Joel Lara

8.8

Medium bodied and medium+ acidity. Tasty lemon and lime with floral notes and hints of nutmeg. Also nice underlying saline minerality that provides a good contrast to the other flavors. Finish is medium in length with a sea breeze/briny aftertaste. Overall, not enough complexity on its own to keep it interesting over multiple glasses. This would be a nice appertif though, and I can imagine some of the flavors popping when paired with seafood. — 2 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

Smooth tannins, medium acidity, medium+ bodied. Blackberry, cassis, and violet on the palate, with underlying layer of earthy cloves and anise. Maybe some slight hints of bay leaf and sage as well. Very tasty, although a little lacking in complexity on the palate. Day 2 update: the sage and bay leaf are coming through much more on the palate. It’s a lovely combination with the fruit. — 13 days ago

Joel Lara

9.2

Nice complexity on the palate with vibrant acidity. Brioche, almond, pear, apricot, lemon, and nice mineral notes. Creamy mouth feel. Went well with seafood risotto. — 22 days ago

Joel Lara

9.2

This is a tasty, elegant Chianti where the savory elements and fruit have equal billing. On the nose, aromas of earthy spice, dark cherry, leather, and a slight hint of dried herbs. The palate has plums, dark cherries, and dried fruit with a beautiful underlying layer of leather, earth, clove, and orange zest. The persistent finish leaves a lovely taste of dried fruit and spice on the palate. Some slight hints of grilled meat come through in the finish as well. So tasty. Soft on the palate, although tannins are slightly drying in the finish. Notes are based on pour from bottle on 2nd day, as 1st day my taste buds were a bit off due to recovering from a cold. Medium bodied, medium+ acidity. Thanks to @Tom Casagrande for making me aware of the Rufina subzone. — 24 days ago

Joel Lara

8.9

The Poussebot is a dry pet nat sparkler made from 66% chardonnay and 33% musqué chardonnay, made by Les Ouches winery on Ile d’orleans island in Quebec. A dangerous sparkler that’s hard to put down. Exuberant citrus, pear, and ginger flavors, with underlying brioche and almond. Also had an interesting briny element that became less noticeable over time, while the brioche and almond became more pronounced. Medium+ bodied with crisp acidity. Went well with scallop appetizer and lobster and black cod entrees. Photo is of back label. — 10 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Such a tasty Saint-Emilion second wine. PnP. Well-integrated tannins provide a smooth mouthfeel with just a slight astringency, and medium+ acidity brings nice freshness. Primarily cassis, dark cherry, woody herbs, anise, and iron mineral flavors come through with hints of earthy chocolate. Super tasty, and such a good value at only $24. — 15 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Strong reductive notes upon opening, so decanted, and on day two it finally cleared up. Although muted on the nose, the wine opens nicely on the palate, with green apple, lemon, ginger, and floral notes. Medium/high acidity brings a nice freshness. Finish is the highlight, driven by a saline minerality, and the citrus and fruit notes linger on the palate for quite a while. Tasty, but doesn’t have the full body and waxy mouthfeel that is supposed to be typical of Timorasso. — 23 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

A bit shy on the nose, with pomegranate, cherry, and hints of sweet spice. On the palate, bright acidity really amplifies the fruit, with an underlying layer of spice, orange zest, and sandalwood providing a nice contrast. Medium bodied, with medium tannins that provide a supple mouthfeel and slight bitterness on finish. Noticing some tea notes as well on the finish. Paired well with herb-roasted chicken along with roasted potatoes with feta and dill. — 11 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Medium-bodied with notes of dark cherry, plum, sage, and cloves on the nose. The palate has some dried fruit, cocoa, and anise as well. Unfortunately the finish is a little out of balance, with mineral notes, bitterness, and slight alcohol flavor overshadowing the fruit and spice. Still tasty overall though. — 15 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

This is my second Temperance Hill pinot, and I’m finding I’m a big fan. This opens with striking aromatics. Dark cherry, slow roasted strawberry, raspberry, incense, sage, thyme, and cloves all come through on the nose, with floral notes and forest floor peaking through with time in the glass. The flavors on the palate mirror the nose, with outstanding depth. There’s fresh acidity that amplifies the fruit but doesn’t overwhelm. The finish leaves incense, cloves, black tea, and a saline minerality lingering on the palate. Well balanced with good acidity and medium/firm tannins. I can see this aging well. Vintage is 2019. — 17 days ago