wines in Spain. The Valminor Albarño is one of the most charming wines of the vintage. From the seductive aromas of white peach and citrus blossoms to the long crisp finish, this wine is perfect with any seafood or with a plate of fruit and cheese!
2002 Vina Alarba Old Vines Pago San Miguel ($14.99) 90 points Robert Parker: “...a blend of 85% old vine Grenache and 15% Syrah aged in French oak for six months prior to bottling. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, fine elegance, serious concentration, sweet black cherry and currant scents intermixed with resiny, forest floor characteristics, and medium body. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. This is a ridiculously priced bargain!” Try with braised beef short ribs!
2000 Finca Villacreces Reserva, Ribera de Duero ($28.99) 91 points Robert Parker: “One of the best kept secrets of Ribera del Duero, Finca Villacreces produces a sexy red from 75% Tempranillo and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Aged 14 months in new and one-year old French casks, this 2,000-case cuvee exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along with a bouquet of smoky hickory wood, barbecue spices, vanilla, black currants, cherries, melted asphalt, and licorice. The complex aromatics are followed by a delicious, fruit-driven, opulent, medium to full-bodied offering with no hard edges. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.” (04/04) Buen Cata y Buen Provecho! —Anne Pickett

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Wow, November already. Time sure flies when you’re selling wine. I thought about writing on holiday wines. No, it’s been done. So, here are a new wines that I thought were worth a look.
2001 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($54.99) Cathy has created a gem this vintage. Her wines are always balanced and perfect for drinking or aging. Red fruit and chocolate with hints of mineral and spice make this one of my favorite wines of 2001. A popular wine with the Francophiles who work in San Francisco. I just had the 1996 in London, and it was almost perfect.
2001 Corison “Corazon” Anderson Valley Gewürztraminer ($19.99) Produced since 1999, this is rarely seen in stores. Alsatian in style, this wine shows touches of pear and grapefruit and a little smokiness. Fermented to complete dryness. It doesn’t get any better than this.
2001 Paradise Ridge “Elevation” Cabernet Sauvignon ($21.99) A fantastic price on this Rockpile Vineyard Cabernet. 89% cabernet with a little merlot and petit verdot, this wine jumps right out at you with dark fruit and oak. A bright finish with long, lush tannins.
2003 Cristom “Mt. Jefferson Cuvee” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($25.99) Always a great drinking pinot, the 2003 definitely has a little more forward fruit. The wine shows hints of licorice, tea and earth with light tannin and acidity. Perfect for the holidays.
See you in the City… —Mike Jordan

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On a recent trip down to Santa Barbara, Trey and I stopped to visit Palmina, a small producer of Italian varietal wines. Located in an unassuming Lompoc warehouse complex affectionately called the “wine ghetto” (at once the most critical and least glamorous wine-making settings in Santa Barbara), Palmina is making truly spectacular things happen. The husband-and-wife team of Steve and Chrystal Clifton (yes, from Brewer-Clifton fame) are absolutely fantastic winemakers, besides being incredibly friendly and down-to-earth people. Their contagious passion for Italy and its soul-stirring wine and food inspires anyone who sets foot in their facility. A great visit, made better by both wonderful people and extraordinary wines. A few of their best, perfect for holiday dinner season:
2004 Palmina “Sisquoc Vineyard” Santa Maria Sauvignon Blanc ($14.99) is aromatically electrifying and astonishing in its pedigree. A rare breed of domestic premium Sauvignon Blanc, and probably my favorite one this year. In fact, it was so good I couldn’t wait until KL carried it; I bought some bottles at the winery to take home!
2004 Palmina “Botasea” Rosato ($16.99) is a clear winner in the rosé category. A 50/50 blend of sangiovese and barbera, bone dry on the palate, with a fresh strength that shows best at the dinner table. Try it with roasted cornish hen with acorn squash. That rocks!
2004 Palmina “Zotovich Vineyards” Dolcetto ($19.99) A surprisingly structured wine with earthy, subtle charm, this one took off with the cheese and sausage in the Clifton’s tasting room. Definitely a welcome dinner companion at my home anytime!
2004 Palmina Barbera ($24.99) This one is perfect for Thanksgiving!! A superbly made Barbera, showing true hallmarks of the variety with an abundance of bright, plummy fruit and tremendous lively acidity. Unquestionably delicious and versatile by any standard, it will dance well with all the dishes of the coming holiday season. Enjoy! —Martin Reyes

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Last month Martin and I took a trip down south for a quick tour of a few wineries. This was our first day on our two-day trip. Our first stop was at Garretson Wine Company in Paso
Robles. Working in a very industrial looking building, winemaker Matt Garretson is focusing on Rhône-inspired blends from Paso Robles. Our favorite pick from this stop was the 2003 Garretson Red Central Coast Red Blend ($19.99). This would be considered their user-friendly red, which is a blend of 70% syrah, 12% grenache, 10% mourvèdre and 8% viognier. Continuing down south, our next stop was at Domaine Alfred. People were friendly, and the wines were well made. Our favorites included the 2003 Domaine Alfred Edna Valley Chardonnay ($18.99) and the 2002 Domaine Alfred “Califa” Edna Valley Pinot Noir ($39.99). The Chardonnay shows great acidity, freshness and pure fruit, and the Pinot Noir is rich, balanced and pure as well. Both are clean and fresh. No heavy-handed winemaking here. Our next visit was with John Alban at Alban Cellars in Arroyo Grande. Great guy and great visit! Unfortunately the wines are next to impossible to get. We then had a quick visit at Talley and then made our way to Laetitia. Our two picks from Laetitia were the 2004 Laetitia Arroyo Grande Chardonnay ($14.99) and the 2003 Laetitia Arroyo Grande Pinot Noir ($17.99). The Chardonnay is rich, ripe and full in the mouth with hints of sweet pear, honey and lime. The Pinot Noir shows a nice balance between fruit and earth with hints of spicy minerals and red strawberry fruit. After Laetitia our next appointment was with John Nivin of Baileyana. Our favorites included the Chardonnay and Pinot releases under their Grand Firepeak Cuvee label. Located just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Firepeak Vineyard is the first to benefit from the cool maritime breezes funneling in from the Morro Bay. The warm days and cool nights are perfect for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Currently we have the 2002 Baileyana Grand Firepeak Pinot Noir ($29.99) and the 2003 Baileyana Grand Firepeak Chardonnay ($19.99). Both are delicious! —Trey Beffa

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This month K&L is proud to offer a Domaine de Monpertuis wine for Rhône lovers in every price range. This venerable Southern Rhône estate has been in the hands of the Jeune family for several generations. Each successor has added bits and pieces so that the current owner, Paul Jeune, is now the proprietor of the 10 acres of vines that are scattered amongst 32 separate parcels throughout the confines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Jeune has the remarkable good fortune of having a majority of his vineyards planted to vines between 60 and 110 years of age. The multiplicity of parcels spread across Châteauneuf imparts a classic character to the wines of Monpertuis, absorbing the nuances of each soil type of the appellation. The heart and soul of the domaine lies within three primary parcels: La Croze, Le Clos de la Cerise and Monpertuis. Although Châteauneuf-du-Pape may be composed of 13 individual varietals, the Domaine de Monpertuis relies most heavily on the grenache grape.
The 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de Monpertuis “Classique” ($31.99) is a more approachable, albeit powerful Châteauneuf from this warm vintage. Decant and serve with heartier fare.
The 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de Monpertuis “Cuvee Tradition” ($62.99), produced solely from old vines at least 60 years old, is supported by at least 85% grenache. This is hands down one of THE BEST Châteauneufs I have tasted from this vintage. This wine is laden with a core of black fruit and chiseled mineral drive. Do not, I repeat do not, even think about touching this wine for at least 5 years, preferably 10. I promise you, your patience will be generously rewarded. This is an outstanding wine with enormous potential.
As of 1995, the Domaine de Monpertuis has vinified a Côtes du Rhône and Vin de Pays du Gard. Both of these wines come from a recently acquired parcel known as vignoble de la Ramiere. The 2003 Côtes du Rhône “Vignoble de la Ramiere,” Domaine de Monpertuis ($13.99) is made almost exclusively from grenache. Both wines are lovely with cranberry, roasted sage and lavender. And both wines are Monpertuis reds to drink up while you wait for the big boys to grow up.
—Mulan Chan

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2005 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand ($7.99) and the 2004 Vasse Felix “Adams Road” Chardonnay, Margaret River Western Australia ($13.99) These are two screaming deals! The Matua, now with bolder color and in a Bordeaux bottle, serves up a bouquet of lime, cantaloupe and fresh cut red peppers. On the palate there is good acidity to support the more tropical mango-papaya fruit that lead to a refreshing clean finish. The Adams Road chardonnay is 50% tank fermented. The nose offers aromas of light toast, pear, pineapple, honey, hazelnut and cinnamon spice. The wine has superb acidity bringing all these components together.
2004 Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Syrah, Coastal Region South Africa ($10.99) The 2004 shows smoky, meaty notes with lovely ripe boysenberry fruit and a hint of lavender in the aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is full bodied and juicy with soft lush tannins and a fine finish.
2004 Hewitson “Miss Harry” GSM, McLaren Vale South Australia ($17.99) Dean Hewitson brings another super edition of Miss Harry with his 2004 blend of 44% grenache, 43% shiraz and 13% mourvèdre sourced from 50 and 80 year old vines. The bouquet sings with notes of black raspberry, cassis, white pepper, smoked meats and a hint of mocha. On the palate there is fine balance and length, with more structure and weight than last years 91-point wine.
The 2003 d’Arenberg “Footbolt” Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia ($13.99) shows how good the vintage was in McLaren Vale. This wine is richer and shows more depth than the fine 2002, with notes of dark plum, blackberry, blueberry, chocolate and earth. Very well balanced with fine length and polish for the money.
—Jimmy C

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2001 Coteaux du Tricastin, Domaine de Grangeneuve “Vielles Vignes” ($13.99) Tricastin is the fastest growing region in the Rhône Valley. About forty years ago, this area was barren. Once France relinquished its authority over Algiers, many of the French natives of Algiers came to Tricastin. Renewed interest in the area resulted in the planting of over 5,000 acres, and the area is far from barren today. Domaine de Grangeneuve, founded in 1964 by Odette and Henri Bours, is one of the top two estates in Tricastin. Production of all wines produced at Domaine Grangeneuve is an amazingly small 2000-3000 cases per year! This wine comes through with pure Rhone fruit, balanced minerality and ample but not aggressive spices. A blend of 50% grenache and 50% syrah with the syrah fruit really shining through. A fine and elegant nose of tart cherries, minerals, herbs, spices and violets. In the mouth, the initially tart cherry fruit segues into ripe, red plums and strawberry fruit. A truly amazing wine for under $14.00!
2004 Cotes de Ventoux, Domaine de Fondreche “O Sud” ($13.99) At Domaine de Fondreche, winemaker Sebastien Vincenti (formerly of Châteauneuf-du-Pape) joined forces with neighbor Didier Robert to create “O” Sud. The heart of this wine comes from 50 acres in the Ventoux. The Domaine de Fondreche “O Sud” is a blend of syrah, grenache and cinsault. Stainless steel aging lets a rich nose of ripe cherries, glycerin, lavender and faint anise notes shine through. On the palate, charming, silky, jammy dark cherry fruit that is full and lush with white pepper and dusty notes that carry over onto the finish. One of the things that both these wines have in common is the extraordinary combination of quality and value they both represent. —Scott Beckerley

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1992 Pichon-Lalande 1.5L, Pauillac ($89.99) This mature wine has complex aromas of plum, cedar, coffee roast, wood smoke and flowers. The mid palate is round and silky with flavors of red cherry, cigar box and herb. The finish is mild but persistant and even shows a slight touch of ruby grapefruit. This was a huge hit at a recent Bordeaux tasting. Not to be missed.
1993 Pichon-Lalande 1.5L, Pauillac ($134.99) 4 stars Decanter: “Good solid nose. Tannic fruit on the palate. Good, big and sound ... Very deep red; closed nose, with a hint of smoky oak; fairly soft and approachable, reasonable concentration and grip, good acidity, no unripeness; quite good length.” (12/97) With more structure and richness than the 1992, this is a deeply colored, smooth, silky, classic Pichon-Lalande. There is lots of dark fruit and mineral in the plush mid palate which flowes into a very elegant finish showing licorice and olive. This is a classic to decant now or age further for a special occasion.
1994 Haut-Bailly, Pessac-Léognan ($44.99) This is a stunning example of Haut-Bailly’s habit of putting on extra fat and richness after at least five years of bottle age. Super elegant yet rich, this has gobs of ripe fruit, earth, mineral and oak in a sweet, complex and seamless package. Awesome old-school Bordeaux!
2002 Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien ($83.99) 95 points Parker: “The wine exhibits pure black currant, licorice-infused fruit, huge body, a viscous mid-palate, and a long, heady finish... This is certainly one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage.” —Steve Bearden

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After over a year of planning and plenty of stress, our tour of Bordeaux went off as smooth as silk. The thank you cards have been sent off already, but the memories and education will last a lifetime. Even for a cagey veteran like myself, the excitement from an experience like this is hard to come down from; the reflections of the great wines and times keep come back to mind. Here are some of my favorite recollections:
We tasted the new baby/vintage of 2004 at numerous estates, and they are showing much better than on our April tasting. More middle fruit and richness really coming thru now from wines like Mouton-Rothschild, Léoville-Barton, Léoville-Las-Cases, Lynch Bages, Palmer, both Pichons, Phelan-Segur, Haut-Bergey, Barde-Haut and Ferriere. We also tasted many 2002s, which are arriving in America now. These are much better than billed, classic firm wines with good shoulders on the best wines. Just as is the case with 2004, the 2002s are excellent values.
I tell customers everyday that 1999 is a supple and tasty vintage that is providing great drinking pleasure. The 1999 from Margaux, Haut-Brion ($124.99), Branaire-Ducru ($29.99) and Cantemerle ($42.99 1.5L) are fine examples of that.
The 1987 Pavie was just delicious, the great vineyard shining brightly in an incredibly rough vintage as was 1983 Canon. Lunch at Palmer inlcuded a lovely 1997, a young 1996 with great potential and 1990 that’s just starting to sing. After tasting 2000, 2001 and 2002 at Pichon-Baron, the dinner wines were mind blowing. The dry new white of Ch. Suduiraut (S de Suduiraut, coming to K&L in December) for aperitif, 1998 Petite Village and 1996 Cantenac Brown. 1995 Baron (K&L just got magnums and 5Ls), 1990 out of 3L, 1962 Quinta do Noval National, Yikes! 1997 and 1975 Suduiraut, and we were party fresh!
The fastest two star lunch in the history of the wine business was briskly loved at Lynch Bages where the 1995 was very fine. At Cos d’Estournel the 2003 was so amazing, huge sweetness, thick layers of fruit and incredible length that the famous 2000 had no chance at this point in time! The 1988 Léoville-Barton, with Lilian, Anthony and Michel was so good I bought some upon returning. The 1988 Pichon-Lalande out of double magnum in the company of Thomas Do-Chi-Nam and May Eliane de Lenquesaing was just outstanding. The tour of Latour’s new facility and tasting the 2001 and 2004 was quite a treat. As was Thierry Gardiner and his warm hospitality as well as the elegant, spicy wines of Phelan-Ségur, which can be enjoyed young.
A very good seminar on right bank viticulture and tasting at Canon La Gaffeliere started a new day. A marvelous lunch with Corinne De Bouard at Angelus featuring the 1998 and 1995 Angelus ($159.99). Now we know why these wines are so pure. The merlot grapes were being sorted under close supervision by 30 or more college students, and the fruit was so perfect, not a stem to be seen near the fruit, only in the baskets below.
To be continued in next month’s newsletter... A special thanks to all the great customers who made the trek, all our gracious friends in Bordeaux, as well as Cecile Levin and Magda Johnson who made it all happen. Cheers to all of you! —Ralph Sands

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2003 Etoiles de Mondorion, St-Emilion ($14.99)
This is the very limited, 500 cases, second wine of Mondorion. And all of the care and attention that they put into there first wine is also seen here: hand harvesting, complete destemming, fermentation in temperature regulated concrete vats and aging in French oak barrels. A blend of 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, the nose is bold and dark with red and black fruits, toast and earth. The palate is moderately rich and balanced. The round dark fruit is bolstered by ripe tannins and accented with a hint of earth on the finish. A terrific deal.
2000 Mondorion, St-Emilion ($19.99)
New life has been breathed into this estate since it was purchased in 1999. With a new vision for the future, you couldn’t ask for a better inaugural vintage. It undergoes everything as in the case of the above wine but sees 40% new French oak, and the varietal composition is somewhat different: 76% merlot and 24% cabernet franc. It is really the big brother to the Etoiles. Deeper and darker in color and character, it has more berries and oaky spice. Definitely made in a new world style but still rooted in the old world with its unmistakable terroir shining through on the finish. Drink or hold on to it for another few years. Only 3500 cases made.
2000 Trebiac, Graves ($13.99)
An old favorite is back! A wonderful ambassador for the wines of Graves, the Trebiac is about structure and minerality. Its relatively high percentage of merlot (40%) fattens the middle giving it a lushness that keeps the wine from becoming austere. This is a dinner wine and needs 30 to 40 minutes in a decanter to open it up and show off its red fruits and gravelly minerality, both of which are enhanced by its acidity. With good length, the wine opens up and reveals even more of its classic earthiness.
2000 Bellerose Figeac Reserve, St-Emilion ($27.99)
This is a full-throttle, modern St-Emilion. The grapes for this cuvee come from near the Pomerol border, with is deep sandy iron-rich subsoil. They green harvest, hand pick, de-stem, cold soak, ferment in temperature controlled concrete vats, then age in French oak barrels. 60% merlot with the remaining a blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Dark red fruits and berries on the nose peppered with oaky spice and earthy minerality, the wine has good structure. The ripe round fruit is wrapped around a core of dark chocolate and earthy spice. Drink it tonight with about 45 minutes decanting or hold on to it for another 5 years. —Kirk Walker

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Yes, Virginia I am still hanging around K&L, though I don’t get to write much in the newsletter. So many writers, so much great wine and not much space in our 24-page Wine News. Perhaps we will enlarge the newsletter in 2006 (and we’re looking at doing just that). Lots of new things in store for K&L and our great customers in 2006. For starters, a store in the Los Angeles area, an updated website with lots of new goodies (I can’t explain them because I am high tech challenged. I’m still getting used to the fax machine), and some great new sales associates. Also more wine locker space is on the drawing board as is an enlarged RWC tasting room and store remodel! And what about all the great wines that will become available in 2006? We’re looking at a possibly stunning Bordeaux vintage (2005) as well as great buys from all over the world.
And what am I recommending these days, winewise? Two fabulous sauvignon blancs from Bordeaux are high on the list. 2003 Chateau Reynon ($10.99) and 2002 Clos Floridene ($17.99) are brilliant wines from Denis Dubourdieu. And both are must trys. Old wine winners include the stunning 1986 Château Cos d’
Estournel ($139.99) and the recent value-packed 1.5L formats from Château Pichon-Lalande (1992 $89.99 and 1993 $134.99-right from the château). Dessert wines are a must for the holidays. 2002 Château Climens ($54.99) and Rieussec ($39.99) are almost as good as their 100-point older brothers. In addition, the 1955 Rivesaltes ($59.99) is a spectacular wine value. Have a great
holiday season! —Clyde Beffa Jr

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On December 1, we will have a Château Montelena dinner at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay with winemaker Bo Barrett. We will taste fabulous Montelena Estate Cabernets including 1994, 1995, 1997 and more with an outstanding five-course dinner. Come to the beautiful Ritz, fully decorated for the holidays. $225 per person. Spend the night and play golf or enjoy the spa. What a holiday treat. Special room rates available. Very limited availability.

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For those lucky few already hitting the K&L wine blog, you will now have access to all newsletter articles and recommendations a full two weeks before those on our mailing list and email list. Stay tuned for staff picks in every wine category imaginable!

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Very soon we will be distributing our list of new arrivals via RSS feeds. Stay tuned for more information. For now, you can get an email copy of our new arrivals (everything new that has arrived in our inventory within the past week) as part of our email alert program, found online at: http://www.klwines.com/email-alerts.asp.

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Welcome to the K&L Wine Blog. Within this section of the site we're excited to begin providing additional news and commentary from a wine retailing perspective. Among K&L's staff are more than 50 professionals with no shortage of views. We think that these outstanding individuals are the reason behind K&L's success since 1976. By sharing our opinions, news and recommendations we believe that this blog will provide wine lovers with an additional valuable online wine resource. Cheers!

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