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. — 2 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

This was my first Albariño, and I loved it! Bright, fresh acidity with lemon and pear notes on the palate. The finish has mineral notes coming through as well. Paired nicely with paella. Vintage was 2023. — 14 days ago

Joel Lara

9.3

Aromas of dark cherry, slow-roasted strawberries, and balsamic continue onto the palate with flavors of prunes, dried figs, and subtle notes of autumn spice and bittersweet chocolate. Finish is long with balsamic and earthy cocoa lingering on palate. Outstanding. Has really nice freshness still, and tannins are well integrated, providing a smooth mouthfeel. Vintage is 2015. — 21 days ago

Joel Lara

9.3

Nicely balanced with fresh acidity and soft tannins that leave a slight dryness on the finish. Notes of cassis, raspberries, blackberries, and bitter chocolate on the palate with underlying hints of cloves, pepper, and black olives. Lovely, persistent finish. Went really well with dry-aged ribeye. — 7 days ago

Joel Lara

9.3

Initially a bit closed, after two hours in the decanter this really opens up. Black cherry and sage come through on the nose and continue onto the palate with additional notes of cassis, bay leaf, and cloves. Has a persistent finish with herbs, spice, and black tea lingering on the palate. The herbal and spice flavors were really vibrant when paired with basil pesto pasta and mushrooms. Medium+ acidity, medium+ body, and medium tannins. This is the 2021 vintage. — 13 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

This Etna Rosso is made up of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio. Really bright acidity on the palate, with predominantly pomegranate and strawberry flavors and a strong saline minerality with hints of leather and dried thyme. Finish is dominated by the mineral notes and slight bitterness in the tannins. My first Etna Rosso, and I really enjoyed it. — 22 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

Beautiful flavors of apricot and peach balanced by strong mineral notes. Vibrant, medium/high acidity and long finish. Really tasty. — 7 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

This chianti totally exceeded my expectations. Plum and dark cherry with slight hints of leather on the nose. The flavors really erupt on the palate, with vibrant acidity amplifying the pomegranate, cherry, and orange citrus flavors. There are hints of earthy cinnamon on the palate as well. Nice finish with orange and bitter cocoa notes. So good, and went well with meatball ricotta pizza. After finishing, I read up on the maker and found that they’re a top notch producer, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised about the quality. They also didn’t make any of their sangiovese-based reserve wines in 2023, so all their sangiovese grapes were used in this. Such a tasty bottle and for only $34. — 9 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Made from 50% Nebbiolo, 40% Croatina, and 10% Vespolina. Light bodied with high acidity. This is a tasty red blend from Alto Piemonte. Cherry and strawberry flavors come through initially on the palate, followed by orange zest, slight hints of cinnamon and bay leaf, and a strong mineral backbone. Tasty, persistent finish. The fruit flavors are exuberant and really dominate initially. Over time the other flavors come out a bit more. This is the 2024 vintage. — 16 days ago

Joel Lara

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. — a month ago