K&L Tastings: Spain and Rhône Grand Tastings

The rosters are set for this week's in-store tastings, so please mark your calendars for an evening (or two) of fascinating and fun exploration with your fellow wine lovers and our K&L staff. In addition, we regularly host or participate in other special tastings and dinners. Read below for more details on our upcoming schedule of wine and spirits events.

Join us for an extraordinary journey through the vineyards of Spain and Portugal at our Iberian Grand Wine Tasting. The adventure will start in Spain, with the volcanic, windswept terroir of Lanzarote's rare island wines. We’ll quickly cross into Portugal’s Douro Valley, where terraced vineyards along the river produce wines of remarkable depth and character. With a few highlights in between, we’ll finish up our journey enjoying the world-renowned Tempranillo blends of the famed Rioja region. Each pour will transport you to a different corner of the Iberian Peninsula, showcasing the rich diversity of its landscapes and winemaking traditions.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, best known for its powerful and complex red wines, is considered as the crown jewel of France’s Southern Rhône valley. Its name, meaning "New Castle of the Pope," reflects its papal ties dating back to the 14th century, when Pope Clement V and later Pope John XXII promoted viticulture in the area. In fact, the region was France’s first delineated appellation, officially recognized in 1936. Its stony "galets roulés" soils and Mediterranean climate provide the perfect conditions for its signature blends, predominantly from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. We’ll be featuring some rare older vintages, with some selections en Magnum! Tasting these wines side by side is a special opportunity that you don’t want to miss!

Join K&L and Isabelle Clendenen, daughter of the late Santa Barbara County pioneer Jim Clendenden, for an incredible dinner at celebrated French bistro Petit Trois, featuring library wines from Au Bon Climat. Isabelle’s father, Jim, established Au Bon Climat in 1982. Since the beginning, ABC has been devoted to making timeless, Burgundian-influenced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Santa Barbara County. The convergence of cool, brisk Pacific air, marine-based soils, and east-west running valleys of the area provided an ideal place for growing exceptional grapes. Hence the name, “Au Bon Climat,” the French idiom for “good place”.

Originally from Burgundy, Chef Ludo Lefebvre is one of the most influential chefs in Los Angeles, and has helped to revolutionize the city’s dining culture. At Petit Trois, a 2015 James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant, he brings his classical training & signature flair to French food, sourcing the best ingredients, and making simple classics exciting & new.

The Clendenen family has been generous enough to release library wines from their own collection, providing us the opportunity to collaborate on this rare opportunity to dive into California history.