Cuvée Réserve Cabernet Sauvignon

This is K&L’s private label. I believe they either purchase the wine and don’t disclose the winery or they purchase the fruit and have it made under their label. They gave a pretty big clue on this one...the property is owned by the first winemaker to score 100 points on a Napa cabernet from Robert Parker (the research is easy, look it up!). At $20-25 on release, holding this for a few years yields a great QPR.

At 10yrs, this is probably drinking at its apex. Nicely integrated...smooth and round. Fruit is still the main focus, but the oak is in the background and it is certainly not dense or heavy. Aromatically, it’s showing red, blue and black fruits. Dark cocoa dusted dates, cedar and a hint of smoked meats. On the palate, it’s fairly light revealing a mix of sweet and spiced fruits...peppercorn covered rhubarb pie, baking spices, holiday fruit cake, violets and freshly squeezed black cherries. Enjoy now or hold for 2-3 more years. My thanks to @David T for the bottle, and introducing me to this label and the story behind it.

Continuing to kick off the un-labor weekend early in the D&S Lounge.

For those of you who haven’t seen me post Kalinda, it’s a private label from K&L Wine Merchants. They buy a quality producers juice or have them make a wine for them. I don’t know who made this wine but, they are a quality Oakville producer. This bottle cost me $18.99 about eight years ago and it tastes better than some Napa Cabernets at $75 plus that I’ve had. You just have to wait on them 5-10 years. This is somewhere near its peak.

It’s a slice of blue fruit heaven. On the nose, blueberries, mulberries, olallieberries, plum, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, vanilla, sweet mixed berry cola, light cinnamon, soft dark spice, limestone minerals, dry crushed rock powder, dry top soil, black cherry licorice, a waft of dry herbs with bright dark red florals and violets.

The palate is round and full. Tannins are 80% resolved. The texture is sexy. The structure, length, tension and balance are in perfect harmony, (Seals & Croft/America on the album “Horse With No Name” style). Lush, ripe; blueberries, mulberries, olallieberries, plum, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries & strawberries. Vanilla, sweet mixed berry cola, light cinnamon, clove, touch of nutmeg, soft dark spice that penetrates the palate with some heat, tarry notes, dry stems, soft leather, tobacco with ash, graphite, limestone minerals, dry crushed rock powder, dry top soil, black cherry licorice, a waft of dry herbs with bright dark red florals and violets. The acidity is like a waterfall. The long finishes (minutes) is, round, lush, balanced, elegant harmony. It’s beautifully delicious.

Photos of; the D&S lounge lit up by candle power only and always.

I'm pretty sure I paid $18.99 or $21.99 for this private label Cab at K&L Wine Merchants. If you are not buying this wine by the 1/2 case or case...then, holding it for 4-5+ years, you are missing a great QPR opportunity. It's a great everyday wine and at it's price and it doubles as a quality wine to serve and impress friends on the weekend. This is a $50+ Napa Cabernet tonight. The details on Kalinda is K&L buys juice from quality producers or has a quality producer make wine for them under their private label. It's a wine to buy year in and out! When you have it 5+ years later, you'll sip it with a smile thinking how good it is and feeling even better about how little it cost you. It's easy to pay a lot of $ for a good wine. The real trick is to find an affordable quality wine that's worth 2-3 times what you paid for it. A bit of 411 on K&L. The staff at K&L as a whole are amongst the best in the country, if not the best. They experience very little turnover and they been doing wine & spirits for around 40 years. They have awesome relationships with all the wine regions and are greatly respected by producers and vendors alike. They have been traveling to all the major wine regions multiple times a year for a very long time. Good knowledgeable people who are very personable & accessible.

Simply one of the best values in Napa Cabernet. I think this private label Cabernet cost me $18.99 at K&L Wine Merchants. Year in and year out, it's always a quality Cabernet at a great price. This 07 was in peak form after 7 years in bottle.

On the nose, sweet liqueured dark fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, blueberries, black raspberries. Black olive, mocha, spices, wood shavings touch of grilled meats, violets and fresh & dark florals. The palate has; nearly completely resolved tannins, medium body, elegance and richness. Ripe, slightly liqueured fruits of; blackberries, plum, blueberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, soft baking spices, underbrush, vanilla, mocha chocolate, salted caramel, dark, soft spices, black cherry cola/licorice, light anise, tarry notes, crushed rocks, dry stone, suede leather, mint, tobacco leaf, violet & fresh dark florals, the acidity is like rain on over the palate, still has nice freshness, good tension and an elegant finish that goes on & on. Photo tour of their SF store. I bought this 07 Kalinda for around $18. What a steal! I'm not sure who's Napa juice they bottled, but it's easily worth 3 or 4 times what I paid for it. I've never been disappointed by any of their Kalinda Cabernets. Just cellar them for 5 plus years. I've done business with just about every major wine retailer in the country, K&L stands out well above all of them. Amazing, knowledgeable, passionate staff. Sadly, this is my last bottle of their 07! 🍷😪

This ones for you @Paul Treadway. We just talked about the K&L Kalinda's. This is my first 08. I will admit that it started slow. It still needed a two hour decant. Partly because it came fresh out of cool storage and it needed time to reveal all it's fruits and complexity. Kalinda's since 2002 have consistently been one of the best $12.99-$24.99 bottles of wine I've had. You see, they buy juice from from quality producers and label it under their private label "Kalinda." K&L signs non-disclosure contracts with the producers and sell it at extraordinary values under their private label. This 08 shows a lot of dark cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, caramel, mocha, vanilla, light loamy soils, good acidity and a nice polished even finish. Better on it's own than with the skirt steak. Just buy em every year and then forget about them for 5-9 years and you'll have magical Cabernet at a very good QPR every year. Case worthy year and year out. I will add that I do not find the same consistency in their other none Kalinda Cabernet's...not that you can't find some good Kalinda Chardonnay's, Pinot's etc., I just don't find the same consistency among their other varietals.

So, it's K&L private label night. The 07 Kalinda is more complex than the 07 Kirkham Peak. Black and blue fruits dominate the fore palate. More woody than the 07 Kirkham Peak,l. Tobacco leaf, nutmeg, array of additional spices, leather, good minerality and long finish. The K&L private label is an extreme value. You just have to hold it 8 years plus for it's too potential.

Brian had this 12 years ago