At KLWM, we often round up our staff’s favorite wines and writers’ top picks, but nothing piques our curiosity more than looking back on the year to see which wines captured the attention, and palates, of those whose taste matters most. Closing out another year in wine, we reviewed and reflected upon a range of regions, colors, styles, and producers to learn which wines you—our readers—loved the most.  
  Many meals, celebrations perhaps, started off with a toast. Your day-to-day gatherings called for Sommariva’s steadfast and effortlessly charming Prosecco Brut, which buzzes with a delicate floral quality; it's no wonder it was a recurring staple. For the most special moments, you reached in abundance for Bara’s classic and lively Brut Réserve, a Champagne with a brioche quality and clear sense of place–this bottling made an impression. We were heartened to see customers drinking rosé year-round. The preference for the pale and paler waned in favor of deeper-hued, and deliciously complex bottlings from Tavel and, of course, Bandol. Inspired no doubt by the mythical cuisine of Alain Pascal, you chose Gros ’Noré’s rosé—one of the most savory and expressive among our Bandol—time and again to grace your tables.
  Among the most popular value selections there were two wines from Italy that best showcased the simplicity and richness of their regions: Colleleva’s spry and prickly Verdicchio from the Marche was a standout, as was its rosso counterpart in Piedmont, a fruit-driven, velvety Monferrato with the power to transform any supper into an exceptional meal. We noticed a hankering for rustic reds from the south of France, which guided the way for so many toward Philippe Bernède’s Cahors and Cyriaque Rozier’s Pays d’Oc Cabernet Sauvignon: among our most reasonably priced and over-delivering wines, both are made by growers whose impressive talents take their humble appellations to new heights. And yet, when all was said and done, there was still room to uncork endless bottles of bright and refreshing Beaujolais from the Dupeuble family, as well as an old faithful friend and perennial favorite: the KL Côtes-du-Rhône.
  Thank you to all for another fruitful year in wine. From our family to yours—here’s to 2024. Santé!