Kermit Lynch opens second retail space
The Californian wine merchant, which has been operating for more than half a century, has finally opened a second store. The property spans 900 square feet, and boasts limestone counters from the Rhône “to evoke the European regions” of its grower partners.
Proving it’s never too late to expand your business, on 9 December Kermit Lynch cut the ribbon on its first new retail site since opening its flagship Berkeley store in 1972.
The popular importer and distributor, which specialises in Italian and French wines, stocks a wide selection ranging from everyday bottles to rare collectibles including a US$1,000 grand cru Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and is a favourite among customers in the East Bay. Founder Lynch, now 84, was a pioneer in bringing lesser known French producers to the US market, and has forged close relationships with wine growers and producers in big-hitting regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, as well as more niche fine wine spots such as Jura and Corsica. Lynch’s first book, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France, was published in 1988.
Lynch once said: “I owe wine something for opening so many doors, not only to underground cellars and grand châteaux, but also to long-term relationships with clients, staff, and winemakers.”
Second coming
This week, the respected merchant opened a second store, located inside the Marin Country Mart shopping centre in Larkspur, California. It took almost a decade to persuade the wine expert to sign on the dotted line as according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the shopping centre’s owner first approached Kermit Lynch eight years ago, noting that the upscale, food-centric shopping destination could use “a nice wine store.”
The new shop “will have a very similar ethos to the Berkeley shop: a high-touch, friendly environment that helps our clients dive into the endless pleasures of French and Italian wine,” said Kermit Lynch president Dixon Brooke. “We’re excited to get to know our Marin neighbours and to have a new place to connect with our North Bay clientele.”
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With interiors designed by Los Angeles-based Martha Mulholland Interior Design, the new stores “marries the beautiful and the practical,” using reclaimed limestone floors and counters sourced from the southern Rhône “to evoke the European regions where Kermit Lynch’s grape grower partners work”.
The new store will be in good company as the Marin Country Mart shopping centre is also home to more than 19 shops including Diptyque and Birkenstock, and 15 dining options such as Hog Island Oyster Co. and Le Marais Bistro. A weekly farmer’s market is also held every Saturday, featuring organic produce, fresh meat, seafood, baked goods, and more.
One stand-out factor of Kermit Lynch’s wine offer is that shoppers can browse by farming approach, with the website allowing visitors to filter wines by categories including organic certified; organic practicing; biodynamic certified; biodynamic practicing; sustainable, traditional; Haute Valeur Environmentale certified; and Lutte Raisonnée (minimal synthetic chemical use).
In addition to working with wine producers Kermit Lynch also sells its own-branded Cotes-du-Rhone blend each year.
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