Joel Lara

42 wines • 11 followers • 24 following

Alain Brune

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2021

9.1

This is one of several bottles I bought from a small wine maker we visited in Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy a couple years back. He’s a small producer who sells mainly to friends and tourists. He sourced the grapes for this Clos de Vougeot from multiple growers whom he works with every year. Although a small, obscure producer, he has many years of experience, starting as a teenager working in Jura for Pierre Overnoy.

Although I opened this way too early, it was still tasty, especially after a couple hours in the decanter helped open it up. Aromas of leather, spice, and cherry come through on the nose. The palate has interesting complexity, with subtle cloves, leather, and incense intermingling nicely with black cherry, raspberry, and cassis fruit flavors. Medium+ acidity with medium+ tannins. There’s an initial supple mouthfeel that eventually turns into a slightly unpleasant dry, bitter taste that dominates the palate at the end. I should have waited at least 3 or 4 years to give the tannins a chance to smooth out. — 6 days ago

Dave, Sagee and 3 others liked this

Paolo Scavino

Bric dël Fiasc Barolo Nebbiolo 1999

9.7

Such a beautifully complex, tasty barolo. Has a spectacular nose with tar, leather, burnt maple, and dark cherry. Complex aromas that seem to evolve constantly in the glass. On the palate some initial charcuterie notes quickly burn off, leaving a pure and intense dark cherry that saturates the palate with some earthy cocoa, anise, and balsamic. Mouthfeel is silky smooth. Long finish with cloves, anise, dark cherry, and dry-aged meat. So tasty. This went perfectly with parmesan crusted rack of lamb, spring herb and parmesan risotto, and roasted asparagus. Medium/full bodied with medium- acidity and fully integrated tannins. An intense garnet color with orange bricking on the rim. I’d think this is near its peak. Decanted for an hour, although I don’t think it gained much compared to an initial PnP. Day 2 update: Finished a glass that was remaining in bottle. Holding up well with little change. Still as tasty as Day 1. — 22 days ago

Tom, Dave and 5 others liked this

Nice !!

@Pooneet K , I had never had a wine with so much age before. Really enjoyed it

@Joel Lara very fun! Sounds like a great pairing too.

Fratelli Alessandria

Monvigliero Barolo Nebbiolo 2017

9.1

I had high expectations for this wine. Had the 2017 San Lorenzo a few months back, and it was at a really good place, so I was thinking this wine would show well too. Unfortunately, the Monvigliero is really disjointed right now. I decanted for three hours, and after the decant it was closed off. After a lot of air in the glass, it did seem to open a bit. The flavor profile reminded me of the San Lorenzo, with nice dark cherry, spice, and balsamic flavors coming through. It had good depth on the palate with a nice, autumn spice finish. But then the tannin monster decided it wanted to ruin the party. After a while the tannins seemed to completely dominate the palate and finish. Perhaps if it was paired with a more robust dish the tannins would soften a bit? I had it with a traditional bolognese, and the tannins were over the top. I saw glimpses of tastiness, so rating this at a 9.1, and I’m thinking the tannins will soften further in a few years. I left a glass worth in bottle for day 2 to see how it develops. At day 1 though it’s definitely not at a good place. Day 2 update: Had the final glass, which I had kept in the bottle rather than decant. Some interesting new notes of violets and white pepper that I didn’t notice yesterday. After the first few sips all seemed good, except perhaps the wine was somewhat closed. Then the tannins took over, and they started to completely dominate. There were also some mineral/iron notes that seemed to exacerbate the bitter astringency. — a month ago

Jean-Philip, Scott@Mister and 8 others liked this

Jay, typically I’ll decant a younger barolo for 2-3 hours. I think it worked for me for several bottles when I first started drinking barolo, and then I started always doing it. I’ve also gotten in in the lazy habit of decanting without even tasting upon opening, which is just bad on me. I wished I had tasted this initially to have a good reference point. How long would you typically decant?

@Joel Lara Nebbiolo is a strange, wonderful variety that often benefits from air, true. But it can often be a bit of a rollercoaster and I’m always down for the ride! That being said, I usually don’t decant young (between release and 10-15 years past vintage) Barolo and instead, only decant old Barolo, about 1 hour for every decade old. They can often be grumpy and seem past…but they really just need to wake up stretch their legs. All of that being said, I try and make a habit of trying everything first to assess the condition. If it’s singing right after pulling the cork, I won’t decant and instead, serve right away or just put the cork back in and wait for dinner or whatever later in the day.

@Jay Kline thanks for the insights. Yep I think your approach makes total sense. I will be tasting first and decanting as needed. Really interesting, as I had just been decanting all young barolo and barbaresco thinking they needed air to open up. It’s great to hear how others approach it.

Vietti

Moscato d'Asti 2025

9.0

Really tasty, with vibrant acidity balancing out the sweetness. Has intense flavors of passionfruit and peach with a pleasant, long finish. Bubbles provide a frothy, creamy texture. — 7 days ago

Neil, Dave and 4 others liked this

Castello di Monsanto

Riserva Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2020

9.2

Really tasty. Full bodied with medium acidity and medium/high tannins. Plums with hints of blueberry are joined by interesting herbal notes of thyme and sage. Also has a nice earthiness that veers into a touch of just-ground coffee beans accompanying the fruit and herbal flavors on the finish. Really good, and went well with meatball, ricotta, and mushroom pizza. — 16 days ago

Tegan, Tom and 6 others liked this

@Dave I really enjoyed it. Looking to explore more CC. Didn’t have good experiences in the past with Chianti, but I didn’t know that classico was the subregion to get.

Of the other subregions, there are some really good producers of Chianti Rufina.

Thanks @Tom Casagrande for the insights. Looking forward to exploring.

Evesham Wood

Temperance Hill Pinot Noir 2021

9.4

This is so delicious, and a perfect end to the work week. It’s ruby red and medium bodied. Nose is a bit subdued, with woody herbs, hints of leather, and some raspberry/black cherry as well. Mouthfeel is smooth and rich with beautifully saturated black cherry flavor and a layer of all spice, bay leaf, and subtle leather. Just beautiful. Medium acidity and medium tannins. Long, splendid finish. Now I need to buy a few more bottles to see how this evolves. Day 2: Still beautiful. Getting some sassafras and strong anise flavors now with soft hints of leather in the background. — a month ago

Tegan, Dave and 2 others liked this

Vietti

Roero Arneis 2024

9.1

This is dangerously good. The peach and pear flavors are vibrant and just mesmerizing, and it has a nice minerality and good acidity that help balance the flavors out. If you don’t watch yourself, this bottle will be empty in a flash. This is just what I needed to remind me that summer is around the corner, and soon this New England winter will be a distant memory. — a month ago

Zach, Dave and 5 others liked this

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego it is! And now I’m thinking I’d like to explore more Arneis wines. Need some more fun white wines to enjoy.

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

@Joel Lara The vibe I’ve been getting lately (last 3 mos) is that peeps wanna (occasionally) drink past the usual Sauvie B, Chard/white Burg/bubbles options. Riesling is still the bastard stepchild as are any derivatives/associates. White Rhônes, Arneis, Albariño and a few others seriously solicting interest.

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego Interesting! Any suggestions for white Rhônes or Albarinos? I’ve never had either but would like to explore. I haven’t been drinking much whites lately except for sparklers the last few years. I was exploring Chablis and Assyrtiko a few years back and really liked them, but just fell off my radar for some reason.

Produttori del Barbaresco

Riserva Pora Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2017

9.4

Upon opening, the tannins were overbearing, but after a two hour decant it opened up and softened nicely, with cherry, anise, earth, violets, and roses coming through on the nose. On the palate, the anise and floral flavors shine bright, and the finish is exquisite, with the floral notes providing a vivid, persistent finish with underlying notes of spice and earth. The wine has a smooth mouthfeel, with tannins providing astringency on the finish. Such a beautiful, elegant barbaresco that paired wonderfully with tagliatelle bolognese. — 15 days ago

Zach, Ray and 13 others liked this

Always amazing. Great note!

@Pooneet K Thanks! It was outstanding! My first Pora and it totally exceeded my expectations.

Vietti

Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo 2022

9.2

So tasty, a good finish to the week. Cherry on the nose with white pepper and hints of fresh mint coming through. Mouthfeel is silky smooth with medium+ body. On the palate, beautiful cherry and anise. Tannins seem to be providing a longer finish than most langhe nebbiolos, with mineral and cherry flavors coming through. Acidity is medium. My favorite langhe nebbiolo. — 23 days ago

Dave, Ira and 16 others liked this

👍

Great notes.
Please keep them coming.

thanks @Jamie Lauder !

Covalli

Langhe Nebbiolo

8.8

Earthy spice and minerality come through with black cherry in the background. Medium bodied with rounded, smooth tannins that provide just slight astringency on the finish. Acidity is light to medium. Vintage is 2023. On day 2 the fruit came out a bit more. Really tasty and <$20 a bottle. — a month ago

Brian and Dave liked this