By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

Visiting the Vineyard: Champagne Aspasie

On my trip to Champagne, I had a chance to join Paul-Vincent Ariston in the tiny vineyard where he grows three grape varieties that almost went extinct in Champagne - Meslier, Arbanne, and Pinot Blanc. He shows us the vineyard and explains a little bit of the history & challenges of these rarities.

The wine that comes from this vineyard is my personal favorite special occasion Champagne, the Ariston Aspasie "Cepages d'Antan" Brut Champagne ($99). I often feel guilty that my own consumption has impacted the global supply- they only made 3000 bottles!  

Ariston Aspasie "Cepages d'Antan" Brut Champagne ($99) Composed of 40% Meslier, 40% Arbanne and 20% Pinot Blanc, on the palate the Champagne makes for a double take: it is very rich and textural, but finishes with a laser beam of chalky acidity that just goes on and on. It is fantastic first course Champagne, and pairs well with a wide variety of foods, we tried it with both foie and oysters to equal delight! 

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Check out more educational wine and spirits videos by Gary and other experts from K&L on YouTube!

Hello Burgundy Lovers,

I am excited to report that we just landed some old Burgundies, direct from Beaune.  These came from two cellars.  The Bruno Clair wines are all from a natural cellar.  As you might expect, the labels are in less than pristine condition (to say the least).  But the condition, color and fills are spectacularly good.  The Anne Gros and Drouhin wines came from a more modern cellar, which was cleaner and drier, so not only are the fills terrific, the labels are clean and bright.

Either way, we are excited to find these wines, which have been resting quietly where they were born, until they found their way to us via refrigerated container.  They are now in our 55 degree storage room.  Quantities are tiny, and these wines are ON THE WEB, and live inventory.  Therefore, they are up for grabs and I wanted you to be the first to know.

Call us at 800-247-5987 to order, go to www.klwines.com

The Wines: (availability will chage; please click the links for updated real time inventory) 

1996 Domaine Anne Gros Chambolle Musigny "Combe d'Orveau", $169.95  -- 5 available

1996 Domaine Anne Gros Vosne Romanée "Les Barreaux", $189.95 – 6 available

1996 Domaine Anne Gros Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru "Grand Maupertuis", $299.95 – 6 available

1998 Domaine  Anne Gros Domaine Anne Gros Vosne Romanée "Les Barreaux" $179.95 – 6 available

1998 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Grand Cru "Le Grand Maupertuis" $299.95 – 6 available

The Bruno Clair wines are all from a natural cellar.  As you might expect, the labels are in less than pristine condition (to say the least).  But the condition, color and fills are spectacularly good

1990 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Cazetiers"- Soiled/Damaged labels, $199.95 – 12 Available

1993 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Cazetiers"- Soiled/Damaged labels, $149.95 – 6 Available

1993 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru - Soiled/Damaged labels, $299.95 – 6 Available

1998 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru, $250.00  - 6 Available

A Santé,

 -Keith

 Mr. Keith WOLLENBERG

Directeur Commercial Bourgogne

K&L Wine Merchants

http://www.klwines.com

+1-650-556-2724 Direct Line

Keithw@klwines.com

By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

Champagne Marguet Pere & Fils, Ambonnay

A visit with the intelligent, diligent and thoughtful grower and winemaker Benoit Marguet is always illuminating. In this video he discusses his custom-made egg shaped foudres. Benoit, like all of the great vignerons is obsessed with every detail of his vines and wines.

His estate vineyards, centered in Ambonnay are all organically farmed and plowed by horse. He uses a very high percentage of wood fermentation for the wines, both in the large foudres in the video above and in small barriques, which he buys used so as not to get to much wood flavor. His wines are uniformly dry, precise and fine, with exceptional transparency and a strong sense of place.

Currently we have on hand:

Marguet Pere et Fils "Cuvée Reserve" Brut Champagne ($34.99) It is very rare to see an all Grand Cru Champagne at this price, but with our direct buy (from Mr. Benoit Marguet) we are able to offer a spectacular value with this wine. 

Marguet Pere et Fils Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne ($39.99) One of the most fun wines we carry. It's light without being unsubstantial, and has a clean refreshing personality. The mousse is exceptional, with tight fine streamers normally only seen in much more expensive bottlings.

2006 Marguet Pere et Fils Grand Cru Brut Champagne ($49.99) Composed exclusively of Grand Cru Mountain of Reims fruit, this is rich and toasty brut displays magic equilibrium. It is surprising how dry the wine finishes for the amount of decadent flavor on the mid palate.

2007 Marguet Pere et Fils Brut Rosé Champagne ($49.99) Unlike most rosé Champagnes, this is neither a saignée method whereby dark grapes are kept on the skins for a short time, after which the juice is bled off, nor made by the addition of still red wine, but rather by a combination of the two! The 2007 is one of the best rosés we have regardless of price. It is, unfortunately, extremely limited!

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 Check out more of my Champagne videos on YouTube!

Happy Thursday everyone,

This week the focus is on delightfully fresh, mouth watering, thirst quenching, "crispy" wines. One of my esteemed colleagues has earned the moniker "crispy" for her cheerful invitation to go out for a "crispy pint." And these wines are in the same vein. They invite you to open them with friends, enjoy the sunshine, and drink them to quench thirst. Little sips will not be sufficient with these; they are for guzzling down. 

Flama Roja Cava Brut Tarragona- $11.99  A bright and dry, yet creamier, rounder cava than the normal stuff.  Lower dosage than usual for cava.  Riper and more vinous style.   A K&L "alum" brings this one in  and I think you'll find it to be one of our best value sparklers. 

2010 Seculo Godello y Doña Blanca Bierzo - $11.99 Godello and Doña Blanca are perfectly suited to blending together, as this wine attests. I poured this wine for our Spanish tasting three weeks ago and it was well received.  Also noticed that one of my personal sommelier customers received this in a shipment, and then ordered a full case.  Careful, this white is delicious and addictive.   

2011 Bodegas Muga Rosado Rioja (1.5L) - $24.99  Muga rosé in magnum?  That's crazy talk.  Rest assured, though, we have these and even though we do not have a lot left, I thought that anyone on this list should know about it and grab some if they so choose.  This will disappear very soon. 

2011 Ameztoi "Rubentis" Rosé Getariako Txakolina - $19.99 Our most popular cult Spanish rosé is back.  Interestingly, I actually saw this wine in a local shop in Getaria (the beautiful town at the bottom of those sloped, seaward facing Getariako Txakolina D.O. vineyards).  Thanks to Americans' enthusiasm for this wine, what started as more of an export phenomenon appears to have found acceptance amongst some of the world's most serious gourmands in Getaria.  Try this with Cantabrian sea anchovies, canned Spanish "Bonito del Norte" tuna  or a tomato and garlic rubbed piece of toasted bread with olive oil and sea salt.

Un Saludo,

-Joe

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Joe Manekin

Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American Wine Buyer

K&L Wine Merchants

Ph: 877.559.4637 ext. 2748

joemanekin@klwines.com

In case you're not following our other in-house blog, the K&L Spirits Journal, our two spirits buyers are leaving today for the green hills of Scotland, where they'll spend the next twelve days rummaging through musty warehouses in search of great whisky.  Make sure you keep up with their adventures by tuning in each day to the Spirits Journal, or follow them on Twitter via KLDavidDriscoll and KLDavidOG.  They'll be updating with video, photo, and text - the works!

I love crisp, mineral-driven and complex white wines. This is because I enjoy white wine as an apéritif, as well as with most foods, and I have no problem drinking white wine throughout an entire evening, as long as the context is appropriate. If you were to examine my personal shopping habits, you would see a bias towards “Old World” white wines—wines from Spain, France, Germany, Austria and Italy, with the occasional South African or Greek bottle tossed in—and the reason is simple: greatest variety for greatest value. 

Thus, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the 2010 vintage in Italy, which, thanks to a perfect storm of climatological factors yielded incredibly fresh, pure, expressive wines across the boot, but particularly in the northeast, where white wine is king. If you regularly enjoy wines from the cool, mountainous regions of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia like I do, then you will not want to miss out on this vintage. The wines exhibit that characteristic raciness of the north, but it is a raciness matched by profound richness, texture, and complexity.

You almost can't go wrong with the abundance of fabulous 2010s available, but here's a duo that captures the beauty and harmony of the vintage with exceptional precision. Not your Grandma's Pinot Grigio, these are chiseled, high-caliber whites that must not be missed by any serious connoisseur:

2010 Pacherhof Kerner Valle Isarco ($22.99) Never heard of Kerner? A cross of Riesling and Trollinger, Kerner is an aromatic white grape varietal cultivated primarily in the mountainous regions on the Austria/Swiss-Italian border. Under the careful management of owner/winemaker Andreas Huber, Pacherhof produces some of the region’s most exciting white wines from varietals most people don’t normally associate with Italy, like this. In the 2010, aromas of lemon-lime and delicate peach, with sweetgrass and spice undertones, are followed by round and unctuous flavors that expand on the palate along a firm backbone of acidity. Despite it's floral qualities, this is no wallflower; enjoy this elegant, volumous white paired with a dish like poached white fish with caper sauce.

2010 Edi Keber Collio Bianco ($24.99). In the foothills of the Alps, in the southeastern corner of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, Collio is a unique district in that some of its vineyards stretch over into Slovenia but are permitted to bear the Collio designation. Local winemaking legend Edi Keber produces one wine, a white, from vineyards situated just meters from the Brda region of Slovenia. Always a of blend Friulano, Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla, the 2010 is a brilliant effort. Intense, full and round, its distinctive mineral character is matched by ripe, fleshy layers.  Earthy floral aromas are accompanied by orchard fruits and lead to a palate that is rich, creamy and lush, with continuing mineral accents and hints of savory herb. Impeccably balanced and incredibly long, this easily takes the place of Burgundy at the table.   

-Chiara Shannon

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Explore the World of Wine! Design your own customized wine club through the K&L Personal Sommelier Service today!

CALIFORNIA BEATS OREGON BY A LANDSLIDE WITH A TIE FOR FIRST PLACE!

It was a packed house last Saturday, as 50+ K&L customers put their palates to the test in the Redwood City tasting bar. The annual CA vs OR Pinot Noir Blind Tasting Challenge is one of our most fun and popular customer tastings, drawing an enthusiast crowd of eager and open-minded Pinot aficionados.

In the end, California won by a landslide. Three wines were head and shoulders above the rest in terms of customer's votes. There was a tie for first place, each wine with 12 votes. Those wines were the 2009 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ($19.99) and the 2009 Calera "Mills Vineyard" Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir ($44.99) with the 2008 Holdredge Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($32.99) coming in second with 11 votes.

Out of the Oregon entries, the 2009 Soléna "Grand Cuvée" Oregon Pinot Noir ($22.99) was the most popular, with 5 votes.

The Winners  (both with 12 votes):

 

2009 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ($19.99)

Known as one of the “god-fathers” of Central Coast Pinot Noir Jim Clendenen began Au Bon Climat in 1982. Since then he has made some of the best wines in the area. This Santa Barbara County bottling in Jim’s Words is, “Just easy to drink…There is nothing pretentious here, just well balanced, nicely textured, brightly fruity wine that seems to go with everything.” We couldn't agree more, but the wine speaks for itself.

 

 

2009 Calera "Mills Vineyard" Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir ($44.99)

In 1975, Josh planted his first 24 acres of Pinot Noir in three separate parcels. Since then Calera has been widely recognized as one of the leading producers of Pinot Noir in the United States. The Mills Vineyard was originally planted in 1984 at an average elevation of 2,200 feet on pure limestone soils. The wine saw 16 months of 30% new French Oak. 1,599 cases were made from certified organically grown grapes as are all the grapes that are grown at Calera. 

 

K&L's Domestic Wine Buyer Bryan Brick assembled a lineup of 10 Pinot Noirs, 5 from Oregon and 5 from California, in the $19.99 to $49.99 price range and from vintages ranging from 2008 - 2010. The wines were brown-bagged and noted with a number. Tasting patrons received a blank piece of paper, with the numbers 1-10. The point of the challenge was not to guess all the wines correctly, but rather to thoughtfully evaluate the wines based on merit without letting preconceived notions obscure judgment and - most importantly - pick a personal favorite!

Tasters' "best-of" votes were submitted at the end of the tasting and tallied. The results reveal that the majority of tasting attendees showed a clear preference for fruit-forward and lush Pinots over lighter, brighter styles at this tasting.

What didn't seem to tip the scale much was price, with one of the least expensive wines ($19.99) tying with one of the most expensive  ($49.99) for first place.

Looks like CA Pinot producers don't have to worry about losing their loyal K&L Redwood City customers anytime soon! 

Shop our wide selection of Pinot Noir and stage your own Pinot Noir Blind Tasting Challenge with friends at home!

Greetings everyone,

Let's go with the classic 1, 2, 3 bullet point format for today:

1.) Back from Spain!

My K&L Hollywood colleague Keith Mabry and I just returned from our trip to Spain (primarily spent in Rioja, with a little time in Penedes) and we are very much looking forward to some new wines coming in as a result.  New direct imports to expect some time in the next few months include:

- An often overlooked, historic bodega in Rioja (dates back to the 14th c) with a lovely traditional range of wines. 

- A new bodega who produces terrific, expressive, judiciously oaked wine in Rioja (and, interestingly, also distributes wines from Paul Pernot, Michel Lafarge, and other Burgundy producers in Spain)

- A killer 1999 gran reserva from Bodegas Puelles (don't worry, we will surely email you when it arrives in a few months)

- Two fantastic, smaller cava producers from Penedes.  More details on those later as we finalize our orders.

For any of you planning trips to Spain, I encourage you to contact me for suggestions on places to stay, eat, and of course winery visit recommendations.

2.) Miguel Merino:  He's once again carrying a bag

"Carrying a bag" is industry speak for working "on the street," which is slang for selling wine wholesale to retail and restaurant accounts.  If you know the Merino story, you know that he used to carry a bag selling Riojas for $2 a bottle at a time when 1st growth Bordeaux probably cost $30 per bottle.  Well, we convinced him to dust off his old wine bag, head back to the States and tell his story (as well as the story of his delicious Rioja wines made all from Briones fruit in Rioja Alta).  We will likely have an in-store tasting in Redwood City on Tuesday June 19th and a dinner in San Francisco on Wednesday June 20th. Final dates still TBD, but please mark your calendars as both of these events should be lots of fun (especially dinner).  Miguel tells great stories and the best stories invariably are told over good food and drink.  Hope that you can join us.

3.) On third party reviews and TWA's new Spain critic

While all things third party and 100 point scale are typically verboten on my email list (not to criticize, just that I prefer this to be a more personal, subjective format) I do think it's worth a quick mention that I read the recent Wine Advocate Catalunya round-up from new Spanish critic Neal Martin, and found it quite interesting.  Neal's take on wines, the evident seriousness with which he approaches his work, the journalistic and academic rigor he seems to apply should all be good things for Spanish wine.  His more conservative scoring may not turn farmers into ferrari drivers, but his intellectual curiosity, wit and writing will certainly result in some more lively reading.

Alright, that's it for this week.  We'll be selling stuff again next week.

Un saludo,

Joe

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Joe Manekin

Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American Wine Buyer

K&L Wine Merchants

Ph: 877.559.4637 ext. 2748

joemanekin@klwines.com

Visiting the wine library of Veuve Clicquot (the Cave Privee) is quite an experience. Sometime in November, Clicquot will be re-releasing a tiny quantity of old vintages which have been untouched in their deep caves in Reims- and I was lucky enough to be invited there to taste a preview by Pierre Casenave, one of the winemakers. If you are interested in his perspective on the vintage program, you can watch the interview I did with him earlier this month here:

http://blog.klwines.com/httpblogklwinescomuncork/champagne-friday-talking-with-pierre-casenave-of-veuve-clicq.html

The ancient Crayers, or chalk cellar in the video was not conducive to recording audio, so my notes on the wines tasted are here:

The Brut Vintage wines hover around 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Meunier. The roses are the same, but include more Pinot Noir in the form of about 13% red wine from Bouzy, which is also Pinot Noir.

2004 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame: This wine is the new release of the LGD, which was last made in 1998, skipping the widely declared vintages of 1999, 2000 and 2002. It will arrive in the US around November. It is composed of 69% Pinot Noir and 31% Chardonnay and is an extraordinarily fresh style, very consistent with the other very good 2004's that I have had. Like 1988, I think this vintage will surprise and delight Champagne lovers with the space and patience to cellar some bottles. It has a pale straw color and a vivacious nose. I found it to be creamy and round, but still finished with a lot of minerality.

1990 Veuve Clicquot "Cave Privee" Brut Vintage: This is a rich, full bodied Champagne that is only just starting to show aged flavors at 22 years old. On the nose it was quite buttery with a charming chanterelle mushroom component. It was very textural and broad in the mouth, and much richer than one would expect from a Champagne that was only dosed at 4 grams per liter. Truly excellent wine. This is the second time I have tasted it, and earlier this month Pierre and I had it with lobster, which was a perfect match.

1980 Veuve Clicquot "Cave Privee" Brut Vintage: A Champagne at its peak of development, this is the first of two in this tasting that I can only compare to Burgundy. The wine was so full of melted butter and truffle aromas and flavors I would equate it to Montrachet to the nose and great old Corton on the palate. This would be a dream to have with Foie Gras!

1989 Veuve Clicquot "Cave Privee" Brut Rose: The youngster of the bunch, and the exception to the rule of the 1989 vintage, which produced mostly fat wines. This rose is young, and still quite tight, with a fresh nose of strawberry fruit that I found almost shockingly primary for a 23-year-old bottle. On the palate the wine shows more development with nougat balanced out by its considerable Chardonnay snap. It finishes super dry, and could use even more time in a Champagne lovers cellar.

1978 Veuve Clicquot "Cave Privee" Brut Rose: This bottle was one of my top Champagne experiences and on par with bottles like the 1964 Collard, 1973 Philippe Gonet and 1976 Krug. With a markedly darker color than the 1989 rose, it reminded me immediately of Vosne-Romanee because of its giant, meaty, black cherry bouquet. On the palate the wine was so decadent, I could only think to compare it to Richebourg. The finish would not stop, and writing this the morning after with dozens of Champagnes, a big dinner and breakfast between, I feel I can still taste it. I have had a few bottles of this stateside, and the immaculate storage of the Clicquot Cave Privee has made a huge difference for this 34-year-old Champagne.

If you are interested in obtaining any of these wines when they arrive in November, please contact me at garywestby@klwines.com. We will be one of very few places in the USA to get the wines when they arrive direct from Reims.

A toast to you!

-Gary Westby

On Saturday K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby visited Benoit Tarlant at his winery in Oeuilly in the Valley of the Marne. They tasted a vertical of his tiny production (and currently sold out!) single vineyard Cuvee Louis and Benoit explained the wine. The mystery vintage tasted last in the video will be released out of sequence... Perhaps not for many, many years!