Joel Lara

9.4

Decanted this for an hour and a half and reserved a glass in the bottle for the second day. These notes are based on the second day, as the flavors seemed to shine through a bit more. On the nose, aromas of blackberry and leather, although had to do quite a bit of swirling to get the aromas to come through. On the palette , beautifully deep flavors of blackberry and black currant coming through, with hints of graphite and cocoa in the background. Tannins seems pretty well integrated with good acidity, although definitely some grip on the finish. Cocoa seems to come through a bit more on the finish as well. Overall really tasty, but seems to be closing down a bit for sure. I have one more bottle, so looking forward to seeing how this tastes in 5-10 years time. — 4 days ago

Joel Lara

8.7

Pleasant with strong watermelon and strawberry flavors coming through, and nice acidity to balance it out. Finish is short with same flavors coming through. — 3 months ago

Joel Lara

9.2

Tasted 2012 vintage. Pale yellow. Nice toasty, yeasty notes on the nose. Tasty layers of yeasty almond with citrus zest continuing into the long finish. Very nice, with a vibrant acidity balancing the mellow brioche flavors, but bubbles are not as persistent as they are with some sparkling wines. — 4 months ago

Joel Lara

9.3

This is a full-bodied barolo with grippy tannins and good acidity. On the palette, effusive flavors of cherry and roasted strawberries with cloves and anise come through nicely, with underlying white pepper, leather and savory notes. The tannin and non-fruit flavors seem to dominate the finish. Overall, flavors may have mellowed a tiny bit compared to when I had this in 2023, but still tasty. I’m noticing the white pepper and savory notes more now, but that may be just due to more experience tasting nebbiolo. — 12 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

A perfect wine to finish off the week and start the weekend. Has just enough complexity to keep it interesting. Refreshing acidity. Some lovely floral flavors coming through with lemony and apple notes, and has a really long, nice finish. Just really yummy wine for an aperitif or for just celebrating the end of the work week. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Scents of toasty citrus and floral in the background open up on the palette with beautiful florals intertwined with honey and lemon. Long, supple finish dominated by soft, toasty minerality. Absolutely beautiful, I could not stop myself from finishing bottle. My favorite out of the three Benjamin Bridges I tried on my vacation in Nova Scotia. The other two I tried were the Methode Classique Rose Blend and Brut Reserve White Blend 2012. — 3 months ago

Joel Lara

9.5

Really stellar. Decanted for an hour and a half. Sandalwood and spice on the nose. Nice smooth mouthfeel with beautifully complex flavors of cherry, sandalwood, and some nice fall spices and woodsy herbs coming through on the palette. After some time in the glass, additional hints of crushed roses started to peep through. Just absolutely lovely now and went so well with braised short ribs, parmesan polenta, and wild mushrooms. The tannins are still bringing some astringency through into the finish though. I can see this being spectacular down the road once the tannins smooth out more, but this is at a good place right now. — 19 days ago

Joel Lara

8.9

Vintage is 2018. Refreshing sparkler with apple and mineral notes on the nose that continue onto the palette. Overall just really nice and refreshing. Would be nice if it were a bit more complex, but still some nice yeasty notes and a slight hint of spice in the background, with the yeast veering more into the savory side rather than nutty/brioche flavors. Finish is pleasant but simple with the yeastiness dominating. Nice wine to come home to and relax after a long day at work. — 2 months ago