Top Ten - July 2024

2018 Pollard "Estate" Yakima Valley Proprietary Red (Elsewhere $35) ($19.95)

93 points Vinous: "The 2018 Red Wine is a total pleasure on the nose, leading off with a burst of crushed blueberries, peppery herbs and rosy florals. This soothes with its soft, pliant textures, as a contrasting blend of saline minerals and ripe wild berry fruits swirls throughout. The 2018 keeps the energy high. The mouth waters for more as violet inner florals and hints of licorice fade. This is almost too easy to like. It's beautifully balanced. (EG)" (10/2023)

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Buyer | Review Date: May 30, 2024

Is anyone looking for a totally delicious, expressive, rich, fruit-forward, easy-drinking red that totally over delivers on price point!? How about a nice bottle of red that is soft and approachable enough to drink on its own, but also has plenty of power and weight to stand up to a variety of foods?! How about an estate-grown, Bordeaux-inspired blend with 93 points from Vinous for under $20?! Yeah, we have a total winner today, this beautiful blend from Pollard Estate in Washington's Yakima Valley is the perfect wine to always have on hand for a satisfying, huge bang-for-the-buck, house red. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine delivers tons of dark berry fruits, cassis, mulberry, loganberry, hints of leather, sweet spice, dark chocolate, and dried thyme. Mouth-filling with fine, supple tannins, and some redder fruits with air. Juicy and long on the finish, with more dried herbs and hints of dusty earth mingling with the briary berry tones. A totally ridiculous deal, this wine was a great value at its normal price point, now at $19.99 it's just showstopping. This one probably won't last long.

2023 Laberinto "Cenizas de Laberinto" Sauvignon Blanc Maule Valley ($19.99)

96 points Tim Atkin: "Place, place, place," says Rafael Tirado of this stunning Sauvignon Blanc, which is consistently among Chile's finest. Showing remarkable tension and acidity, even in a difficult vintage, it has effortless energy and precision, with flavours of elderflower and lemongrass, some texture from time on lees and a salty, mouth-watering finish. 2024-30" (04/2024)

95 points Descorchados : "This is a classic in the Laberinto catalog and has been made since 1999. Its from a selection of vineyards planted on soils with abundant volcanic ash on a south-facing slope, a cool orientation. It offers tremendous fruit expression and is fresh despite the warm year. Fruity, herbal, and citrus notes abound, and the tense acidity is in command. One for oysters." (01/2024)

93 points James Suckling: "This sauvignon blanc is not pungent, but rather reticent and minerally. Pure white fruit and limes with seashells, gooseberry leaves and chalk. Acid-driven on the palate, with a laser beam of acidity cutting through. Limey and lightly saline in the finish with linear fruit. Really sharp and gastronomic." (02/2024)

2022 Franck Millet "Insolite" Sancerre ($29.99)

K&L Notes: One of K&L's very finest buys from France. This is a reserve cuvée made from Millet's chalkiest limestone soils. There is a long maceration at very low temperatures to extract as much flavor and character as possible. The resulting wine is intensely charged with stone fruit and minerality, and bright citrus notes. The wines of this family domaine have been a staple here at K&L since the 1994 vintage, when Franck and Betty Millet drove a long way (to Beaune!) on Easter Sunday to meet Clyde and crew to present the wines. We love these wines for their freshness, charm, and affordability. The Insolite is all from the caillotes (Oxfordian limestone) in their holdings. The Millets are so proud of this soil that a few souvenir rocks are included in the wooden six packs in which the wine is shipped.

Keith Mabry | K&L Loire Buyer | Review Date: December 12, 2023

The Insolite has become one of our most sought-after whites year after year. The iconic wood boxes it arrives in have a few souvenir limestone rocks from the Millets' vineyards. These rocks are the first thing that informs the flavor profile—chalky minerality. That thread of mineral tone and the framing acidity give that true sense of place that continues to be one of the reasons we love these wines. Other flavors of grapefruit, thyme, and crushed pineapple show off the exciting 2022 vintage—a new benchmark in the balance of ripeness and acidity. This is pure pleasure now and will drink well for many more years to come.

2018 Beringer "Reserve" Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Elsewhere $50) ($39.95)

95 points James Suckling: "Baked-blueberry, spiced-cherry, praline and vanilla aromas. Some gravel and pine undertones. It's full-bodied with firm, tight tannins. Creamy and supple with seamless fruit and hazelnut layers. Sleek and polished tannins." (01/2021)

94 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve is a beauty and is all Cabernet brought up in 51% new French oak, which is on the lower end for this estate. Its deep purple color is followed by a classic, nicely structured Knights Valley Cabernet with lots of savory red and black fruits, loamy earth, tobacco leaf, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. With beautiful richness and mid-palate depth, ripe yet present tannins, and outstanding length, it's going to drink nicely for 10-15 years." (01/2021)

92 points Vinous: "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Reserve is super expressive right out of the gate, which is unusual for a young Knights Valley wine. Crème de cassis, gravel, sage, menthol and licorice give the 2018 much of its dark, somber personality. The winemaking team has really pulled back on the extraction than in the past. The purity of the fruit is striking. (AG)" (02/2021)

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Buyer | Review Date: July 22, 2022

We have a smoking good price on the 2018 Beringer Reserve Knights Valley Cabernet, and it's a fantastic release this year! The wine is chockfull of smoldering black and blue fruit, crème de cassis, blackberry, graphite, unsmoked cigar, bay leaf, wonderful cedary, toasted oak. It has a very left bank Bordeaux feel to it this year with just a little extra fruit purity and ripeness from that California sunshine. The level of refinement and quality of this bottling continues to go from strength to strength, but in a world of spiraling price inflation, this wine is still a total steal given the quality and broad critical acclaim. The fact that Beringer's vineyards were bought and paid for decades (if not centuries) ago really help them keep costs under control. Add to that our keen negotiating skills, and you've got one heck of deal...a 95-point, iconic Cabernet, from a great vintage, for the lowest price in the country!

2019 Gloria, St-Julien (Elsewhere $60) ($46.99)

96 points Vinous: "The 2019 Gloria has a compelling nose: black fruit, crushed rocks, tobacco and very subtle marine scents that are all beautifully combined. Perhaps the most precise and delineated nose among an impressive array of Saint-Julien's this year. The palate is medium-bodied with a lively opening. A touch of soy infuses the black fruit; fine-boned with wonderful sapidity on the finish. Extraordinary length. Serious. (NM)" (01/2023)

95 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Showing beautifully, with the polished, pure, elegant style of the vintage, the 2019 Château Gloria sports a deeper ruby/purple color as well as great aromatics of cassis and assorted blue fruits to go with smoked tobacco, cedar pencil, damp earth, and floral notes. I love its purity, and it's just a quintessential, medium to full-bodied, layered Saint-Julien that can be drunk today or cellared for a solid two decades. It should be a no-brainer purchase for the wine lovers out there." (04/2022)

95 points Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux: "So good, this is a vibrant mix of young and exuberant, luxurious, seriously creamy in texture, crushed stone, baked earth, smoked caramel, damson, sweet blackberry and damson fruits. This is pure pleasure, hard to resist." (11/2022)

Ryan Moses | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 10, 2023

The 2019 Gloria has a ton going for it and is one of the more accomplished Left Bank wines at this price. Graphite, blackberry, and cedar aromas hint at one nuance after another. The palate is coated with pure black fruit, a hint of pepper, and lingering tannins that lead to a long finish with a tinge of salinity that adds a bit of liveliness. It has a lot to offer at this stage but also feels like a serious wine that will develop wonderfully over the years to come. I'd recommend a long decant or some time in a cool cellar, but I'd also recommend loading up while it's available at this price.

2019 Penfolds "Bin 389" Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz South Australia (Elsewhere $65+) ($49.99)

95 points Decanter: "With its seamless textural slide across the palate, this is a superb example of what is considered a distinctly Australian blend, showing both generosity and serious intent. A magnificent, full nose leads to a lively dance of red plums over blue and black fruits, although the strong acid spine results in a rather sharp finish. Time in the cellar will reveal more integrated harmony between the essential elements. (DS)" (06/2021)

94 points James Suckling: "Shows a very strident, oak-driven nose with cedar and spice thats overlaid on ripe blackcurrant, red plum and cherry. Pepper and cocoa powder, too. The palate has a sinewy feel with intense summer berries and plums, as well as strong blackcurrant character. Curated to a brazen style with strong tannins. A blend of 53% cabernet sauvignon and 47% shiraz, matured in American-oak hogsheads (300 litres - 25% new). A blend of Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Barossa Valley." (07/2021)

94 points Vinous: "Saturated garnet. Pungent, spice- and smoke-accented scents of black and blue fruits, licorice, violet, coconut and smoky minerals. Juicy and impressively concentrated, offering intense blackberry, cherry-vanilla and bitter chocolate flavors that become sweeter and more lively with air. Finishes smooth and impressively long, with repeating blue fruit and spice character and harmonious tannins that add shape and gentle grip. All American oak, one-third of it new. (JR)" (10/2022)

94 points Wine Spectator: "Rich, succulent flavors of wild berry are ripe and plush, but there's terrific restraint here as well, with cedary tannins and an element of palo santo, along with tobacco, dried herb and green tea notes that are firm on the finish, as more grace notes reveal themselves. (MW)" (12/2021)

92+ points Wine Advocate: "A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz, the 2019 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz was sourced from Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Barossa Valley and aged a year in American oak hogsheads (25% new). Some cool, mentholated notes lead the way, closely followed by cassis and blackberries, then hints of vanilla and cedar on the finish. It's medium to full-bodied, and generally pretty silky in feel, with a gentle dusting of drying tannins. (JC)" (06/2021)

Thomas Smith | K&L Australian Buyer | Review Date: June 26, 2024

The Bin 389 from Penfolds is an Australian classic. While most of us aren't drinking back-vintaged Penfolds Grange on a nightly basis, the Bin 389 provides a much more accessible option that continues to over-deliver in price and value. Long referred to as Baby Grange, the Bin 389 is a classic Australian blend of Cabernet and Shiraz from the same fruit sources and same barrels as used for its $600 counterpart. As far as vintage is concerned, 2019 is the best in recent memory. Sitting in the glass, this is black as night. I love the aromatics on this, hints of eucalyptus, anise, clove, and warm spices. The palate follows up with port, mocha, cherry compote, and blue fruits. I really love the structure here. This has a poised and powerful frame that holds its ample fruit. The tannin structure just sneaks up on you and crescendos right before the finish. I also love that despite its generosity of fruit, it's not sugary, cloying, or overripe for a second. The dryness of this wine extends from end to end. This is exactly what I look for in top-tier Australian wine: decadent and regal without going over the top. An exceptionally well-executed wine and a tremendous value.

2019 Alexandre Le Brun "Cuvée Revelation" Brut Champagne ($79.99)

K&L Notes: This Champagne comes from a very special plot in Monthelon, just behind the Le Brun house on a southeast facing slope. It is entirely Meunier, half of which was planted in 1952 and the other half in 1902; the oldest living vines that I have seen in Champagne. The village of Monthelon is in the Côteaux de Sud Épernay, one of the coldest microclimates in Champagne, and that cold climate, in tandem with these ancient vines, has given us a truly epic wine. Alex’s craft has added to this — he uses a combination of small oak and large foudres for this wine along with a very long, slow fermentation like at Billecart-Salmon. -Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer

Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer | Review Date: January 25, 2024

This 2019 is an example of just how great, just how noble Meunier can be in the right soil, with the right vine age, and the right hands making the wine. This is a wonderful follow-up to the fabulous 2014 and has an incredible bouquet of toasty aromas that are somewhere between brioche and panettone framed by subtle pear fruit. In the mouth, the wine has toasty nuts and tarte tatin flavors that give way to a fresh, mineral-driven finish. This Champagne has it all!

Booker's "Springfield Batch" #2024-01 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($99.99)

K&L Notes: Named for the small, central Kentucky town of Springfield, the home of Booker's birth and early life. Booker is said to have gotten his work ethic from his time as a farm hand there on the many tobacco patches and hay farms. This first release of 2024 is blended from 5five production dates across four different warehouse locations. The youngest component is 7 years, 7 months, and 8 days old. The barrel breakdown is 17% 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G, 7% from 4th floor of 9-story warehouse H, 31% from 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z, and 45% from 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 3.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: May 08, 2024

Caramel, peanut butter, toffee, brownie brittle, Heath bar, Luxardo cherries, vanilla pod, tobacco leaf, brown sugar, cinnamon, coffee bean, and wood. And that's just the nose! Aromatically, this Booker's is off the charts. The palate, at a hearty 124.5 proof, is a mix of sweet and heat. Sweet wood, butterscotch, caramel, and cinnamon mingle with a pleasant yet prickly backbone. Savory leather and cigar box notes are here too. Cheery cherry and nougat carry into the finish, which is medium in length but big and full in presence. With four releases a year, you might think it's easy to tire of Booker's, but the whiskey is always so damn good.

2019 Pontet-Canet, Pauillac ($119.99)

99 points James Suckling: "The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It's succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red." (02/2022)

99 points The Wine Independent: "Composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. It features notes of prunes, crème de cassis, and wilted roses, followed by suggestions of spice box, iron ore, Ceylon tea, and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich, concentrated, and seductive, with a racy backbone and ripe, fine-grained tannins supporting the complex, layered flavors, finishing long and minerally." (05/2023)

98 points Wine Enthusiast: "The wine is so perfumed, with ripe tannins set beside the black currant purity. The wine does have weight but the fruit is so refined and vibrant. Tannins give a core for aging, offering the structure and the density of a very fine wine. *Cellar Selection*" (10/2022)

98 points Decanter: "Such gorgeous aromatics of freshly picked violets, cherries and bramble fruits—pretty and quite delicate. The texture is smooth and succulent, mouth coating but full of soft tannins which have the most delicious black cherry, blackcurrant flesh and liquorice tinge to them—so satisfying. Extremely well balanced and well integrated, this has restrained power, it's not rich or particularly round but straight, direct and layered rather than wide. Really long finish with great freshness and touches of cool blueberries. This is just such a great wine, everything you want and you know there's power there promising a long life. Great winemaking on show. 35% aged in concrete, 50% new oak, 15% in barrels of one year, for 16-18 months. This year there's a new label, the drawing of the house has remained but the font is more elegant and modern. (GH)" (01/2022)

98 points Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux: "Particularly successful during En Primeur, and even better now, just bursting out of the glass. Plump and fruit forward, plenty of character, with spiced cedar and smoked earth, violet and iris notes play around the edges, but the focus is on creamy cassis, bilberry, cocoa bean and aniseed. Last vintage with Jean-Michel Comme as technical director, and you really now see the skilled use of amphoras, which added notes of austerity in the early years (they introduced them in 2012) but now showcase the precision of the fruit." (10/2021)

96 points Vinous: "The 2019 Pontet-Canet was so effusive and generous en primeur. Today, though, it is quite reticent. That won't be an issue for those who can be patient, but patience indeed will be the key here. Dark red fleshed fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice, kirsch, mint and blood orange gradually open with a bit of coaxing. Imposing tannins wrap it all together. The 2019 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty, but it needs time. (AG)" (01/2022)

2021 Antinori "Tignanello" Toscana ($189.99)

98 points Wine Advocate: "First made in 1971, this legendary Italian wine now celebrates its 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tignanello! The Marchesi Antinori 2021 Tignanello (made with 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc) pulls on all the heartstrings. To be released in May, the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profile with tart fruit flavors, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later. The through line, however, remains the bright freshness and minerality of Sangiovese. Compared to the 2018 vintage (which I also loved), this vintage has more overall fruit weight and volume. (ML)" (03/2024)

98 points Vinous: "The 2021 Tignanello is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel and then just after bottling. Silky and polished, with exceptional finesse, the 2021 has all the pedigree to become a modern benchmark for Tignanello and Italian wine more broadly. Bright dark red fruit, blood orange, spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco all soar out of the glass, framed by a discreet touch of French oak that adds raciness. In some vintages, the elements are discernible. In 2021, it is the total harmony of the wine that makes the strongest and deepest impression. The 2021 spent 17 months in wood, three months in neutral oak during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months (50% new) for the rest of its aging. Superb. (AG)" (02/2024)

96 points James Suckling: "The currants and spices are very pretty, with some hazelnut undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very structured for a Tignanello, with medium chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very polished and curated with a deft winemaking hand coming through. Needs three or four years to soften, but it's all there." (05/2024)