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).
2010 Amelle Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $35. Responsible Bottle (577g; 20.3oz). Under cork. Well, here we are. I am down to my last six bottles of Amelle, and after this one, there are only five left (I was a moth minor in college). Maybe I will need to reach out to the retired winemaker, Eric Buffington, and see if he will do a Zoom call once I get to the last bottle (no, not that Last Bottle). I last popped one of these about four years ago, and I loved it then (94 Points). I would have to say that it has clearly evolved and while I still love it, the fruit is much less prevalent. More tertiary notes on the nose: leather, cherry molasses, even come tobacco leaf. If I were one to use the word “Burgundian” I might use it here. The palate follows that lead with more of a stewed (although just slightly) vibe, a real “older Pinot” loveliness. Whoa. The acidity is still there, but I am amazed how this has transformed into the style and essence of what I love about old(er?) Pinots. They still have character out the wazoo, and still are fantastic with food, but they present an elder-statesman persona that, frankly, I hope I exude at least part of the time. I couldn’t be happier that I still have one of these to go. Outstanding. 96 Points.
NV Bollinger Champagne Brut Rosé, Champagne, France: Retail $135. Extremely Heavy Bottle (889g; 31.3oz). 62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Pinot Meunier. I have had more Bollinger than probably the average champagne hound, be it the Special Cuvée, La Grande Année, and the R.D. (Recently Disgorged), but I think this might be the first Brut Rosé that I have tried. It is certainly the first that I have bought (I think). Medium color, a bit of a orange-ish pink, and it clearly has some age on it since the cork did not expand at all, even after 30 minutes out of the bottle. Despite the (assumed) age, there is still a ton of fruit: rich strawberry, considerable cherry, a hint of watermelon(?), and a whole lot of verve. The palate is much more of the same: an explosion of fruit along with a zingy tartness, and a surprising amount of toasty goodness for a NV Rosé. Outstanding. 95 Points.
2014 Brooks Pinot Noir Rastaban, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $60. Heavy Bottle (595g; 20.9oz). Way back in 2017, I was sent two bottles of this wine to sample by Janie Brooks and I tried the first right away (or close to “right away”) and loved it (93 Points). Then, tonight, my wife had some work people over who really love Oregon Pinot and they brought a very nice current release bottle from another Willamette producer (Tony Soter, in case you were really wondering). I opened this as a bit of a juxtaposition and I have to say it really shined. Medium to maybe dark color with plenty of berry fruit, mostly on the darker side (blackberry, black cherry, maybe plum?), and a healthy dash of earth. Yowza. The palate is just delightful. My wife always worries that I wait too long to pop wine form the cellar, but she agreed that this one is in a great spot right now. Still plenty of fruit, a touch of vanilla, just a hint of earth, and plenty of tartness. But this has mellowed considerably and is, in my opinion, in near-perfect balance. I am bumping this up. Outstanding. 95 Points.
2025 Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (488g; 17.1oz). Grenache, Cinsault, and Rolle. I was excited to see the 2025 (the 20th vintage of this now iconic wine) on the shelves at my local H-E-B the other day. So excited, in fact, that I bought four bottles without thinking and this is the first one I popped. I have been vocal in my love and support for this brand and that endures with the 2025. Perhaps not quite as fruity as previous iterations, as the fruit, mostly cherry, melon, and strawberry, takes a back seat. But the acidity is on point as it is tart, refreshing, and lip-smacking good. Another fantastic effort. Excellent. 91 Points.
NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Essentiel Extra Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (861g; 30.3oz). Based on 2016 vintage. 45% Pinot Noir, 36% Pinot Meunier, 19% Chardonnay. 23% reserve wine. Disgorged 2022. 6g/l dosage. It is clear to me that these bottles have some age on them, which is fine by me, but honestly? It is a bit deceptive to sell these as “current releases” when they clearly have been sitting (probably upright) somewhere for several(?) years. At least Piper puts the disgorgement date on the bottle so one can get a good idea of how long the bottle has been sitting on the shelf (generally speaking, most champagne producers send out their wines within a year of being disgorged). Don’t get me wrong, I like, even prefer most non-vintage champagnes with some post-disgorgement age on them, but when you have no idea how those bottles have been aged? Yeah, that can be a problem. While this wine showed no adverse effects (it was stellar), I will be getting to the remaining bottles fairly quickly. Outstanding. 93 Points.
2017 Tongue Dancer Pinot de Ville, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (887g; 31.2oz). Under cork. I last tasted this wine in 2017, upon release (give or take) and I liked it then (94 Points), but this has clearly grown up a bit since then. Sure, it is still big, even really big, but that’s OK, that’s what one can do in Sonoma County with Pinot. But it is also refined, sophisticated even, and has backed away from (if ever slightly) from that big (and somewhat brutish?) demeanor. Yes. Dark. In color, in aromas, in general outlook on life (OK, that was a bit too far, but you get the idea), this is nearing one end of the Pinot spectrum. But if one takes a bit of time and perseverates for a moment, one sees that this is an amazing wine. Behind the bravado is plenty of spice, more than a shovelful of earth, plenty of acidity, and a whole lot of chutzpah. Yowza. I have loved James and Kerry’s wines for over a decade now, and this 2017 Pinot de Ville underscores that affection. An unapologetic yet beautifully crafted wine that highlights what Pinot can be when allowed to flourish under the gaze of an iconic winemaker. Outstanding. 96 Points.
WINE OF THE WEEK: Whoa. By just about any standard, this was a stellar week raiding the cellar with five wines in the “Outstanding” range and four of those I rated at 95 points or higher. Choosing from those for a Wine of the Week was no easy task. In the end, I opted for the 2017 Tongue Dancer Pinot de Ville. Why? Well, it was stellar, of course, and it is rare that I get to open many Tongue Dancer wines with some age on it (I pop almost all of them shortly after they are released). Second, we opened it with some of my wife’s work colleagues and it is always nice when your wife spends a considerable amount of time telling her colleagues how “much” you know about wine and you open a bottle that makes you look like a genius somehow. Oh. And third? I actually remembered to take a picture of the bottle.
What was your Wine of the Week?
the drunken cyclist 