Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife.  Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

2014 Antica Cascina dei Conti di Roero, Roero Riserva, Vigna Sant’Anna, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $35. Responsible Bottle (). 100% Nebbiolo. I know I picked up this bottle while I was at Vinitaly in 2018 but I have no idea if I paid for the wine or received it as a sample/gift. No matter; this is fantastic. Sure, it is a tad light in color, a bit shy on the nose, and rather demure on the palate, but given some time and patience? Yeah, this is on the verge of Gangbusters. Bright, tart, balanced. What more might one want? Really, really close to a whoa. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Réserve Exclusive Brut, France: Retail $40. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. There are a few cooperatives in Champagne and I believe that Nicolas Feuillatte is the largest and most widely available. I have never been much of a fan, so when my wife brought this home, I was nonplussed. But I approached it with an open mind, or at least tried. The last bottle I tried of this wine was a few years ago, but there are a lot of similarities. Yellow, almost gold in the glass with a citrus, flinty aspect on the nose with a bit of red berry fruit, and some yeastiness. The citrus comes through first on the palate, along with that flinty aspect and a kiss of sweetness. I have gone through a ton of non-vintage champagnes in my life and while this seems to be better than the last bottle, it still is a level below the better champagnes in this class. Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Thierry Fluteau Champagne Coeur de Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, France: Retail $55? Heavy Bottle (840g; 1lb 13.7oz). 100% Pinot Noir. A new producer for me and I really have no idea how I came into possession of this bottle. I think I bought it at my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B), but I am not entirely certain. What I do know is that it is pretty darned tasty: light straw color in the glass with lemon curd and brioche on the nose. The palate is fruity and tart, with some of that baked bread aspect I love. It is also, I would say, a touch sweet but still certainly “Brut” in style. I dunno, dial back the dosage a few grams? Regardless, this is pretty stellar. I would certainly buy more if a) the price is right and b) I could remember where I bought it. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Grande Réserve, France: Retail $50. Really Heavy bottle (836; 1lb 13oz). 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. I have had a few wines from this house, which is located on la Côte des Blancs in Le Mesnil sur Oger (a grand cru village), but I don’t think I have tried this Grande Résèrve. They offer a few different cuvées including the “Brut Résèrve” which only serves to confuse dumb Americans like me. This wine, the “Grande Résèrve” is not on the website, however, which makes me think that this might be intended only for the U.S. market, or perhaps an exclusive for the nice folks at Last Bubbles (which is where I purchased it). Slightly golden in the glass with a delicate yet fervent sparkle and lovely aromas of freshly baked apple pie. The palate is tart and precise with plenty of fruit, great acidity, and just a kiss of sweetness. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Extra Quality Brut, France: Retail $60. Really Heavy Bottle (827g; 1lb 13.2oz). This is all I could find regarding the composition: “Usually 60% of black grapes from Mailly and Ludes, and 40% of white grapes from Bisseuil, Cuis, Ludes, Puisieulx, Taissy, Grauve or Vertus.” I bought two bottles of this wine from my H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) and the first was just OK. This second bottle? Better. Even a lot better. Balanced, fruity, tart, with the yeasty component one wants in champagne. I am upping this to a 90. Excellent. 90 Points.

2022 Les Sarrins Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France: RRetail $25. Heavy bottle (686g; 1lb 8.3 oz). Agglomerated stopper. I could not find the precise blend, but it contains Syrah, Rolle, and Mourvèdre. We have had a ton, a ton of the 2021 vintage as it was available at our local H-E-B at more than a reasonable price. And we loved it. Well. This 2022? It is decidedly better if that is possible. Sure, there are the markers of the 2021 with lively red fruit, loads of tartness, and a mineral finish, but this vintage is more vibrant, and alive, with more fruit and zing. Yes, I know that the folks at Bruno Paillard make this, and that might make me a bit jaded (it does), but honestly? This wine is gangbusters. Excellent. 92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: As witnessed by the notes above, we drink a bunch of champagne over the course of the week. Most of it is “standard” non-vintage kind of stuff and most (?) of it we get online from either [url=https://www.lastbottlewines.com/invite/d0d20abeb451d60b830cc6cee2b8407141ad1124.html]Last Bottle Wines[/url] or [url=https://www.lastbubbles.com/invite/c1976836017bf0ad30c7/]Last Bubbles[/url]. Every so often, we pick up a stray bottle or two from other sources, as was the case with the Thierry Fluteau Champagne Coeur de Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, this week’s Wine of the Week. It was perhaps not the “best” wine of the week, it was a brand that was new to me and a reminder to get outside my comfort zone of “known” producers. 

What was/were your Wine(s) of the Week?