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 may have been given as gifts).
2022 Domaine Matrot Chardonnay, Bourgogne, France: Retail $50. Responsible Bottle (562g; 19.8oz). Under screw cap. 100% Chardonnay. Yeesh. Yes I know that Domaine Matrot is a fantastic producer, but fifty bucks for a regional appellation White Burgundy? Yes, it has gotten out of control. Way out of control. In fact, I have essentially stopped buying Burgundy (with the notable exception of the still somewhat affordable Chablis), but I was happy to try this wine that friends brought over for dinner. Fairly pale with just a bit of straw when it comes to color and plenty of lime, some oak, and a subtle mineral note on the nose. The palate is solid, and certainly representative of the region, but I still can’t justify fifty bucks for this wine. Don’t get me wrong, it still is Excellent, but there is no “wow” factor that I used to associate with a wine of this price from the greatest place in the world for Chardonnay. Excellent. 91 Points.
NV Monmarthe Premier Cru Cuvée Privilège, Champagne, France: Retail $50 (750ml). From Magnum. Extremely Heavy Bottle (1724g; 60.7oz). 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. I bought this magnum at some point from Last Bubbles and, well, I don’t know much else about the wine. I know it comes from Ludes, a Premier Cru village on the Montagne de Reims. Rich, even hedonistically so, in the glass with honeysuckle, ripe peach, golden apple, and a healthy dose of yeast on the nose. Yum. The palate might even be more rich than the nose with a supple mouthfeel, plenty of fruit, that honeyed aspect, a distinct mineral note, and a freshly baked croissant, yeah, Yum. If I were to nitpick, I would say that the dosage (8 g/l) is probably slightly over what this wine needs as the underlying complexity seems masked by the additional sugar. Still, this is a fantastic quaff and a joy to drink from magnum. Excellent. 92 Points.
2004 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves, Burgundy, France: Retail $75? Responsible Bottle (595g; 20.9oz). Under cork. 100% Pinot Noir. It has been a whopping seven years since I have popped one of these beauties and, surprisingly, I might like it better? Sure, the fruit might be a bit more faded (with a slight stewed aspect), and the wine might be described as some as “thin”, but this, at least for me, is the essence of Burgundy. An honest wine at a (not-so-honest) price with plenty of character, earth, and that Burgundian vivacity that tires it all together. Excellent. 92 Points.
2024 Pieropan Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy: Retail $20. Very Responsible Bottle (416g; 14.6oz). 85% Garganega, 15% Trebbiano di Soave. Under screw top. I was out of town, and my wife needed some wine for a work function, so she called me in a panic from our local H-E-B, requesting guidance. Somehow, we landed on this Soave from perhaps the iconic producer in the AVA. I have tried a few wines from Pieropan and I have always been pleased, as I am here. Brilliant straw to golden in the glass with a distinct lemon-lime aspect along with a touch of tree fruit on the nose. The palate is tart, even really tart, with plenty of the aforementioned fruit and a dose of verve. No, this is not the best Garganega (or Soave) that I have tried, but it is certainly a solid representative of the region: great fruit, surprising acidity, and a lengthy finish. Yum. Excellent. 90 Points.
2024 Château Soucherie Anjou Cuvée Les Rangs De Long, Loire Valley, France: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (449g; 15.8oz). 100% Chenin Blanc. We had friends over for dinner and one of them brought this, a nice Chenin Blanc from Anjou. Fairly clear in the glass with a ton of pear and white flower on the nose. The palate is juicy, fruity, and tart, perhaps more tart than most of the Chenins I have had from Anjou. That is a good thing since Chenin, at least in my opinion, can tend more toward round and voluptuous rather than racy and vivacious. Don’t get me wrong, I like both styles, but this Soucherie is a treat. Dry (although I do detect the slightest hint of some residual sugar here), and alluring, this wine would do equally well at the table or poolside. Excellent. 90 Points.
2018 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $50(?). Responsible Bottle (598g; 21.0oz). Under cork. OK, this is my last bottle of the 2018 Pratt-Irwin Lane and while the last bottle was a bit below those first bottles that I tried, this is a return to the standard, happily. Friends were over who are into wine, but kind of just getting into it, so I thought a would drop an aged TDW in their glasses. By all accounts, it was well received, but I was (and am) over-the-moon. Whoa. Rich straw to a soft yellow in the glass with a luscious, rich, honeyed nose of ripe peach, pear, and honeysuckle blooms. Whoa. The palate continues the flavor-fest with plenty of fruit (again, more tree than citrus) with impeccable tartness and a decided joie de vivre that, frankly, I find lacking in most California Chardonnays. But this TDW has it in spades. Whoa. Yeah, first out of the bottle, I was worried that it might be a tad long-in-the-tooth, but with some time (and a bit of warming), this beaut really came to life. Yowza. I need to stock up on Tongue Dancer Chardonnay; I have long been a proponent of the brand, but this eight-year-old bottle really underscores the longevity of their wines. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points.
WINE OF THE WEEK: I am still in the South of France and this week and yet again, I neglected to publish anything on Monday. I am giving myself a pass, however, since just about everything is closed here on Monday and I am trying to really lean into the local lifestyle. Once again, I am running out the door, but Ithis week’s Wine of the Week was an easy one: the 2018 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt-Irwin Lane. Stunning, eight years out.
What was your Wine of the Week?
