Château La Clyde
Château Palmer
Alter Ego Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2013
Château Angélus
St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend 2007
Victoire from Angelus and Clyde from K&L promoting Bordeaux! This even blend of Merlot and Cab Franc sees nothing but new oak and smells and tastes expensive. As dark as black leather, this powerful wine would be hard to pick out as a 2007. The blue fruit of the franc keeps it fresh and I could imagine it going very well with Clyde's cassoulet! — 11 years ago
Laurence et Remi Dufaitre
(Blue Flower) Côte de Brouilly Gamay 2013
Gamay day every day at Clyde. Deep winter red fruits with notes of funk offset by decent acidity. Good cure for SAD. — 12 years ago
Château La Tour-Martillac
Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 1998
When Clyde Beffa throws a party, there is bound to be a double magnum of claret. This youthful 16 year old showed off the strength of 1998 in the graves with clean earth, leather and plenty of bright Cabernet fruit. Excellent with skirt steak! — 12 years ago
Glaetzer
Amon-Ra Barossa Valley Unfiltered Shiraz 2006
Clyde brought this to share at home — 12 years ago
Clyde Park Vineyard
Block F Single Clone Chardonnay
Nectarines on the nose makes way for a full palate and has generous length. — 10 years ago
Artesa
Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Excellent. Outside in Clyde Hill on a nice evening. — 10 years ago
Ariston Fils
Aspasie Cepages d'Antan Brut Champagne Blend
When Clyde told me we were going to do a dinner of 2000 vintage Bordeaux, I knew that the Champagne served had to be one of our very best. This wine has incredible depth and complexity from the slow ripening Arbanne and Meslier, along with the incredible acidity and brightness that can’t be shaken from these ancient varieties. Not many wines have both the breadth and length of this incredible, electric Champagne. It was a wower, especially with the salmon appetizer. — 11 years ago
Marchesi Antinori
Tignanello Toscana Super Tuscan Blend 2009
Enjoying another quality conversation with Clyde — 12 years ago
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Grand Vin de Leoville du Marquis de las Cases Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
First, a person has to pause and realize how lucky they are to drink this wine from 3L. Thanks Clyde for opening. This is in a perfect stage. Such evolution, length, balance, structure. Love the lower 80's alcohol levels. It's rich, lush and near perfect. Dark cassis; ripe and resolved blackberries, dark cherries, black plum w/skin, mixed berry liqueur, tobacco leaf, leather so soft you would wish it as a pillow cover, dry pebbles, dark rich earth, perfect acidity and a rich, elegant, ripe dark fruit finish. In 3L, this wine still has 10-15 years. — 10 years ago
Clyde Park Vineyard
Clyde Park Vineyard Geelong Shiraz 2014
Refreshing, light & delicious! — 11 years ago
Clyde Park Vineyard
Block F Single Clone Pinot Noir 2013
This was simply stunning. A little closed over lunch (1 glass) but by dinner time there was an opera of flavour and smell going on. These sell out quickly but well worth tracking down! — 11 years ago
Clyde Park Vineyard
Pinot Gris 2014
It's a tricky varietal-but this is one of the better ones going around. Lovely rich creamy lychee flavours cut with a zingy acid line. Get on it! — 11 years ago
Clyde Park Vineyard
Bannockburn Geelong Rosé 2013
My favourite rose this decade. Crazy about their Pinot Noir too. — 12 years ago
Conecuh Ridge
Clyde May's Whiskey
Smooth as butter — 13 years ago
Somm David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
This is one of my more interesting Bordeaux stories. I attended the 14 Bordeaux En Primeur largely through the kindness of Clyde Beffa the owner of K&L Wine Merchants. For those of you that aren't familiar with the En Primeur, it's a professional event where you basically barrel taste the new Bordeaux vintage. The 13 vintage we tasted was one of the most difficult vintages in recent times. Perhaps, even more difficult than the 97. Time will certainly tell...it always does! Over the 5 to 6 days I was there, we tasted somewhere between 1000-1500 wines. Not for the faint of heart. Nearly all the 2013 wines we tasted that week were brutally rough tannic wines. It was like coarse sandpaper on the sides of your cheeks, gums and palate. So much that when we went to the Negotiant Joanne and tasted 250 wines over 3 hours, I brushed my teeth at least three times without toothpaste as the tannin build up on the gums etc. was more than one can handle. However, when we went to Chateau Palmer and tasted their second wine (Alter Ego), it was elegant heaven on the palate. We asked ourselves, what had the other producers gotten so wrong that this second wine had gotten so right. It stood out above & beyond the first & second growths wines we tasted that week. Not that those wines in the long haul won't be better in the years to come over the Alter Ego. However, the Alter Ego was elegant relief after so many brutally tannic red wines. It was so soft, elegant and beautiful. Tonight is the first time I've had it since then. It's not as fresh tonight as it was in the Spring of 14 but delicious none the less. This is the only 13 I purchased in futures. Tonight it's showing everything I expected back in the Spring of 14 except the freshness. This is not a wine that will cellar 20 plus years but it will certainly cellar 10 years plus. This 13 would fool many as a new world wine as the fruits are so ripe. The fruits run ripe to dry and are; blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, pouched strawberries, spice, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel, milk & dark chocolate, dry florals, lavender, dark soil with crushed dry rocks, volcanic minerals, leather, dry stems, The acidity is a little lean. However, the structure & tannins are fairly smooth and the length is beautiful for such a young wine. It still needs some cellaring time to bring forth the complete balance of fruit and earth into harmony. The finish is still a bit dry but at the same time rich and complex. Quite impressive with food and or on it's own. — 9 years ago