I don’t understand their inventory software, but I find that their price on back vintages of wines that have caught on more recently sometimes reflect an earlier, lower price than market. On some wine, they are exquisitely aware that, say, a 2005 1er cru that they haven’t had in stock for many years might need its price bumped from the last time it appeared. But sometimes not.
Another 15 year+ customer who continues to buy aided by living 10 min drive from the SF store.
My perception is their prices have creeped up to slightly above average from what used to be close to best pricing in that time. They also have evolved their model with more focus on direct imports and auctions. But i still find good deals and the service / local aspect keeps me there as long as the prices are not too far off.
Love their connections for close out wines- drinking a recent buy 6 pack of 2012 Joseph Swan Pinots at $20 ea ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Good source for older bottles though they seem to push those more to auction than to retail these days
not yet mentioned- if you like their direct champagne imports they have great pricing on .375s. Frequently 50% of a full bottle price or maybe + $1/$2.
Nigl, Alzinger, Hirsch, Hirtzberger, Rudi Pichler, FX Pichler, Nikolaihof and Stagard (which I’ve only bought at K&L) are all great. I’ve gotten some great deals on the Stagard in particular at K&L. I’ve not had Brundlmayer before.
One thing to keep in mind with Austrian wines is Riesling vs Gruner. Gruner is good, but I much prefer Riesling. Also, the different Prädikat levels (eg Federspiel, Smaragd) can play an important role in the quality too.
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I’ll second what Arv has said. One of the best real-time inventory systems around. Dedicated sales people on the phone lines when you call, not simply people on the floor that pick up and answer. They let you consolidate and keep purchases until you have a case to ship. Excellent with returns, even remotely. Pricing? - like anything, you have to look around. Variety? - kind of all over; sometimes they have really interesting things but won’t get a lot of it, sometimes they get a closeout deal that is really good, so a little mixed bag here but they also have Thousands of selections, so a lot of moving in-and-out. And yes, no obnoxious emails every other hour like some retailers (you know who you are and Shame on you!).
Portugal selection is strong.
The auctions can yield plenty of fun finds. Sure prices can get high, but in those cases just don’t bid more than you want to pay.
Just got 2 bottles of 2005 Castalia Rochioli Vineyard pinot. A bit risky being that old, sure, but it was an all time vintage for Rochioli grapes, and the bottles were $40 each. I’ve had one of them thus far, and it was sensational. I can’t imagine more wine for my palate for $40!
commercial post: K&L buys wine from me.
I find them an impeccable store. For some wines, you may well be able to find them cheaper. If so, and you can have equal confidence that the cheaper price will include the same level of perfect provenance and customer service, then it makes sense to buy at the lower price.
As to their best values, I find them to be a great resource for wines with bottle age across very many categories. They have a great deal of well-aged wine, perfectly stored, and not much competition, but they still don’t raise prices on those wines as much as they possibly could.
Dan Kravitz
I agree on the aged wines. I should have mentioned those in my initial response. I have bought a moderate number of older bottles from them over the years, mostly less frequently traded stuff (as opposed to, say, 1982 Classified Growth Bordeaux). Both retail and auction. Way more hits than misses. Often priced so that taking a flyer is worth the gamble on a wine that you know going in might be OTH. And some have been, but no indication that this was because of storage or anything like that. And I’ve had many quite pleasant surprises, especially for the price.
For me it’s selection of CA wines mostly. They get bottles that I could probably find at auction, but maybe I just want to try 1 bottle, or the price is better than auction. For example recently picked up an 88 beringer and a 15 akasha at prices that I would not have found at auction.
I’m not local, so don’t buy a ton from them, but as others have mentioned sometimes their prices are worth having something shipped to OR. They are also very competitive with shipping charges, usually around $23/case ground up here.
Interesting discussion for me. My perspective is a bit different than some. I did not become familiar with K&L until around 2014, when my daughter moved to SF to dance and I began spending a fair amount of time in SF. In comparison to Atlanta (where I live most of the time), K&L is fantastic. Both the physical store (in the City) and the on-line inventory have great breadth and the close-outs/specials often include some real deals. The staff let me roam in peace and have been knowledgeable when I have questions. Not every price is great, but I have never had the good fortune to find a store that has that characteristic. (If you know of any, I am eager to learn).
Granted, I do not buy for shipment back to Atlanta. But I have often wished we had a local equivalent. If you have a bunch of better stores in the Bay Area, (1) you are very lucky and (2) educate me.
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I’m a long time customer. I buy a lot from them. The best deals are on Pre Arrival items. There Pre Arrival prices tend to be some of the best in the country. There Bordeaux prices are good plus you can get the wine in OWC. The Burgundy prices are sporadic. Some good, some not. There Rhône prices and selection is one of the best in the country. Sometimes they sell stuff way below what it should be.
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From a value perspective, the Pollerhof Gruner Veltliner liter is tough to beat.
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Agree; they sometimes sell older CA wines through their store (as opposed to auction) at good prices. I also find their prices can sometimes be decent for white Burgundy and certain Champagnes. Latour Giraud/Jadot and Pierre Peters respectively are what I’ve bought most recently
This is interesting to see as someone in the Bay Area. K&L mostly has unbeatable pricing out here. Maybe it depends on what you’re buying? I’m not likely to shop at a big box store for booze so I’m comparing K&L vs. their Bay Area specialty retailer competition. I’ve bought a number of harder to find beers, clearance wines, some single barrel scotch K&L picks, and rare American Whiskeys through them in the past.
Not better, due to their extensive, diverse inventory, but if you’re spending a lot of time out here it’s an incredibly wine-friendly area. Great smaller shops, grocery stores with impressive selections, specialized wine shops, tasting bars, wineries, restaurants with exciting reasonably priced lists. I’m sure you could dig up an older thread with all sorts of advice on that.
Long term customer here, who lost access due to the recent shipping restrictions. They’ve always been great for me. Tracey knew the wines I liked and would often email a heads up for something special. I hope they resume shipping to WA soon.
Cheers,
Warren
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We’ve been regular customers for three+ decades. It’s our major source of wine purchases by far. We’ve also sold, but not purchased, via K&L’s auction. As many have said, service is excellent. And these days, local delivery is very welcome — although we certainly miss seeing and interacting with the good folks at the San Francisco store.
The Bay Area has quite a few great wine shops beyond K&L - it all depends upon where you are located and what you are looking for. Vin, Vino, Wine has a very well curated selection and is one of the few to have figured out how to offer wine tastings despite the lockdowns. Artisan Wine, WineBank, JJ Buckley, SF Wine Trading Company, and Benchmark Wine are also all great retailers worth checking out.
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I love K&L’s selection of sparklings, their Insider Advantage deals, and their niche wine selection in general. I’m lucky to be in Sonoma county and have Bottle Barn to drain the majority of my wine wallet, but K&L gets quite a bit of play from me. I’ve not noticed any K&L pricing as being on the high side.
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