Champagne Friday: K&L Holiday Grand Champagne Tastings

By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

Please join us on Saturday, December 8th for our annual Holiday Grand Champagne Tastings, taking place in all three K&L locations. If you missed the tent event, now is your opportunity to catch up! The cost for each tasting is $40 and will include top highlights from the tent event of grower-produced and grand marque Champagnes that also make perfect options for holiday gift-giving and entertaining.

Tickets must be purchased in advance, and attendance is limited. These events will sell out, so be sure to grab your tickets now before they are gone!

Here is a sneak peak of the lineup, to be poured in each store:

NV Krug "Grande Cuvee" Brut-$139.00

 
NV Ariston "Cepages d"Antan Brut"-$99.00

NV Laurent Perrier "Grand Siecle"-$109.00

 
2002 Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut Vintage-$59.99

2004 Perrier Jouet "Belle Epoque" Brut-$99.00

2005 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut-$189.00 

Links to Purchase Tickets:

December 8: Grand Champagne Tasting-Redwood City-1 p.m. to 4 p.m.-$40 

Purchase Tickets here!  

December 8: Grand Champagne Tasting-Hollywood-3 p.m. to 6 p.m. -$40

Purchase Tickets here!  

December 8: Grand Champagne Tasting, San Francisco-12 noon to 3 pm.-$40 

Purchase tickets here!  

We hope to see you there!

-Gary

Champagne Friday: Visiting Champagne Louis Roederer & Cellar Master Interview

By: Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer

Champagne Louis Roederer Visit & Cellar Master Interview

I met with Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon the cellar master of Champagne Louis Roederer (makers of the celebrated Cristal) last month in Reims. I had been hearing from many growers in the area about the serious work this house was doing in their vineyards, but unaware of the scope of their projects.

The quality of this great house has long been established, but if you haven't tasted the wines in a while, get ready to be impressed. They have not been resting on their laurels and the Champagne is better than ever. I was very surprised to learn that the only wine with purchased fruit in it that we carry from Roederer is the excellent Brut Premier. Every other wine is estate- and starts off as a selection of vineyards- not tanks. It is better to let Jean-Baptiste tell the story in today's video.

We currently have a range of Roederer Champagnes in stock. Shop and learn more about them by clicking the links:

Louis Roederer "Brut Premier" Champagne ($39.99)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The NV Brut Premier is a gorgeous wine that stands head and shoulders above the vast majority of wines in its price range. Apparently, it is quite possible to make great Champagne that doesn’t cost a small fortune. Ripe pears, smoke, spices, dried flowers and herbs are some of the many nuances that emerge from the glass. The Brut Premier shows lovely mid-palate depth and fabulous overall balance. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has done it again. This is a fabulous Brut Premier...Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015." (11/11)

2004 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne ($189.00)

97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 points Wine & Spirits, and 97 points and a *Cellar Selection* Wine Enthusiast: "Exceptionally rich and dense, an exceptional wine that reveals itself in layers, from the first fruit attack to the mineral texture and the way it gradually fills the mouth. Selected from old vines, there is a great flavor in this wine, with the promise of many years' aging." (12/12)

2004 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne Limited Edition Gift Box ($189.00)

2004 Louis Roederer Brut Champagne ($64.99)

2005 Louis Roederer Brut Champagne ($64.99)

2006 Louis Roederer Brut Rosé Champagne ($59.99)

2004 Louis Roederer Vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($64.99)

2005 Louis Roederer Vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne ($64.99)

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Check out more educational wine and spirits videos from the experts at K&L on YouTube!

Champagne Extravaganza Comes to Hollywood

Forty-plus-year-old bottles of Champagne Philippe Gonet resting in the cellar. Photo courtesy of Champagne Philippe Gonet.If you go to just one wine event all year, it should be the upcoming Champagne Tent Event at K&L Hollywood. A more lounge-y version of our already-sold-out event in San Francisco, this year's Champagne extravaganza will undoubtedly be our best yet. This year's line-up includes nearly 100 exceptional bubblies, from non-vintage Bollinger to 2002 Dom Perignon and Cristal to 1988 Veuve-Clicquot "Rare" Vintage Champagne, plus tasty treats from Cube Marketplace. But what really makes this tasting extraordinary is that, in addition to the dozens of Grand Marque Champagnes being poured, a number of the artisanal grower/producers exclusive to K&L will be flying in to pour and talk about their own wines

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