Joel Lara

8.9

My first Dao. Made with Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, and Jean grapes. Lovely flavors of plum, raspberry, dried herbs, and hint of cloves come through on the palate. Has a nice freshness with supple mouthfeel and well-integrated tannins. Somehow the bottle only cost $15, great QPR. Really enjoyed this and would like to explore Dao wines more. Paired well with pan-seared harissa chicken with dates, orange peel, and dill. — 6 days ago

Joel Lara

8.9

This is the 2020 Late Bottled Vintage Port. Full bodied, medium sweetness, and alcohol at 19.5%. Alcohol not overly noticeable when served chilled. Notes of cherry, bittersweet chocolate, and almond liqueur, with hints of dried fruits. Enough acidity to provide good balance. Really tasty to drink for dessert, and also makes a good reduction sauce for pan-seared duck breasts. — 12 days ago

Joel Lara

8.9

This dry sparkler is made 100% from Erbaluce grapes from Canavese-Caluso northeast of Turin. It’s full bodied with high acidity, and has a smoky, saline minerality with a floral undercurrent. Over time it softens up with hints of yeast, almond, and apple. Was tasty with roasted chicken with maple rosemary glaze. Has a pleasant, persistent finish. — 22 days ago

Joel Lara

9.1

This is a sparkler that has intense aromatics and nice vibrancy on the palate. Has flavors of apple and lemon with a pleasant yeasty, almond underlying layer. Persistent finish and good acidity. Really tasty, but lacking somewhat in complexity. — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.1

This is a really tasty moscato. Has vibrant, concentrated flavors of lychee, apples, and florals on the palate. Somehow the wine remains lithe, with great acidity and a balanced sweetness. Has a persistent finish, where the fruit flavors linger beautifully. Pairs well with an apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. — 7 days ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Medium bodied, high acidity, dry, crisp rose sparkler made from 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. Grapefruit, blood orange, cherry, subtle herbal notes. Tasty and a med/long finish with mineral and grapefruit notes lingering on palate. — 9 days ago

Joel Lara

9.2

This is so good. Great QPR. The nose has intense aromas of cloves and bay leaf with dark cherry in the background. There’s vibrant acidity on the palate with saturated flavors mirroring the nose, with some dried herbs (like oregano) emerging as well. The finish is decent but not great length. It’s hard to complain when it’s a $20 bottle. Overall, the spice/herbs/and cherry flavors go together beautifully. The tannins are there and provide good structure, providing a slight bitter dryness at the end to contrast with the other flavors. Med/full bodied. The flavor profile reminds me a bit of some Willamette Valley pinots but with the structure of a Langhe Nebbiolo. PS - the finish seems better than I initially thought. Has decent length with spice and cherry notes lingering. — 16 days ago

Joel Lara

9.5

This is a full-bodied, intense Barolo with high acidity and a powerful tannic structure, yet somehow it maintains a sense of elegance and balance. After decanting for two hours to allow the wine to soften, the aromatics remained effusive, with a gorgeous spice and herb driven flavor profile. The nose has layers of pine, tar, anise, sassafras, bay leaf, all spice, and cloves, with dark cherry and balsamic in the background. On the palate, the fruit and balsamic flavors come through more clearly with dried fruits emerging as well, and there’s a strong mineral backbone with an iron element. Tannins provide a round plushness on the palate initially, but eventually give way to a chalky dryness. When paired with the appropriate food the tannins smooth out nicely with just a hint of dryness. This paired beautifully with herb-roasted rack of lamb and green peppercorn sauce with a side of wild mushrooms. Finish has moderate length, with spice notes lingering on palate. I’d guess that this can age for many more years, but it’s tasting great right now. — 8 days ago

Joel Lara

8.8

This is the 2018 vintage. Tasty but a bit rough around the edges. High acidity and med/full bodied. Has notes of mint, anise, cloves, and cherries, and as it opens up, white pepper and floral notes develop. Tannins are drying but manageable. The finish though is rough, leaving an aftertaste that echos the smell of dried-up wine still in the bottom of an old bottle thought to be emptied many moons ago. It was so yummy on the palate though. — 21 days ago

Joel Lara

9.5

This is a powerful, full bodied wine with an intensely complex, savory flavor profile. Eucalyptus, pine, sage, cloves, and allspice are all present with some slight hints of leather, smoke, and bitter cocoa in the background. The fruit veers more towards dark fruit and dried fruit, with black currants, dark cherry, prunes, and dried figs coming through, but to me this wine is more about the non-fruit flavors. Over time the tannins become more noticeable and provide grip along with a dry finish, but the high acidity and saturated flavor profile help balance out the tannins. I loved this wine. Such interesting flavors and paired beautifully with both rack of lamb and dry aged ribeye. — 23 days ago