Wine of the Week: 2000 Coufran, Haut-Médoc ($27.99)

Direct from the Chateau, perfectly aged and ready to drink! Enjoy the 2000 Coufran tonight (K&L Founder Clyde Beffa recommends it with prime rib roast) - in stock now for $27.99 at KLWines.com. One thing we hear all the time at K&L is that Bordeaux has become too expensive. While it is true that the 30 or so top names have taken their prices to the moon, it is unfair to say that the whole regions prices are too high. This 11 year old bottle from one of the great modern vintages - 2000 Coufran, Haut-Médoc ($27.99) - is a fine example of extraordinary value in Bordeaux. It is polished, poised and very complete with loads of black fruit power, fine tannins and mineraly grip. It could be enjoyed tonight with a thick cut New York strip steak or laid down for another 10 years.  - Gary Westby, K&L Staff Member, 09/13/2011

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K&L's Gary Westby, loves his aged Claret! But above all, he loves value. His pet peeve? "Prestige" labels that under-deliver in the bottle. Go figure. From obscure, old & rare wines to local gems, if you are looking for the best deals in town, you are in good hands with Gary as your guide. 

Check out Gary's and other K&L staff reviews or choose Gary to be your Personal Sommelier  and receive customized monthly wine selections to suit your budget and interests!

Wine of the Week: 2009 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc Western Cape, South Africa ($18.99)

Relax with a bottle of this stunning South African Sauvignon Blanc, the 2009 Ataraxia Western Cape ($18.99) - in stock now at KLWines.com'Ataraxia' (Greek for 'tranquility'), is a term used by Pyrrho and Epicurus for a "lucid state, characterized by freedom from worry or any other preoccupation."* The next time you find yourself seeking a wine to complement your moment of relaxation - be it watching the sun set at the beach, walking through the garden, sunning by the pool, or cocktails on the dock, you will find this invigorating and complex Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa - the 2009 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc ($14.99) - to be a worthy sipping companion. No pungent herbaceous notes here; this wine smells of meyer lemons and apples, with accents of flint and white pepper. The palate is round and deep, with juicy acids that lead to a persistent and mouthwatering finish. Fans of Sancerre take note. 

"Situated on 125 acres of some of the most stunning elevations in Walker Bay, these vineyards are planted in billion year old granite and weathered shale soils exposed to the cooling breezes of the nearby South Atlantic. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc of terrific purity and finesse, with subtle flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, melon and fleshy gooseberry interwoven upon the palate, finishing with a fine thread of green tea and minerality." -John Majeski, K&L Staff Member

91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Mar/Apr 11

90 points Wine Spectator, Sept 11

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More From Down Under: K&L San Francsico-based John Majeski specializes in wines from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Check out John's latest wine reviews as well as hundreds of recent reviews by other K&L staff members on the K&L Staff Review Page.    

*Source for definition of 'ataraxia': Wikipedia

Wine of the Week: 2009 Château de Saint-Lager Brouilly ($14.99)

Make this 09 Beaujolais gem your house red for the month - only $14.99 and available now at K&L! We can't get enough of '09 Beaujolais around here. K&L's veteran employee Jim Barr (review below) is not alone - K&L staff overall are obsessed with these stunning Gamays, from Villages to Cru level. They carry that classic bright Gamay red fruit, but with loads more complexity and substance, thanks to an off-the-charts vintage. If you like the finesse and character of Burgundy, but want something a little more lip-smacking and food-friendly to enjoy now (especially with Labor Day barbecue and picnic fare) don't miss these beauties from 09 in Beaujolais. You will never think the same about Gamay again!

"I thought that this would never, ever happen. For forty plus years, of all the cases of wine that I have bought and drunk or cellared, I have never bother to buy a Beaujolais, villages or in general. It was always a bottle here and one there, but never a case. Then this stupidly great vintage of 2009 shows up and I am totally mesmerized by the amazing quality and depth of flavor of these wines. Sooo, when [K&L Burgundy Buyer] Keith Wollenberg landed a 2009 villages production from Chateau De Pizay Morgon (now sold out) a few months back, I was so totally overwhelmed by its stunning richness and broadness of flavor, that I bought not just one case, but two, one for current consumption and one for aging to see how it will evolve. Chateau de Pizay has sent us another villages production from the 2009 vintage, but under another a different label, Chateau de Saint-Lager Brouilly (another K&L Direct Import) and it, too, is a wine to behold. It not only rivals the Morgon, in many ways it is even more complex and deeply flavored. Medium-deep ruby in color, the nose explodes with opulent tones of blueberry to violet to strawberry fruit characteristics, that carry over to a broad, fleshy, deeply flavored Beaujolais (this is Gamay?) that is full, abundantly rich and concise, with mineral undertones, a creamy, viscous middle, and a long, flashy finish that refuses to give up. And, yes, I have bought two cases of this Gem. Anderson* has informed me that this Gem beauty will be one of our house red for the month. ABV 13.0%" -Jim Barr, K&L Staff Member 08/31/2011

 

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Jim Barr has worked for K&L for 25 years. Interested in more recommendations from Jim? Visit the Staff Review section of KLWines.com to browse hundreds of staff reviews from Jim and other K&L Staff Members!

 

  

*Note: Anderson is Jim's dog who, along with the cats Bean, Eby and Rizzo, oversee the wine program of the Barr household.