Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. This week, after a solid ten days or so of feeling rather sick, we got back on the horse a bit and pulled a few good bottles. Here are some of the wines we  tasted this last week that stood out:

2008 Amelle Buck Hill Zinfandel: Retail $24. This wine continues to knock my socks off–not much new to add from my previous notes. Decanted for about an hour. Outstanding 92-94 Points.

2001 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Estate Grown: Retail ~$25? This was another really good bottle of this wine–great fruit, complexity, and balance, this wine reminded me immediately of the time I have spent on the Central Coast–carefree, fun, yet sophisticated and saucy. Excellent. 90-92 Points.

2006 B Kosuge The Shop Pinot Noir: Retail ~$35. Byron Kosuge’s wines occupy that area known as a soft spot in my heart. Quite simply, Byron is one of the nicest guys I have ever met in the wine business. He makes his wine in a custom crush facility in Santa Rosa and each time I have visited he has spent an inordinate of time with me explaining the wine making process and the win business. He explained his wine making philosophy while climbing up and over barrels, thieving out samples along the way. Simply put, Byron is one of my all time favorite wine makers (along with Wes Hagen, Luc Morlet, Ehren Jordan, and Eric Buffington). This wine was a complete joy–great cherry fruit and subtle earthiness and great balance. Not bad for a Wednesday. Excellent to Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

2004 Copain Syrah Madder Lake: Retail ~$40. Popped and poured. Nice deep color, but a touch cloudy which caused some concern. But it had a nice nose of semi-stewed cherries and a bit of spice. On the palate, more of the same. A nice wine, but the fruit was a tad bit too stewed. I really like this wine, but I wonder if I waited too long? Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2001 Cosentino The Poet Meritage: Retail $65. My first Wine Club ever was Cosentino. I was introduced to the club by a former girlfriend and we had a rather sordid affair. Even though my wife knows (most of) the details of the story (which took place before I met her) it’s best not to revisit. Regardless, Cosentino wines were my entry into fine wine appreciation and the Poet at the time was the apogee (at least for my budget). This wine takes me back to that era in my life (don’t say anything to my wife). Plum and blueberry tossed with bacon fat, this wine rocks my world. Intense flavors and complexity and a finish that goes on for days. As I progressed through the wine, my memories began to fade and the wine became more profound. I’m not a Bordeaux kind of guy, but this wine has me wrapped around its little finger. I need a cigarette. Outstanding. 92-94 Points.

2005 Domaine de la Petite Mairie Bourgueil Cuvée Ronsard: Retail ~$22. Bourgueil is a bit of a step sister to Chinon right across the river, and is therefore a spot to find some really high-quality Old World Cabernet Franc at a bit of a discount. We popped and poured this bottle to have with leftover lasagna. Some good fruit, but in that austere, old world style–a bit stewed and muted, but in balance with the acidity and the tannins on the backend. Very Good. 86-88 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week there was a bit more deliberation over the wine of the week. Any week that includes the consumption of a bottle of the Amelle Zin is going to have to bring its big boy pants if it wants to knock the Amelle out of the top spot. This week, the Cosentino Poet did just that. It took me back to the time I spent living in Northern California and my first forays into wine appreciation. I have a few more vintages of the Poet in the cellar, but this was the last of the 2001, so it takes the top spot this week. Honorable mention goes, of course, to the Amelle Zin but also to the B Kosuge The Shop–always one of my wife’s favorites (as well as mine).

What about you? What was your wine of the week?