Cellar Defender: A term referring to drinkable inexpensive wine with character which fulfills the urge to take wine to the face without blasting your more prized bottles on tuesday night with chicken wings and Euro 2008 soccer you DVR'd.

All of these wines, and descriptions are from the K&L website - they are all available in San Francisco.

http://www.klwines.com/default.asp

2006 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red Padthaway (Shiraz-Cabernet-Merlot) 9.99

91 points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Pillar Box Red is 50% Shiraz, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot aged in a mix of used French and American oak. Purple-colored, it offers an enticing, fruity nose including aromas of cassis, black cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry. Full-bodied, ripe, and layered with flavor, this wine totally over-delivers on my hedonist’s meter. Drink this awesome value over the next 2-3 years. Pillar Box has a powerful pedigree; fruit sourced from Henry’s Drive and winemaking consultation from the renowned Chris Ringland." (10/07) Due to the weak American dollar, this wine has gone up in price and we were selling it for $9.99, which is still an amazing value. Due to a special purchase, this is a one time chance to buy the wine at this price while availability lasts. Get it while you can!

2007 Maritma Sangiovese "The 4 Old Guys" 7.99

One of our favorite wines in the store has returned, the 2007 Maritma Sangiovese or as the K&L staff refers to it, 'The Four Old Guys.' This is an amazing wine at a dirt cheap price. Bright, fleshy, this gem offers tons of spicy, sangiovese fruit with good fullness and incredible drinkability. Enough said! Buy your cases now! This wine has increased in price exactly 50 cents over that last five years, and it represents an insanely good value!

2006 Wolftrap Red (Boekenhoutskloof) Rhone Blend South Africa 9.99

Another great success! The 2006 Wolftrap is a blend of 50% Syrah, 48% Mourvedre and 2% Viognier. The wine show smoky dark plum, berry, meat, spice, "garrique" and a light mocha note. There is fine balance with good acidity and length. A great value from South African superstars Boekenhoutskloof.

2005 Avalon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 10.99

Avalon makes only Cabernet, one dirt cheap wine with a generic 'California' name place, another, well...pretty close to dirt cheap Cab sourced from a variety of Napa Valley appellations. Just Cabernet, so it's lucky for them (and for us) that they handle this favorite grape so very well. The 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is silky and ripe, with layers of cassis fruit and just a smidgen of both oak and tannin. A great Cab to have on hand during summer BBQs!

2005 Simon Hackett "Old Vine" Grenache

90 points and a Best Buy designate, Wine Enthusiast: "A top-notch offering for current consumption, this wine boasts a complex bouquet of black cherries, cinnamon, clove, coffee, vanilla, herbal notes and hints of green peppercorns—it’s a wine you can sit and sniff almost endlessly. The flavors are more straightforward—black cherry and spice—while the texture is delicate, almost soft. Drink now." (06/07)

2004 Montgo Yecla, Spain 10.99

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Montgo is a blend of 60% Monastrell, 25% Shiraz, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Opaque purple in color, it possesses an expressive nose of earth, fungi, blackberry, and blueberry liqueur. It has considerably more depth and concentration than its younger sibling as well as the structure for a couple of years of evolution. However, at its selling price, most purchasers will be pulling the trigger sooner rather than later." (02/07)

WHITE

2006 Wolfgang Vineyards "Wolfgang" Grüner Veltliner 4.99

Thanks to a special distributor closeout we are able to offer this refreshing, delicious, Grüner Veltliner for a very attractive price. Wolfgang Vineyards located in Burgenland, Austria produces wines that capture the unique spicy character of Austria's most hearalded grape. This wine is all about no nonsense drinking. It is a fun and juicy bottle with bright fresh fruit on the nose coupled with hints of spice and pepper. Known for its versatility, Grüner Veltliner really sings with the flavors of spring and summer even tough to match foods like artichokes and asparagus. At this price it's worth grabbing a case to have on hand when friends stop by or for anytime you have a thirst.

2006 VdP des Côtes de Gascogne Domaine La Hitaire Blanc "Les Tours" 9.99

This blend of ugni blanc, colombard and gros manseng shows magnificent intensity with floral and citrus aromas and beautiful nuances of exotic fruits. The taste is round, full of ripe fruits, enhanced by a citrusy finish.

2006 Vinum Cellars CNW Cuvée Clarksburg Chenin Blanc 8.99

"Rediscover Chenin Blanc!" decries Vinum Cellars. Put away your chardonnay and try this delightfully crisp wine made from cool-climate grapes grown at Wilson Vineyards in Clarksburg (CNW stands for Chardonnay-No-Way). Barrel fermented in French oak and aged for nine months, the wine is pale gold with a powerfully expressive notes full of pear, honey, wildflowers and vanilla bean. The palate is an exotic seduction of pineapple, quince, limes, honey, almond and nervy minerality. The finish is completely dry with racy acidity making it a great pairing for simply prepared seafood or on its own.

2007 Buitenverwachting "Beyond" Sauvignon Blanc Constantia South Africa 10.99

Bring out the steamed lobster or crab! This coastal region Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and clean. Displays ripe gooseberry, green pepper, green melon and hints of guava. Firm structure and good acidity, with a zingy lingering finish. Beyond good, this one is great, and a killer value. Say bay-ten-fur-vachk-ting!

2006 Kalinda, Redwood Valley Sauvignon Blanc 11.99

The 2006 Kalinda Sauvignon Blanc hails from the Redwood Valley, just over the Coast Range from the Anderson Valley. It has a slightly warmer climate, due to the lessening coastal influence. Prevailing winds from the ocean in the summer are cooling, and in the winter, they bring copious amounts of rain. Summer growing conditions consist of hot, dry, sunny days and cool, clear nights. This combination produces very ripe fruit with good acidity. The winery that produced the 2006 Kalinda Sauvignon Blanc was founded by a longtime friend of K&L, back in 1979. The fruit is extremely rich and intense with flavors that exemplify both the varietal and the terroir. The wine was made using a minimalist, natural approach to winemaking, keeping sulfite levels in check. The 2006 Kalinda Sauvignon Blanc is composed of 99 % Sauvignon Blanc from yields of less than 4 tons per acre and about 1% barrel-fermented Viognier. All the Sauvignon Blanc was vinified in stainless steel. The Viognier adds a bit of aromatic complexity and hints of tropical fruit notes to the wine. The wine has great balance, a nice fleshiness on the palate paired with great acidity and an overall elegance that will lead you back again and again for another sip. The wine shows notes of jasmine, tangerine and grapefruit on the nose and follows through with flavors of pink grapefruit, guava and white peaches. This wine will work great as an appetizer, with fish, shell fish or any white meat.