2004 The Carlton Winemakers' Studio Willamette Valley Pinot Noir  By: Bryan Brick | Review Date: 8/19/2008 | Send Email From the outstanding 2004 vintage this wine has had plenty of time in the bottle to blossom into the great wine that it is today. Full of sweet, lip-smacking cherry fruit with touches of oak toast and rhubarb, this is pure pinot noir. Lightweight, but not lightly flavored with a long, sneaky, earth-driven finish, this is inviting and shows what Oregon can do in the realm of inexpensive pinot noir. This is one that people will be buying by the case; don’t miss out.

Price: $19.99

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2007 Jean-Francois Merieau Gamay de Touraine "Bois Jacou"  By: Mulan Chan | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email I really, really like this wine. In fact, I am a huge fan of all three wines that K&L carries from this talented winemaker. 2007 was very good to reds from the Loire Valley, endowing many of them with ripe juicy red fruit nuances, good acidity and supple tannins. Chill this 100% gamay down just a few degrees, pop open and enjoy with a Tuesday night burger, pork chop or something fancier like seared duck breasts in pomegranate sauce!

Price: $17.99 WINE CLUB Club Price: $13.95

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Gran Sarao Brut Cava  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 4/29/2008 | Send Email This is produced by a well-run cooperative, which also happens to make one of Spain’s most beloved cavas, Mont Marcal. Crisp, clean, Granny Smith apple flavors make this an ideal budget sparkler for any occasion.

Price: $8.99

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Gran Sarao Brut Cava  By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email Light and round with some good, bright acidity. Straightforward Cava without any of the soapy rubber flavors. Great Value!

Price: $8.99

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2007 Domaine Cherrier & Fils Sancerre  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email My favorite Sancerre in the store right now. Lots of flint, mineral and citrus flavors. Perfect with poultry, shellfish or just plain drinking. I can't get enough of it!

Price: $18.99

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2006 Mâcon Villages, Domaine des Niales, Rhedon-Marin  By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email This Macon-Villages represents everything I love about chardonnay - stone fruit and citrus - without any of the overwhelming buttery, oaky characteristics that turned me off to the varietal for years. Still a little closed on the nose, this wine has exceptional promise, and at $12.99 I can afford to buy enough to enjoy now and some to see what it becomes.

Price: $12.99

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2007 Blason Pinot Grigio  By: Mike Parres | Review Date: 8/22/2008 | Send Email The apple and pear really jump out on the nose of this vintage, and the wine has a little more weight than previous years. Ripe honeydew melon notes are the first thing that hit your tongue, which is soft and full with a long, drawn-out finish. Despite the riper style, you can still feel the limestone and iron-oxide rich soil on the palate. This 2007 is a particularly good match for fish, seafood starters, risottos and baked vegetables or for cocktailing with friends.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Louvetrie (Jo Landron) Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Hermine d'Or  By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email 2007 muscadet is looking good and Jo Landron's Sevre Et Maine is going to be a smashing success for him. The wine is round and creamy, but also has a touch of acid to give it a little crispness. If you are drinking chardonnay with your seafood, it's time to make the switch to muscadet - this muscadet.

Price: $14.99

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2007 Quinta de Aveleda Vinho Verde, Portugal  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email Clean, fresh, snappy, citrusy, low alcohol, highly appealing. There is nothing not to like about this perfect rendition of vinho verde. Serve it with shellfish or as aperitif at any holiday party. It is drier than most vinho verdes making it universally appealing.

Price: $8.99

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Jean-Louis Denois Brut "Tradition"  By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 7/9/2008 | Send Email We tried this bubbly at a recent staff tasting and it blew me away. A blend of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir done in the traditional Champagne method, this sparkler from the Languedoc could easily pass itself off for Champagne. It was crisp on the nose and palate with limestone and slate minerality, apple fruit and a generous texture from attack to finish. A recent convert to bubbles, I’m going to keep plenty of this on-hand for impromptu celebrations.

Price: $15.99

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2004 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva  By: Cindy Westby | Review Date: 7/7/2008 | Send Email With all the fantastic wines at K&L, I can rarely commit to a case of anything. But after tasting the 04 Monsanto Chianti Riserva, I decided to get down on one knee... and take 2 boxes home! Bright and balanced, with savory red fruits, only moderate tannins and an old-world woodsy quality - that to me, is the trademark of traditional Chianti Classico. This wine begs for the simple food I love to prepare, fennel spiced pork chops, roasted chicken, pasta with bacon, chard and parmesan... I suspect even 2 cases won't be enough!

Price: $19.99

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2006 Patient Cottat Sauvignon Blanc  By: Chiara Shannon | Review Date: 7/29/2008 | Send Email If you love Sancerre whites (like me) but want them at an everyday price (like me) the 2006 Patient Cottat is the way to go. 100% Sauvignon Blanc from parcels in Verdigny and just outside the official boundary, this wine is Sancerre but can't be legally labeled as such. It is crisp and refreshing with mouth-watering acidity, supported by bright green citrus and melon fruits flavors. Delicate sweet herbs and white pepper on the finish add character and complexity. This wine is a perfect choice for wedding or party white where you must serve an elegant, quality wine to guests with discerning palates (translation: wine snobs) but fit within a budget.

Price: $10.99

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2007 Elsa Torrontes Mendoza, Argentina  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 4/20/2008 | Send Email Looking for spring? Look no further - this delicious wine is absolutely springtime in a bottle. Very lightly spicy and floral, this amazing value white wine also shows juicy yellow fruits. Perfect with lighter fare or as an aperitif. Produced by Elsa, who you might recognize for their equally delicious, value-oriented Malbec.

Price: $7.99

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Bugey Cerdon, Caveau du Mont July (Méthode Ancéstrale)  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 4/20/2008 | Send Email If you love rosé champagne (and who doesn’t), if you enjoy adventurous wine pairings (you know you do) and if you love raspberries (mmm…rasbpberries), then this is your wine. This pink-colored, off-dry (read: slightly sweet) sparkling wine from the Savoie region of Eastern France is made by spontaneous fermentation, otherwise known as methode ancestrale using poulsard and gamay. Enjoy this delicious sparkler as an aperitif, with cheeses, jamon Serrano or even spicier Asian cuisine like Thai or Burmese

Price: $15.99

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Bugey Cerdon, Caveau du Mont July (Méthode Ancéstrale)  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email If you have never had Bugey Cerdon - You Must Try This! It is a lush, fruity, sparkling wine that has a touch of residual sugar. But don't be alarmed. It is not sappy sweet. It not quite as sweet as Moscato or most Lambrusco. It is appropriate as an aperitif, a summer sipper by the pool, for holiday meals (THANKSGIVING ESPECIALLY!!!) and any spicy foods (Thai or Mexican anyone?). This is what wine is all about - fun!

Price: $15.99

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2007 Franck Millet Sancerre Blanc  By: Jim Barr | Review Date: 8/19/2008 | Send Email This offers aromas of citrus with faint undertones of chalk that carry over quite nicely to an incredibly refreshing, clean palate impression. It finishes in a snappy style while showing just a hint of grassiness. Eby says this will be our other house white for the month

Price: $16.99

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Charles Baur Cremant d'Alsace Rosé  By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/8/2008 | Send Email A fantastic buy in bubbles! A delicate nose of raspberries and roses. In the mouth, a very fine bead with a slight hint of minerality, more raspberries, vanilla and tart cherries. A really great bubbly to have by itself or with a light, fruit-based tart.

Price: $16.99

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Charles Baur Cremant d'Alsace Rosé  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email I retasted this recently in one of our staff tastings and I was delighted. Lovely strawberry fruit and raspberry tones. Nice spice notes as well. This is now my favorite go-to aperitif bubbly.

Price: $16.99

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Henriot Souverain Brut Champagne  By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 10/2/2008 | Send Email Although the majority of the blend is pinot noir, the crisp chardonnay fruit stands out on the nose. Refreshing citrus, green apples and minerality are the dominant characteristics and they create refreshing and clean scents that are reminiscent of a fine blanc de blanc. On the palate, there is also a crispness that makes for a lighter style of sparkling wine. Pears, limes, nectarines and (again) a hint of minerality are at the forefront. On the finish and at the back of the palate are cream and vanilla from the pinot noir. This is a very solid Champagne at an excellent price; it’s a one-time deal, so when we run out, it’s finis!

Price: $31.99 WINE CLUB Club Price: $28.99

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2001 Bodegas LAN Reserva Rioja, Spain  By: Bryan Brick | Review Date: 6/18/2008 | Send Email From one of the best vintages in recent memory in Rioja, this Reserva spent 12 months in new American oak and 24 months in the bottle before it was released. The amazing raw materials that were given to Bodegas LAN were not wasted here, the wine shows incredible spicy aromatics of sandalwood and licorice ropes. Fully integrated and bursting with flavor, this is packed with blackberry, sweet black tea, leather and a subtle peppery spice. If that is not enough for you, the finish is persistent and lasting with cleansing acid and solid, yet giving tannin. Without a doubt this is terrific wine only magnified by its measly price tag. Take advantage of this amazing value.

Price: $15.99

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2007 El Hada Verdejo-Viura Rueda, Spain  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email Vibrant ruby red grapefruit and stone fruit. This zingy little wine has laserbeam focus and a beautiful finish. This is what everyday wine is all about.

Price: $9.99

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2007 El Hada Verdejo-Viura Rueda, Spain  By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email I've been looking for the perfect house white wine - one that pairs well with food, works as an aperitif and doesn't cost a fortune. Tasting this wine yesterday I knew I'd found it. Chalky and saline on the nose with hints of lychee, lemon and banana that carry over from the nose to the palate, the wine is like ruby red grapefruit on the finish. Delish.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Adega Ponte de Lima "Adamado" Vinho Verde, Portugal  By: John Majeski | Review Date: 6/18/2008 | Send Email A flash of sparkling lime light in a bottle, this crisp, tartly refreshing wine is a delicate blend of at least three grapes grown and harvested in a large cooperative: loureiro for acidity and low alcohol, revealing subtle hints of bay leaves; trajadura for early-ripening and a floral lemon-pepper profile; and pederna contributing even greater acidity and peachy-lemony aromas. Fantastic with grilled, skewered scallops and prawns or fresh calamari salad.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Adega Ponte de Lima "Adamado" Vinho Verde, Portugal  By: Chip Hammack | Review Date: 8/19/2008 | Send Email This wine tastes exactly like sparkling lime juice. Sparkling lime juice, you ask incredulously? Yes, that’s right, sparkling lime juice. Now why would you want a wine that tastes like sparkling lime juice? Oh, I don’t know; how about to quench your thirst at a pool party or, maybe, to drink at a barbecue, or toast the sunset? Maybe you want something light for an evening drink at the Hollywood Bowl or any other outdoor music venue? And if that doesn’t do it for you, how about just a plain old, nice country picnic? Simply put, the freshness and zip of this wine is absolutely amazing for any occasion. So sit back, pour yourself a glass of this stuff and say hello to summer.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Adega Ponte de Lima "Adamado" Vinho Verde, Portugal  By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email Even better now then when we tried this several months ago. The extreme acidity has rounded out somewhat in bottle and this continues to be one of my favorite aperitifs.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Valdelainos Verdejo Rueda, Spain  By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 11/20/2008 | Send Email Richer style for rueda with candied grapefruit and tropical flavors. This is a lusty white wine with great acidity and focus.

Price: $11.99

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2006 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico  By: Mulan Chan | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email The 2006 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico is a classic! Lovely, medium-bodied, and with notes of crushed red fruits, spice and dried herbs, this red is unmistakenly Italian and an absolute pleasure to drink with mushroom risotto, braised pork belly, or roasted rabbit!

Price: $19.99

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2006 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico  By: Kirk Walker | Review Date: 8/22/2008 | Send Email This is sappy and bright, with plenty of fresh fruit tones, classic Tuscan earthiness and minerality; this wine has great complexity, too. Best of all it perfectly balances its round mid-palate along a core of fresh acidity.

Price: $19.99

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2007 Blason Cabernet Franc  By: Mike Parres | Review Date: 8/22/2008 | Send Email It’s been three years since Greg and I first tasted this wine and took a chance on bringing it in. (Cab franc from Italy? What were we thinking?) We hoped our customers would like it and you did. Then you came back for more and we were thrilled. This vintage is as good as the 2005 was: classic blueberries, ripe raspberries and a touch of white pepper plus anise and bitter walnut skin on the finish. Enjoy with roasts, poultry or mature cheeses.

Price: $9.99

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2007 Neil Ellis "Sincerely" Sauvignon Blanc South Africa  By: Steve Greer | Review Date: 5/20/2008 | Send Email With all the grapefruity sauvignon blancs made in the southern hemisphere, this is a refreshing change. This “grassy” styled wine is filled with plenty of herbaceousness, but also some wonderful minerality and a background of lemon-lime. Plenty of acidity, but with a creamy texture suggesting some lees contact and and a long finish.

Price: $9.99

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Silvano Follador Prosecco Valdobbiadene Brut  By: Chiara Shannon | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email This is a truly delicious sparkler. It is crisp, dry, and refreshing, with a beautiful, fine bead of bubbles and rich mousse. The flavors are more in the stone fruit vein, bright and lively, with a defined, underlying minerality that comes forward on the long finish. Much more complex and rewarding than your average prosecco; well worth it for under $20. A great party bubbly! Drink from 2008 to 2010

Price: $16.99

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2007 Jean-Francois Merieau Touraine Sauvignon Blanc  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 7/10/2008 | Send Email I'm super-selective with the 'top value' tag on this review page. While I strongly believe in the existence of value at every price point, I am limiting my top values here to wines under $17 that just really impress. Here is a Touraine that really pops on the palate, with bright, rich citrus flavors and a moderately strong minerality reminiscent of Sancerre. Yet another delicious value from Mr. Loire himself, importer Jon-David Headrick. I plan on drinking a whole lot of this wine, and suspect that anyone who tries it might follow suit. Top Value!

Price: $13.99

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2007 Jean-Francois Merieau Touraine Sauvignon Blanc  By: Mulan Chan | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email I really, really like this wine. In fact, I am a huge fan of all three wines that K&L carries from this talented winemaker. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is plenty dry and crisp, yet with just enough fruity juice to not make your mouth pucker. The Merieau is a great everyday alternative to more expensively priced Sancerre. Drink from 2008 to 2009

Price: $13.99

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2005 San Vincenti Chianti Classico  By: Leah Greenstein | Review Date: 8/21/2008 | Send Email Who doesn't like Chianti? This classically structured wine comes from the southernmost point of Chianti Classico, planted in gallestro soils. Its smoky nose is heady with black fruit and cherry aromas. On the palate it's linear, with good acidity and grippy tannins. This is not a tippling wine, but something to enjoy with food, perhaps eggplant cutlets and Sicilian-style pasta with sardines. And it will definitely just get better with time!

Price: $23.99 WINE CLUB Club Price: $20.99

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2007 Tessier Cheverny Rouge  By: Jeff Vierra | Review Date: 8/15/2008 | Send Email This is, by a long shot, one of my favorite everyday wines in the store. A blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, this is the bottle to reach for when you roast a chicken, grill some sausages, or just need a tasty supple red. Medium-bodied with bright cherry and cranberry aromatics this juicy elegant bottle brings to mind good artisan Beaujolais. To get all this wine has to offer serve with good cheer just above cellar temperature. Top Value! Drink from 2008 to 2012

Price: $14.99

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2007 Tessier Cheverny Rouge  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email A blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Gamay, this Loire valley red is a perennial terrific buy. Medium-bodied with tangy red fruit and a crisp finish, this is a wonderfully balanced and delicious red that, at only 12% alcohol, you can drink throughout a meal According to Loire buyer Jeff Vierra, this is “one of the happiest wines in our store.” Well said….

Price: $14.99

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Blanquette de Limoux, Antech "Cuvée Francoise"  By: Jim Barr | Review Date: 7/15/2008 | Send Email With bright apply, pear-like to nutty aromas leaping from the glass, this blanc de blancs style is alive and expressive, leading to a clean, crisp, snappy finish. Eby has informed me that this will be our house sparkler for the month.

Price: $11.99 WINE CLUB Club Price: $9.99

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2007 Louvetrie (Jo Landron) Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Amphibolite Nature  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email While Jo Landron’s other muscadets are very intense and mineral, this one is bottled earlier, with minimal time on the lees. It is soft, juicy, bright, tangy and so incredibly pure tasting. Also certified biodynamic, made with natural yeasts, a bonafide "‘vin naturel." Always a hit at parties, ever popular with the ladies (and the fellas), and just a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.

Price: $13.99

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2005 Trebiac, Graves  By: David Driscoll | Review Date: 5/20/2008 | Send Email The best bargain bottle of '05 Bordeaux I have tasted. If I were to write an article about the top '05 Bordeaux wines under $50, this bottle would be number one. It smokes the Beaumont, Haut-Nadeau, and the Grand Village and eats second wines like Comtesse for breakfast. I'm in for a case after I finish typing this. Top Value!

Price: $15.99

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Leclerc Briant "La Ravinne" Single Vineyard Brut Champagne  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email Pascal Leclerc only makes single-vineyard Champagnes: the chalky "Les Crayeres," juicy, mineral and easy to drink, the "Les Chevres Preuses," the Blanc de Blancs "La Croisette," an amazingly (and almost illegally) dark rosé Champagne named "Cuvee Rubis" and this, his single-vineyard pinot meunier. It might be my favorite of his wines that I have tasted. La Ravinne has a spicy nose, with a palate of pithy red grapefruit, showing great intensity and a refreshing bitter snap to the finish. Modern meunier here, but of a flavor profile I have not yet encountered with the grape.

Price: $41.99 WINE CLUB Club Price: $34.99

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2007 Vin de Pays des Bouches du Rhône Merlot Domaine de l'Attilon  By: Mulan Chan | Review Date: 8/19/2008 | Send Email The latest offering from Domaine Attilon has just hit our shelves, and I predict that it is going impress a lot of folks. This organically grown merlot is chock full of blackberry fruits, plum and floral notes. Smooth and juicy, with supple fine tannins and no oak whatsover make for pure unadulterated drinking pleasure. This is the little red that could! Enjoy with just about anything...pizza, meatloaf, spaghetti, and be sure to have a couple bottles on hand at all times, as it has been my personal experience that an open bottle of this little gem will not last long.

Price: $8.99

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2002 Louise Brison Vintage Brut  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email Compared with Brison's other Champagnes, there is a similar richness, roundness and persistence here, though with more pronounced acidity. Tasted a second time, the acidity really jumped out even more, in a good way. I like this quite a bit; it will probably be my house Champagne for when the occasion calls for a good quality bubbly.

Price: $39.99

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De Meric Grande Reserve Sous Bois Brut Champagne  By: Steve Greer | Review Date: 5/12/2008 | Send Email The first word I wrote when I tried this champagne was beautiful. After reviewing my notes I want to add value. At $34.99 you will feel lucky when you taste what's in the bottle. On the nose fruit and brioche aromas mingle. Within the elegant texture lies a combination of both zesty and ripe fruit with more toasty flavors. What I enjoyed most, thougha was the lingering finish. This phantom memory makes me wish I had a glass right now. After researching De Meric I am even more of a fan. Sous Bois (“under wood”) refers to the use of oak barrels for 50% of the base wine with the other 50% in stainless. The blend comes from all premier cru and grand cru vineyards, giving a cru rating (the echelle des cru) of 97%. Champagne doesn’t need a special occasion, so open it on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy. Top Value!

Price: $34.99

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De Meric Grande Reserve Sous Bois Brut Champagne  By: Joe Manekin | Review Date: 11/19/2008 | Send Email Clean berry fruits and a bit of challah bread dough on the nose lead to a very fruit-driven palate. Very Pinot Noir. Length, purity and acidity are all nicely balanced.

Price: $34.99

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2007 Lioco Sonoma Chardonnay  By: Chiara Shannon | Review Date: 8/21/2008 | Send Email Califorina Chardonnay at its best, if, that is, you enjoy clean, true-to-varietal Chardonnay flavors and expression of terroir. Fermented using native yeasts, this unoaked wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, resulting in a layered, Chablis-like white. The nose offers a balance of crisp green apple and lemon fruit, chalky mineral, and earthy, wildfower and hay aromas. The palate is richer, marked by flavors of bread yeast and minerals, and a long finish that hints of chamomile, echoing the previous vintage. I'm thinking oysters, caesar salad, ceviche, rotisserie chicken... Drink from 2008 to 2015

Price: $19.99

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2007 Pollerhof Grüner Veltliner (1L)  By: Steve Greer | Review Date: 5/12/2008 | Send Email If you haven’t tried a gruner veltliner then this is the one to try. At only $9.99 for a one liter bottle, everyone gets a glass. And this wine is more than worth it. Pollerhof has been producing wine since 1920 from roughly 37 acres in the Weinviertel region of northern Austria. All the grapes for this wine, and all Pollerhof wines, are picked by hand and gently treated. This wine provides the peppery flavors of gruner that remind me of peppery salad greens like arugula. With beautiful ripe fruit and a creamy texture that is balanced by acidity, I am sure you will fall in love with Pollerhof's Gruner Veltliner.

Price: $10.99

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2004 Les Baux de Provence Rouge Chateau d'Estoublon  By: Mulan Chan | Review Date: 8/19/2008 | Send Email This is primarily composed of grenache and syrah, and exhibits ripe raspberry aromatics and flavors, along with moderate tannins on the finish due to the addition of 10% cabernet sauvignon. The wine is supple and fleshy; however, it maintains the requisite amount of mineral drive and acidity to keep things interesting. Enjoy now through 2013 with garlic-studded leg of lamb and a generous side of ratatouille.

Price: $19.99

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1997 Langoa-Barton, St-Julien  By: Cindy Westby | Review Date: 7/7/2008 | Send Email Don't try to fool your friends with the 97 Langoa, the fragrance of this wine is TEXTBOOK Bordeaux! Like a breath of fresh air - aromas of black fruits, leather and minerals. Medium bodied, with all the