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 this last week:

2010 Bernadus Winery Sauvignon Blanc Monterey: Retail ~$16. I am a bit of an anti-Sauvignon Blanc kind of wine snob.  The grape just does not do a whole lot for me.  If I am looking for something profound or introspective, I will rarely think about having a Sauvignon Blanc (unless it is from a great producer in the Loire, of course). Having said all that, I do think they have their place and I like Sauv Blancs that are crisp and a bit tart, with some great acidity. This certainly had all that.  Good to Very Good. 86 points.

2000 Laurent Betton Condrieu:  Retail ?? Review HERE.

2004 Cosentino Merlot Legends: Retail ~$20. We got a bunch of these when the winery was selling them off for $5 a bottle. Originally, my wife was going to give them away as gifts, but she never really got around to it, so I have been making my way through them. This was one of the better bottles we have had thus far–nice (but a bit faded) fruit with decent balance and a fair to good finish. This was a no brainer at $5, at $20, it becomes a bit more of a brainer. Good. 85 points.

2007 Failla Keefer Ranch Chardonnay: Retail $40. Review HERE.

2003 Domaine Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru La Maladière: Retail ~$40. This is turning out to be one of the better surprises I have had this year. 2003 was an extremely hot vintage in France and many of the vintners really did not know what to do with the fruit since normally the vignerons need to leave the fruit on as long as possible to get as much ripeness as they can (particularly in Burgundy). In 2003, it seems as though Girardin did a fabulous job, crafting a wine that is more reminiscent of a new world pinot than a classic Burgundy. Great, big fruit, but still wonderfully balanced and a great finish. Excellent. 92 points.

1998 G. H. Mumm & Cie. Champagne René Lalou: Retail $40. Review HERE.

2002 Domaine Annick Parent Monthelie 1er Cru Clos Gauthey Monopole: Retail ~$30.  Well, every week, it seems I have one wine that was a bit of a disappointment–here is this the one for this week.  Sure, it is a ten year old chardonnay, but it was from a very good year, a good producer, and a premier cru vineyard.  There was nothing inherently wrong, I guess, but this wine was clearly over the hill and a good ways down the valley.  The signs of fruit were all but absent, and there were certainly signs of oxidation (darker color, musty nose).  Oh well…. Not rated, but it was not very good.

2010 Fess Parker Mélange Blanc Santa Barbara County: Retail ~$24. Available at the PLCB for $14. ‘Mélange’ means ‘mixture’ or ‘blend’–this wine combines four varieties: Grenache Blanc 55%, Marsanne 23%, Roussanne 14%, Viognier 8% in a Rhone-style blend that really is delicious.  Plenty of tropical fruit with a bit of lemon thrown in, and great acidity (not overly tart).  This would be a perfect deviation from a regular diet of chardonnay. Very Good to Excellent. 89 points.

2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Terra di Promissio Vineyard: Retail $45. I really, really like Adam Lee’s wines, and this was no exception–tons of fruit both on the nose and the palate, but not in a fruit bomb way at all.  Adam’s true talent, I believe, is in allowing the fruit to express itself while maintaining balance–his wines never feel too laden with alcohol or dominated by the fruit. They all are allowed to exhibit their sense of place.  I can safely say that I have never been disappointed with one of his wines. Excellent. 91 points.

Wine of the week: I guess it will come as no surprise that a pinot takes the top spot this week, but once again, I did not chose strictly on score–I chose based on what I would want to have more of right now.  That would be the 2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Terra di Promissio–perhaps I chose it as wine of the week because I have met Adam a couple of times and I have a small sense of the person behind the wine.  Perhaps I really like visiting the Sonoma Coast. Or perhaps, quite simply, it is a fantastic wine.