Joel Lara

9.4

This is a beautifully elegant nebbiolo with generous aromatics, a silky smooth mouthfeel, and refined tannins providing just a touch of grip on the finish. Notes of cherry, mint, and white pepper come through on the nose, and on the palate additional flavors of cloves, orange zest, and violet add complexity. Finish Is moderately long, with lingering notes of spice, cherry, and bitter orange. This paired well with pan-seared duck breast and a port wine blueberry reduction sauce. Light/medium bodied with high acidity. — 2 days ago

Joel Lara

9.2

This is really tasty. Primarily cherry, autumn spice, and orange zest, with hints of balsamic, mint, dried fruits coming through. Unfortunately the finish was a bit hot and very tangy. I enjoyed it overall though. This is the 2018 vintage. — 22 days ago

Joel Lara

8.9

A tasty, light/medium bodied rose sparkler with medium acidity and smooth mouthfeel. Mostly strawberry and cherry with subtle almond flavor. Not the most complex wine, but still a solid sparkler that’s pretty versatile when pairing with food. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.0

This is a really tasty Roero Arneis that has green apple and floral notes on the nose. The flavors come through to the palate where lemon notes and a crunchy minerality emerge. The finish has a bitter saline quality with apple notes that linger on the palate. Really tasty. Med/full bodied with med/high acidity. — 3 days ago

Joel Lara

8.5

Light/medium bodied, low tannin, high acidity, and elevated alcohol level. Nice strawberry, rose, orange zest, and mineral flavors. Unfortunately the alcohol flavor is really strong towards the back of the palate and on the finish, making the wine out of balance. I’ve had past vintages that made for tasty, chillable reds. They also had 13% ABV. The 14.5 ABV is too much. Also, based on the write-up this was probably bottled recently, so maybe it needs some time in the bottle to come together? — 15 days ago

Joel Lara

9.2

This is a medium/full bodied barbera with a velvety mouthfeel and nice acidity. Dark cherry, blueberries, cloves, and anise all come through beautifully on the palate. Finish is persistent with spice lingering on the palate. Paired well with herb-roasted chicken and a side of roasted potatoes with dill and feta. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.1

This arneis opens up with some nice citrus and mineral scents on the nose. The flavors erupt on the palate with lemon, grapefruit, almond, and hints of orange rind coming through with a strong mineral backbone. The lively acidity combined with a med/full body produce a grippy, crunchy mouthfeel. The finish is long and has vivid notes of citrus and salty minerality along with slight floral hints that linger on the palate. So tasty, and really easy to finish the bottle on your own if you’re not watching out. Great summer wine. — a month ago

Joel Lara

8.6

This is a disappointing Barbera unfortunately. It’s full bodied with med/high acidity. The fruit is overripe, verging on cooked flavors of blueberries, dark cherry, and plums. Heavy spice flavors are coming though as well. The alcohol level is elevated, and it’s very noticeable on the palate and finish. I had the last glass on Day 4, and the alcohol seemed to be more integrated, but the fruit seemed even more cooked. I’d prefer fresh and vibrant flavors in a Barbera, and I’d prefer a lighter touch on the oak aging. — 8 days ago

Joel Lara

9.5

Dust, tar, dark cherry, white pepper, and anise on the nose. The same flavors come through on the palate with balsamic and fresh mushrooms emerging as well. Smooth and lush on the palate, and the tannins and acidity are beautifully balanced. Persistent finish but a little drying on the palate. Overall a pleasure to drink. I bet this will be great after a few years when those tertiary flavors are more developed. — 23 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Upon opening, this seemed a bit disjointed, with muted fruit flavors and strong herbal notes. Decanting didn’t seem to help much, but day 2 it finally opened up nicely, with nice complexity and intensity on the palate. Cherry, raspberry, cassis, bay leaf, dried Italian herbs, anise, cloves, vanilla, cedar, earth, and balsamic notes all come through. Really tasty, but maybe a bit too intense. I can see this improving with a few more years of aging so the flavors coalesce and soften a bit more. — a month ago