Joel Lara

8.8

This is a really tasty pinot with good value at under $20. Light bodied with slow roasted strawberries and a touch of savoriness on the nose. The flavors carry over onto the palate with tea and herbal/thyme notes coming through as well. Finish is simple. — 3 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Ordered this at a small-town Italian restaurant in west Texas that of course had only one Italian red, a so-so looking chianti. I decided on the Washington blend instead. This was a full bodied, cabernet/malbec/petit verdot blend with intense raspberry and black cherry flavors, along with earthy cocoa and hints of woodsy herbs and vanilla. Tannins were smooth with a slight bitterness on the finish, and had decent acidity. Overall very tasty, although lacking complexity and length on the finish. — 20 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Nice corpinnat for an aperitif, or would pair well with shellfish. Citrus and floral aromas that give way to an intriguing minerality on the palate. Overall very harmonious, with the flavors playing well off each other. Finish is a bit of a weak point, as the minerality leaves some bitterness with little else coming through. The long (42 month) lees aging provides a smooth mouthfeel. Good freshness as well. Has some nutty, toasty flavors, but these are more in the background. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Pleasant sparkling rose with initial strawberry notes making way for orange, dried apricot, and florals dominating on palate and finish. The floral notes shined through beautifully when paired with mushroom risotto. Has good acidity and freshness that will help this pair well with a lot of foods, but makes for a pleasant aperitif as well. Also has a good minerality that provides balance, and a nice finish as well. — a month ago

Joel Lara

8.9

This Pommard pours an opaque, dark ruby red with a medium to full body. Has really intense, tasty raspberry and cherry flavors with an undercurrent of leather and slight hints of spice and cocoa. Has medium acidity, good structure, and smooth mouthfeel. It came across as linear and lacking complexity unfortunately. I kept expecting an additional layer of flavor to come through on the palate or finish, but never happened. Decanting for a couple hours had little impact. — 3 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

Medium to full-bodied, and pours a garnet with bricking on the rim. Initially, I was a bit worried about this one. Upon opening it was closed and austere with a super-tannic finish, and the recent reviews on CT didn’t leave me optimistic. But after a three hour decant it loosened up and improved considerably. Scents of balsamic, dried fruit, and leather came through on the nose. On the palate, an initial surge of violet is combined with some interesting notes of black cherry, cloves, leather, and forest floor. Overall, very tasty. It has a smooth mouthfeel up to the finish, which is tannic-centric with primarily black-tea coming through along with some black pepper and balsamic hints as well. Still has nice acidity. I wish I had another bottle to see how this tastes five years from now. — 24 days ago

Joel Lara

8.5

Leather and spice on the nose, with cherry and earthy notes of anise and violet coming through on palate. Tannins and black tea dominate the finish with very little fruit or spice coming through at all. Acid on the palate is decent, but the finish seems harsh, as nothing is really balancing the tannins out. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.3

This is a lush, full bodied chardonnay with medium acidity. Initial lemon and mineral notes continue onto the palate, where a woody herbal character, somewhat reminiscent of bay leaf, melds effortlessly with the other flavors. Overall very interesting complexity, with a tasty, long finish that also has some slight floral touches. These notes are based on my tasting the day after opening, as the wine opened up quite a bit the second day, and some initial incense notes burned off as well. — 8 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

2021 vintage disgorged April 2025. This is a great cava made by a quality-focused small producer in the Penedes. Beautiful floral and citrus aromatics continue onto the palate, where a soft minerality slowly shows itself. Mouthfeel is soft and creamy, and finish is long and tasty with floral and mineral notes. This is a dangerous wine. Interesting flavors, and so smooth and expressive that it’s hard to put down. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.3

This is at a really good place right now, definitely within its drinking window. Long-aged balsamic with a harmonious blend of spices like clove and anise coming through on the nose with some woodsy herbs as well. Mix of plum, dark cherry, balsamic, and spice on the palate. Smooth mouthfeel gives way to a bit of astringency on finish, which is evened out by nice acidity along with balsamic and spice. Paired wonderfully with duck breast and balsamic, red wine reduction with cherries. — a month ago