K&L Monthly Newsletter - Featuring Champagne

Now Available From K&L Wine Merchants... Tuesday Jun 6th, 2017 [View in Browser]( [Special Champagne Feature]( wedding season calls for Champagne. And we have it for you here at K&L! If you want a delicious value from a small grower or a blue chip from a Grand Marque, we have you covered. My favorite choice for a wedding gift is the [K&L Champagne Club]( a two bottle shipment (you can also pick it up at one of the stores) every other month for a total of 12 bottles a year at just $69.99 a shipment. The strong dollar, combined with the buying power of more than 700 members, allows me to put some great stuff in the club. This month it is two vintage wines, the 2012 Franck Bonville “Millesime” Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne and the 2010 Ariston Aspasie Brut Champagne. My goal with this club is to tour the region, explore the different combinations of grape varieties, dive into the different styles of Champagne and showcase all the different kinds of producers. I think that any bride and groom will find a reason to celebrate 12 times a year. If not for them, then for you! I have been asked hundreds of times by customers for recommendations on good books and resources for learning about Champagne. While almost all the books are mostly just lists of tasting notes, I now have an online resource I can heartily recommend. The Comité Champagne has a great website, www.champagnecampus.com, as well as a great app for your phone by the same name. I have learned a lot from using it and I think you will too! -Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer [View our electronic newsletter!]( Highlights this month include... Item Name Score Retail Link Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne $34.99 [View]( Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 91 $34.99 [View]( Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne 90 $34.99 [View]( A.D. Coutelas "Cuvée Louis Victor" Brut Champagne 90 $39.99 [View]( Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes Champagne $39.99 [View]( Pierre Paillard "Les Parcelles" Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne 91 $48.99 [View]( Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut Champagne $49.99 [View]( Bollinger "Special Cuvée" Brut Champagne 93 $59.99 [View]( 2009 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne 97 $199.00 [View]( 2002 Krug Brut Champagne 100 $259.00 [View]( [Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne]( [Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne]( ($34.99) Our best deal in pink bubbles! Fans of Billecart-Salmon take note: this is an elegant, dry style that is made entirely from estate-grown fruit in Brouillet. This Champagne is a blend of half and half Pinot Noir and Meunier. The color comes from 12% Meunier that is vinified red, from an old-vine plot that gets quite ripe. It is a very pretty tarnished pink color and has a lazy bead from over five years of aging on the lees. Our current selection has a 2012 base wine. It has gorgeous red cherry fruit on the nose and mid-palate, but still finishes snappy and dry. The wine also has a nice mineral note on the finish, and I can't help thinking about all the fossils that I filled my pockets with in their vineyard while enjoying its long finish. Now with the Aspasie label. (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer) Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 03, 2015 Nobody in Champagne works harder on making a great rose than Paul-Vincent Ariston, owner of Champagne Aspasie, and no bottle that we carry is as outstanding of a bargain. Most producers either make a red wine to blend into their white or do a maceration of all the skins for a short time to make rose. Paul does both, as he likes the complexity that the maceration method brings to the wine, and the control that the addition of red wine offers. This isn't just a good deal, it is a Champagne of spectacular depth and character, that is also super easy to drink. Turk]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 27, 2016 An electric rosé! Composed of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Meunier, this expensively-made wine goes through carbonic maceration and the saignée method, with a little still red wine added in. The result is stunning: gorgeous wild berry fruit with delicate bead, bracing acidity and a clean, minerally finish. Beckerley]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 26, 2008 Fresh off de boat! Just tried this last Saturday night (4th of July). Those of you who are fans, don't be confused by the new Aspasie label! It's the same wine you have loved for years! Loads of raspberry, strawberry and bing cherry fruit. Hints of minerality hit the tongue and make this a winner for those of you who like the Billecart-Salmon style at a greatly reduced price. We always sell out of this one! --------------------------------------------------------------- [Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne]( [Franck Bonville Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne]( ($34.99) 91 points Wine Enthusiast: "From the heartland of Chardonnay in Champagne comes this rich, creamy, apple-flavored wine. It has lively acidity, balanced with some sweetness from the dosage. It has weight and a crisp aftertaste. (RV)" (12/2012) K&L Notes: All Champagne producers should be judged on their entry-level wine, and Olivier's is as good as they get. This is always the fastest non-vintage Champagne to sell out -- so get it while we have it! The nose is effusive, with baguette, white flowers and a nice salinity, while the flavors have a fine balance of white fruit, cream and precise Avize chalk. Don't miss this. The Underground Wine Letter also rates this wine Outstanding Plus: "This is a terrific Champagne with great balance, flavor and style and it is a real value. Pale yellow in color the wine has a lovely perfume with hints of peach and citrus and faint floral nuances accented by a kiss of vanilla. Creamy and very flavorful, this is a Champagne that is very harmonious showing subtle hints of peach, citrus, and spice. Elegant and long on the finish this is gorgeous to drink now or keep for many years." Our current release has a primary blend from 2013 and 2014 and is dosed at a very low 5g/L. Beckerley]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 27, 2008 There is simply no better Blanc de Blanc in the store at this price! Classic Avize minerality with crisp apple-y fruit, lemons, limes and wet stone aspects. A wonderful Chamnpagne with caviar or baked Brie. Too good of a value to pass up. We can also go for months without having this sparkler in stock. Also available in 375ml and magnum. It also comes in a gorgeous 2002 vintage as well! --------------------------------------------------------------- [Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne]( [Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne]( ($34.99) 90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The Laurent-Perrier NV Brut is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier, and is based on 2009 plus 15-30% reserve wines from two or three vintages. Citrus colored, this signature LP has a refined, fresh and elegant nose with brioche and delicate citrus flavors. Lean, refined and elegant on the palate, this is a dry and silky textured, vivacious, and perfectly fresh and balanced aperitif Champagne. It does not have the opinion-dividing thrill and tension of the Ultra Brut, but will probably find more friends. (SR)" (03/2016) 90 points Wine & Spirits: "This wines fresh fruit and firm structure match bright lemon zest flavors with limestone severity. The fine bubbles add to the clean sensation of the finish. Its spicy, tight and formidable, a wine to kick-start a dinner party." (12/2015) Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 18, 2015 A great value in Grand Marque Brut Champagne! This is a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier that has a nice nose of fresh baguette and a clean, racy impression in the mouth. A very good aperitif! Beckerley]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 17, 2015 This is classic Laurent-Perrier style. Nutty notes on nose with chalky notes. On the palate,anjou pear and yellow apple fruit, lemon notes and clean, fresh minerality on the finish. A clean, classic stlye! A blend of 50% chardonnay, 15% pinot meunier and 35% pinot noir. A pleasing 10.7 grams per litre of dosage, though it tastes more like 7 or 8 grams. --------------------------------------------------------------- [A.D. Coutelas "Cuvée Louis Victor" Brut Champagne]( [A.D. Coutelas "Cuvée Louis Victor" Brut Champagne]( ($39.99) 90 points Wine Enthusiast: "Fermented in wood and with the addition of a high proportion of reserve wines, this rich bottling displays a creamy texture and good acidity. It hints at the wood and is on the dry side. (RV)" (12/2016) K&L Notes: The Louis Victor from Coutelas is made in the solera style, from one large barrel containing a perpetual blend. Coutelas lists this as composed of 1/3 each Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot Noir, but in fact, it is refreshed with 1/4 of the best variety of vinified in a given year, while another 1/4 is taken out and bottled. This means that we know a lot more about the age than the varietal blend! This solera was started in 2007, and the current batch has wine as young as 2012 in it. Angelique and Damien have 17.5 acres, mostly in Villers-sous-Chatillon, but also in Ambonny, Bouzy, Vitry-la-Francois and Troissy. Their family has been growing since 1809 and started making their own Champagnes in the '20s. The majority of their vines are over 60 years in age, and all the work in the vineyards and cellar is done by hand. Turk]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 07, 2017 Bright green apple shines on the nose, followed by more exotic fruit through the richer palate. There is a subtle sherry quality to this complex Champagne, but despite that lush feel, the finish is snappy and quite dry, with pleasing chalkiness. Coutelas delicious "Cuvée Louis Victor" always sells out quickly, and given the price for such a well-made offering, I can see why. Schroeder]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 05, 2017 This Champagne, made using a sort of solera-style fractional blending, deserves a good amount of contemplation. It is incredibly precise and delicate with light citrus, apple, exotic fruits, and a hint of herbs with chalky minerality. But its method of production adds notes that are new to me in the realm of Champagne. It has almost a fine indigenous-yeast sherry note to it that I love! I now understand why this Champagne sells out so quickly every time we get it in stock. Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 20, 2016 This bottling is a blend of 2007 through 2012 vintages with three years of ageing on the lees. It is a brassy gold color and has a generous nose of fresh forest aromas and brioche toast. In the mouth it has a round, rich, seamless texture and an amazing array of flavors It is easily one of the most complex Champagnes that we have on the shelf. The truly amazing thing to me is the focus of the wine. It stays completely refreshing, vibrant and mineral on the long finish, which makes the 750ml format seem to small! This Champagne is produced out of one 8000 liter barrel and every year about 100 cases is bottled, and the barrel is refreshed with the best wine of the next harvest. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes Champagne]( [Boulard-Bauquaire "Trepail" Brut Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes Champagne]( ($39.99) This Champagne comes from one plot of 70 year old Chardonnay vines in the Montagne of Reims village of Trepail. It is aged for three years on the lees. The Champagne has a chalky, creamy, bready nose and a concentrated impression on the palate. As one would expect from such ancient vines, it delivers the goods on the finish with plenty of chalk as well as a bit of honey and white fruit. This makes a perfect aperitif, but will also pair well with seafood such as seared scallops ore even raw oysters. (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer) Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 06, 2016 This is our most exotic and intense Blanc de Blancs, all from one ancient vineyard in the 1er cru of Trepail. This bottle just took the staff by storm when I poured a flight of all Chardonnay Champagne for my final staff training seminar of the year. The Boulard Bauquaire made bottles twice the price seem hollow with its wonderful richness and white fruit quality. Luckily, this Champagne also has a great dry, long, chalky finish! Schroeder]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 07, 2016 The Chardonnay used in this Blanc de Blancs comes from the illustrious Montagne de Reims, and the quality of the fruit is evident. Lovely aromas of roasted almonds, butterscotch and sweet baked pastry lift from the glass; on the palate a soft chalky minerality rides alongside nicely balanced acidity. Another fantastic addition to our Direct Import roster and outrageous value for the money. Dont miss this one! Beckerley]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 07, 2015 This is a bright new star in our small-estate Champagne portfolio! It has a lovely, creamy nose of lemon meringue, bread dough and chalk. On the palate, it starts out full with golden apples, creme fraiche and macaroon. By the mid-palate, up pops the acidity and chalk and lemon flavors. Long, chalky finish that lingers. Tasted with the staff on 2/7 and everyone agreed that it was delicious and a great new find! --------------------------------------------------------------- [Pierre Paillard "Les Parcelles" Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne]( [Pierre Paillard "Les Parcelles" Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne]( ($48.99) 91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Light gold, with a faint onion skin cast. Spicy orange zest and honeydew on the fragrant, mineral-accented nose. Dry and tightly focused, offering lively Meyer lemon and melon flavors and a deeper suggestion of nectarine. Finishes with building floral character and excellent tangy persistence, leaving bitter citrus zest and dusty mineral notes behind. (JR)" (01/2015) 90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Pierre Paillard's Bouzy Grand Cru Brut (the final name has still to be decided when I tasted it in March 2016) is a 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay blend, based on 2011 (65%) and 2010 (35%) that was disgorged with 3.5 grams per liter in September 2015. The wine is pure and subtle, but intense and fruity on the nose - already indicating remarkable finesse. It also has great finesse and purity on the palate; it is light and mineral, so pretty, and full of tension and character with a persistent finish. There are lemon flavors in the aftertaste. (SR)" (06/2016) K&L Notes: I am incredibly excited about the extraordinary quality of this top grower's Champagne. The name might sound familiar, as they are cousins with the negociant Bruno Paillard. But, their production is completely separate, and unlike Bruno, all estate-grown. And what an estate they have... 28 acres exclusively in the Montagne de Reims grand cru top village of Bouzy. There they exclusively cultivate their own selection of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay--they do not have a single clone on the estate. Although labeled as extra-brut, and dosed quite low at 3.5g/l, this is still a rich wine from ripe, south facing parcels in the Grand Cru of Bouzy.This wine is composed of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay with about 1/3 reserve wines. This wine has such power and presence it deserves a great pairing like lobster, but also has the elegance to enjoy as the aperitif. (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne buyer) Turk]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 14, 2017 Bouzy Grand Cru superstar! Such brilliant purity of fruit here the nose is classic red berried Pinot Noir, while the bright acidity of Chardonnay shines through the palate. Les Parcelles is surprisingly juicy for the low dosage (3.5g!), and although the linear minerality shows up in a big way, this is easygoing for racy Extra Brut. Add its delicate bead and lingering finish and you have incredible quality non-vintage Champagne with the muscle to age well while drinking beautifully now. I indulgently paired this Pierre Paillard with weeknight Thai takeout and it was one of my happiest meals of the year. Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 18, 2015 Non-vintage Champagne does not get much better than this. The Paillard family makes a statement with this great cuvee and show how very serious that they are about quality. All of the details have been studied and sweated over to make this wine, from planting only massal selected vines, to working towards an organic certification. This is Champagne that has power without losing its drinkability, and richness without sweetness. If you are only going to try one new Champagne this year, this should be it! Beckerley]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 21, 2014 This lower dosage, clean and linear Brut is one of the best that we carry, in my opinion. Green apple, bright cherry and lemon meringue notes on the nose. Bright apples, zippy lemon/lime and candied ginger flavors on the palate. It has a finish laden with chalk and minerals. When we have them, do NOT miss the magnums! They priced extremely reasonably and will age for another 10 years. As it is, this little beauty in the 750 ml bottle will age well for 6-7 more years. Do NOT wait to buy any of our Pierre Paillard selections! We receive them in limited quantities and they sell out quickly! --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut Champagne]( [Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Trilogie" Brut Champagne]( ($49.99) This non-vintage is based on the great 2008 harvest and composed of one-third each Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Before bottling, two-thirds is aged in large oak for a year, and then given five years of ageing on the lees. If you love spicy, complex, layered, textural Champagne like Bollinger, Tarlant and Krug, grab a bottle before it is gone! (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne buyer) Turk]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 07, 2017 Wow, Trilogie overdelivers! Stonefruit up front with a buttery richness through the creamy palate, this higher-end Lamoureux still shines with bright acid and a super delicate bead, plus a coating mouthfeel. I paired this with less-than-elegant queso and salty chips while in Austin, TX, and the combination of lift and toastiness (thanks to five years on the lees) struck a lively, lovely balance. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Bollinger "Special Cuvée" Brut Champagne]( [Bollinger "Special Cuvée" Brut Champagne]( ($59.99) 93 points Allen Meadows - Burghound: " *Outstanding* There is lovely complexity to the distinctly yeasty nose that combines high-toned green apple, pear, white flowers and gentle citrus nuances. The clean and sleek flavors are supported by a crisply firm but fine mousse where the finish is medium dry and lingering. It's not all that often that I suggest that readers cellar NV Brut but this is an example that absolutely cries out for it. I suspect that the texture will materially change for the better (i.e. become creamier) and better depth will be in the offing as well. Put it this way: this is a perfectly good Champagne right now but with 4 to 7 years of bottle age it could be first-rate and I would suggest buying it only if you're going to cellar it for at least a few years first. Note further that my rating assumes that the wine will be cellared." (01/2015) 93 points James Suckling: "Impressive concentration, freshness and purity here. It's all gently enriched with some savory, autolysis-driven characters. Truly a modern classic! Showing attractive spiced-apple, lemon and pink rose-like florals on the palate, this flows nicely into white-cherry territory with grilled hazelnuts and a core of sorbet-like fleshy peaches and lemons. Great balance. Drink now." (10/2016) K&L Notes: A Pinot Noir-dominated blend that always includes a generous proportion of reserve wines. The biggest and boldest of the big house non-vintages, this is still made from mostly estate fruit. All of the reserve wines are aged in magnums under natural cork, and a large percentage of the fruit is still barrel fermented. In an age where a lot of the big houses are concentrating more on marketing and less on the product, Bollinger continues their tradition of quality. (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne buyer) Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 02, 2015 Bollinger has a sterling reputation in Champagne for stalwart quality for a great reason. They do the hard work to make great Champagne, and there Special Cuvee is the standard barer for their range. Along with Krug, Bollinger is the only grand marque to refuse to give up their barrels, which they still ferment the wine in to this day. They are located in the village of Ay, famous for being the chalkiest terroir for Pinot Noir in all of Champagne, and Ay is the soul of this blend. It is one of the fullest, most powerful non-vintages from the grand marques, and also one of the driest. If you are a fan of Champagne and haven't tried this classic, you should! --------------------------------------------------------------- [2009 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne]( [2009 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne]( ($199.00) 97 points Decanter: "Long lingering finish. A great and supremely elegant Champagne. (ME)" (10/2016) 97 points James Suckling: "A very rich and full-bodied Cristal that harks back to 2006 or 1989 in style. It's round and rich, which underlies the ripeness of the vintage. Lots of dried-apple and pineapple character with bread dough and flan flavors. The bubbles are so fine you almost don't notice them. Very vinous style. Drink now." (10/2016) 97 points Wine Enthusiast: "***Cellar Selection***The latest incarnation of this famous Champagne now comes from Roderer's own vineyards, a good portion of which are run on biodynamic lines. This still-young wine has great depth and richness, a beautiful balance between ripe fruit and crisp texture that make it alive, crisp and bright. As it matures, it will deepen and become even more intense. Drink now if you must, but preferably wait until 2019. (RV)" (12/2016) 96 points Vinous: "Rich, radiant and totally seductive, the 2009 Cristal possesses remarkable depth and striking purity. I have often felt that Cristal is released too young, but that is not at all the case with the 2009, a Champagne that is absolutely glorious today. The ripeness of the vintage comes through in spades in the wine's luxurious, enveloping personality. I remember tasting the vins clairs and the Cristal blend back in the spring of 2010. The finished wine is every bit as alluring as those early tastings suggested it would be. The 2009 is a superb Cristal in the making. The 2009 blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. The percentage of wine aged in oak is 15%, which is down slightly from previous vintages. 96+ Points (AG)" (12/2016) K&L Notes: For the second time in history, Champagne house Louis Roederer has chosen to release their famous Cristal out of vintage order, since the 2008 needs more time on the lees. Westby]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: September 15, 2016 For many years now, Champagne Louis Roederer has been leading the way in progressive practices in the vineyard in the region. This approach showed in the wines at this years staff summit, and in a quite spectacular way. The wines of Roederer really have a shine to them, and the soon to be released 2009 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne exemplifies this luminescent style. Roederer has been the largest organic vineyard owner in Champagne for many years, and this is the first year that Critstal has been made exclusively from these organic, mid slope, pure chalk sites. The ripe vintage of 2009 has made for a precocious wine that is already showing much more aroma and giving much more pleasure than Cristal normally does when first released. That being said, this is a chalky, complex, detailed Champagne that has decades and decades of time to shine! --------------------------------------------------------------- [2002 Krug Brut Champagne]( [2002 Krug Brut Champagne]( ($259.00) 100 points James Suckling: "The much-anticipated 2002 has impeccable detail and depth with a lot of chalky, stony and flinty elements on the nose as well as a very fresh edge. The nose is very complex and wound up tight but presents itself as very integrated and compressed. There are aromas of lemon rind, lime juice and a lime custard all at once, complemented in turn by a super-restrained hazelnut-like edge. Undertones of brown mushrooms, chalky minerals and lemon leaf. The palate has a core of sizzlingly intense, concentrated chardonnay framed whitin a powerful phenolic structure that will underpin the future of this Champagne. Flawlessly fresh and as perfect as it gets. Give this time as it needs to settle: best from 2020 and then for another decade beyond." (10/2016) 100 points Wine & Spirits: "This has the stamina of the 2002 vintage from the first scent, a fragrance like pear skin and butterscotch, and something fresher, like meadow flowers. All of that fragrance comes in a wine thats expansive and dry, almost austere in the power of its acidity. Over the course of several days, the wine remains impervious to the fraying of oxidation, instead building on its flavors, deepening to scents of white truffles. Initially, the power of the acidity not only cleans up after the wines substantial flavor, but also seems to lash all those notes together and rocket them through a buzz of energy that lasts for minutes. That energy, undiminished four days later, when the bubbles have finally gone, takes on a gentler power, presenting the harmony and elegance at the center of the wine. The 2002 may well be the greatest vintage wine Henri Krug produced during his four-decade career." (12/2016) 100 points Wine Enthusiast: " *Cellar Selection* This is a fabulous wine from the greatest Champagne vintage so far this century. Still young, it blends almost equal amounts of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fleshed out with Pinot Meunier. The minerality and the rich apple and green fruits are balanced, and acidity cuts into the wine with a pure, perfumed line of freshness. The wine could be drunk now, but it will age well into the the 2020s. (RV)" (12/2016) --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on: Check Out Our Blog: [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [On the Trail (K&L Blog)]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [My Account]( | [Wine Clubs]( | [Events]( |[Gift Cards]( | [Accessories]( | [Shipping]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Missed an offer? Check out recent opportunities at our [Email Archive]( page. Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637) Email: wine@klwines.com K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA Click here to manage your e-mail settings with K&L Wine Merchants or alternatively, [click here to unsubscribe from all mailings]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [K&L](