December Newsletter: Legendary Quintarelli, Sweet Temptation, Big Bottles, Holiday Gift Selections

The December newsletter is now available.
Click here to download the pdf.

Highlights from this month’s newsletter…

SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS

Open Sunday, December 21 &

Monday, December 22

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

**Yes! We’ll be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve.**

CHAMPAGNE, EVERY DAY

by Katya Karagadayeva

Grilled broccoli romanesco and Belgian endive salad. Boudin blanc and fingerling potatoes, escarole, and apples. Oven-roasted king trumpet mushrooms . . . In short, I recently had dinner at one of my favorite East Bay restaurants, Camino. The food is outstanding and the atmosphere delightfully laid-back. Since I like to try as many items on their menu as possible, I brought friends, plus a bottle of Cachet Or—after all, the holidays are just around the corner, and this juicy, accessible Champagne goes with everything.

The Cachet Or has a beautiful, firm texture, just the right amount of richness, a delicious fruitiness (apricot, peach, a hint of anise), and a touch of minerality. The magic of this brut is that it stood on its own and complemented every single dish—from radicchio salad to persimmon pudding. I am grateful to the ladies of J. Lassalle for Champagne that can be enjoyed with anything on any given day.

NV Brut “Cachet Or” 1er Cru

J. Lassalle

$39.00 per bottle $421.20 per case

CELLAR SELECTIONS 

by Dixon Brooke

2012 BOURGUEIL “CUVÉE BEAUVAIS”

DOMAINE DE LA CHANTELEUSERIE

Thierry Boucard created this incredible Cabernet Franc from old vines planted in the prime tuffeau slopes of Bourgueil. Thierry’s father, Moïse, was also legendary in the region for his Bourgueils, the proof of which still rests in moldy bottles in the tuffeau cellars beneath the Boucard vineyards. Thick, grippy tannin gives way to great complexity with extended bottle age. Age a case yourself, rather than relying on our rare cellar releases. Recently tasted examples of great Boucard Beauvais: 1990, 1989, 1986, 1983, 1976.

$18.00 per bottle $194.40 per case

2012 AUXEYDURESSES BLANC “LES HAUTÉS”

JEAN-MARC VINCENT

What a white Burgundy this is, a sleeper that runs under most folks’ radar. Les Hautés sits on the hillside behind Meursault, as the slope turns east toward the village of Auxey-Duresses. It is the extension of the Vireuils lieu-dit of Meursault, where white limestone is abundant. The line demarcating the boundary between Meursault and Auxey-Duresses sits between these two vineyards. Jean-Marc Vincent works his parcel like a grand cru, and the results speak for themselves. This beauty is easily capable of aging and improving for ten years.

$52.00 per bottle $561.60 per case

2008 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO • POGGIO DI SOTTO

Piero Palmucci’s project at Poggio di Sotto was nothing short of remarkable. He proved definitively, in the relatively short span of twenty years, that Montalcino is capable of making some of the greatest red wines in the world. He wasn’t the first, but for me his work most significantly highlighted the importance of, and the difference between, the subzones of Montalcino. The steep, calcareous marl slopes of Castelnuovo dell’Abate can produce wines with the finesse and longevity of great Burgundy, and no vintage more excitingly showcases this possibility over the last ten years than this one. No cellar is complete without it.

$175.00 per bottle $1,890.00 per case

ROSATO FROM SOMMARIVA

by Anthony Lynch

Prosecco rosé? Technically speaking, no, but that captures the spirit of this frizzante rosato. Sommariva—the family-run estate in the foothills around Conegliano, in the heart of the Prosecco zone—has created this masterful blend of the seductively colored local Raboso with an ever-so-subtle touch of Pinot Nero. The inaugural shipment of this brand-new wine, from one of KLWM’s most consistent and reliable growers, has much in common with the estate’s standard Prosecco: liveliness, grace, charm, and real class. What differentiates it is its enchanting perfume of candied little berries and tart, mouth-watering finish accented by the most delicate sparkle. Stock up for the holidays and beyond!

2013 SPUMANTE EXTRA DRY “IL ROSA” • SOMMARIVA

$14.95 per bottle $161.46 per case

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