Allyson’s Current Selections
by Allyson Noman
Allyson Noman
©
Allyson Noman
©
Allyson’s Current Selections
by Allyson Noman
Before joining the team at KLWM, I spent over a decade running restaurants and bars across the country, from New York City to Miami Beach, then returning to my roots in the Bay Area. I’m a Berkeley native and finding my way back to working in wine, one of my first loves, has been a homecoming.
I’m a firm believer that wine should be fun and that it goes hand in hand with a meal, any and all of which can transform into an occasion. As a writer and reader, outside of work I’m usually buried in words of some kind or divining the universe via astrology and tarot. Intuition is the key to life and, more often than not, wine! I love the obscure, the unexpected, the cultish, and the classics. Let’s find your next favorite bottle.
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Wines In The Collection
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
In this bottling from Yves Leccia, Grenache takes center stage, offering fragrant notes of lavender spiced with balmy Mediterranean brush.
Meyer-Fonné France | Alsace
This bottle gives some of my favorite grand cru Rieslings a run for their money with a nose evoking peach skin and pear and a palate that ripples with fresh acidity.
Jean-Baptiste Arena France | Corsica
Harvested early and fermented in stainless steel tanks to maintain a vibrant quality, balanced by lush notes of flowers, spice, and citrus that will pair well with any number of foods.
Vignato Davide Italy | Veneto
Four months of skin contact leaves this Garganega from Vignato Davide bursting with fragrant clementine and almond blossoms, while volcanic soil imparts lingering salinity.
Antoine-Marie Arena France | Corsica
If you’re like me, a glass of Corsican Muscatellu sparks visions of evening cheese plates laden with Marcona almonds and gemlike fruits.
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
Dessert Wine Sale Selection, 20% off this month! A sublime late harvest of Malvasia that is sumptuously delightful with a perfectly tart bite.
Domaine Trotereau France | Loire
Textured, lush, full of aromatic gooseberry and passionfruit—all supported by spiny minerality.
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Tasting the bottle, one quickly sees winemaker Cyriaque Rozier’s statement that Malvasia has “acclimated perfectly to the land of La Roque” is not an overstatement.
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Salinity in spades, fleshed out by summery golden fruit notes, like baked pineapple.
Catherine & Pierre Breton France | Loire
The family’s grandest wine, a brooding elixir of satiny fruit, cedar, and graphite.
Domaine Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The fruit recalls savory plums and baked cherries. It almost feels like a cheat: getting to drink a wine with the desirable qualities of long cellaring, but in its immediate, current release.
Domaine Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
If you’re a fan of Jura’s vin jaune or fino and manzanilla sherry, find yourself a new friend in this rare bottling from Ludvic Engelvin.
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
While it sports plenty of dark bramble, mulberry, and plum skin, it’s tempered by a fresh bite of blood orange and violet.
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy
This bottle reminds me of being young and the delights of discovering something new and delicious. Lush and aromatic, it leaves you smiling like after a special treat.
France | Corsica
In this bottling from Yves Leccia, Grenache takes center stage, offering fragrant notes of lavender spiced with balmy Mediterranean brush.
France | Alsace
This bottle gives some of my favorite grand cru Rieslings a run for their money with a nose evoking peach skin and pear and a palate that ripples with fresh acidity.
France | Corsica
Harvested early and fermented in stainless steel tanks to maintain a vibrant quality, balanced by lush notes of flowers, spice, and citrus that will pair well with any number of foods.
Italy | Veneto
Four months of skin contact leaves this Garganega from Vignato Davide bursting with fragrant clementine and almond blossoms, while volcanic soil imparts lingering salinity.
France | Corsica
If you’re like me, a glass of Corsican Muscatellu sparks visions of evening cheese plates laden with Marcona almonds and gemlike fruits.
Italy | Friuli
Dessert Wine Sale Selection, 20% off this month! A sublime late harvest of Malvasia that is sumptuously delightful with a perfectly tart bite.
France | Loire
Textured, lush, full of aromatic gooseberry and passionfruit—all supported by spiny minerality.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Tasting the bottle, one quickly sees winemaker Cyriaque Rozier’s statement that Malvasia has “acclimated perfectly to the land of La Roque” is not an overstatement.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Salinity in spades, fleshed out by summery golden fruit notes, like baked pineapple.
France | Loire
The family’s grandest wine, a brooding elixir of satiny fruit, cedar, and graphite.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The fruit recalls savory plums and baked cherries. It almost feels like a cheat: getting to drink a wine with the desirable qualities of long cellaring, but in its immediate, current release.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
If you’re a fan of Jura’s vin jaune or fino and manzanilla sherry, find yourself a new friend in this rare bottling from Ludvic Engelvin.
France | Provence
While it sports plenty of dark bramble, mulberry, and plum skin, it’s tempered by a fresh bite of blood orange and violet.
France | Burgundy
This bottle reminds me of being young and the delights of discovering something new and delicious. Lush and aromatic, it leaves you smiling like after a special treat.
More Collections
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Who hasn’t felt a pang of jealousy reading about the wines Kermit tasted in damp, dark French cellars and vigneron dining rooms during his early adventures on the wine route? 1959 Joguet Chinon, 1955 Tempier rouge, 1942 Chave Hermitage—each vibrant, alive, and in their prime, despite their many years in bottle. That’s why we take such pleasure in unearthing aged bottles we’ve tucked away over the years to share with you…
The Spirit of Le Sud
Defining the “South of France” is not as easy as one might expect. After all, everything is relative: Parisians may feel they’ve reached the South as soon as they hit Lyon, but to residents of Provence, Lyon may as well be the North Pole. Having made the drive from Burgundy to Provence many times, I have formed my own opinion of where the border lies...
Fine Wine Bargains
Once I left Burgundy and began exploring elsewhere, I noticed that France and Italy produced incredible bargains, especially if one looked where no one else was looking. Nothing makes me prouder (commercially speaking, anyway) than returning home with yet another fine wine bargain for you...
Very Vieilles Vignes
This collection features wine produced mainly from vines planted before 1950, with some going as far back as 150 years—these twelve wines are truly very old-vine gems! Don’t miss some of France and Italy’s greatest viticultural treasures.…
Introducing Domaine Thillardon
Beaujolais may be a lighter wine, but we at KLWM don’t take our Beaujolais lightly! Our appetite for bright, pure-fruited Gamay has been insatiable ever since Kermit’s first trip exploring the region in 1974. It has been our joy to introduce you to benchmark domaines such as Lapierre, Foillard, and Château Thivin, and now there is a new name to remember…
A Trio of Spring Samplers
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Nebbiolo by Another Name
In December of last year, the excellent wine blog, “Opening a Bottle,” likened one of our wines to Shohei Ohtani, the 30-year-old Japanese phenom who has changed the game of baseball and might go down as the greatest player of all time. I’ve thought about this comparison nearly every day since, wondering each time I take a sip of red Burgundy, Barolo, or Côte-Rôtie, “Could this also be considered the Shohei Ohtani of wine?”
I finally tasted a worthy contender—or set of contenders—last month...
Rosé with Pizza?
Here in California where I grew up, pizza used to be a tough crust oozing with the cheapest cheese money could buy and a tomato sauce so raunchy it took a dose of macho red wine to wash it down. Cleanse the palate, as we gourmets say today. But the pizza scene has evolved…
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.