Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. This week, we travelled to Michigan to visit my family, who are not big wine drinkers (understatement). Thus, we usually stop off at a local wine shop or grocery store (a novel concept for those that live in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) to pick up a few bottles for consumption while we are there. I have grown somewhat fond of Plum Market in Ann Arbor, which is where we bought several of the bottles. This week I had the added mini-task of finding a Chardonnay that my chardonnay-hating-sister-in-law might like. Here are some of the wines we tasted this last week that stood out:

2011 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County: Retail $30. Plum Market $20. While I really enjoyed this Chard,  my sister-in-law was not a fan. “It’s not horrible.” I found that it had a good combination of citrus, butter, and oak with good weight and a nice finish. I would buy it again, my sister-in-law? Not so much. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2010 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé: Retail $22. Plum Market $15. A classic Pouilly-Fuissé of bright tropical fruit, ample acidity, and impeccable balance. This was a huge hit with the sister-in-law, who uttered a fair share of “oohs” and “ahs”. I think I even saw her smack her lips on a couple of occasions. I concur. Very Good. 86-88 Points.

2005 Campion Pinot Noir: Retail $25. This wine continues to surprise me–the first bottle was certainly a disappointment, but with each subsequent tasting, it has shown better. I do not think that first bottle was a case of bottle shock (I waited well over two weeks to pop the first), but I could be wrong. The previous note still applies with even better fruit and depth. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2010 Erath Pinot Noir Oregon: Retail $22. Plum Market $14. We actually picked this up last time we visited and it was still on the shelf, so I gave it a twist. Pretty solid every day Pinot with great cherry cola on the nose and the palate. Not a world beater, but this certainly rivals the Argyle standard Pinot which I usually have hanging around. For $14? (Assuming you live in a state where they allow competition.) It is almost a “steal”. Good to Very Good. 85-87 Points.

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut: Retail $30. Purchased at Mani restaurant in Ann Arbor for $48. I really do not have notes for this wine, but it was quite good. The reason I put it here is that the markup was not outrageous. I understand that the restaurant likely purchased the wine at below retail, but still I thought the price was in the “reasonable” range. Serves to convince me further that I should not patronize restaurants that insist on a 3-400% markup/money grab.

2009 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc: Retail $12. I picked up a case of this a few years ago from the PLCB for $5/bottle. Pineapple and melon, a bit soft on the midpalate, but a solid finish–what do you want for $5? I’d take this any day of the week. Very Good. 86-88 Points.

NV Moët & Chandon Champagne White Star: Retail $30-35. I found this in my sister’s “cellar” and happily plopped it into the fridge. While my sister was decidedly not a fan (she took one sip and poured the rest of her glass down the drain), I found it delightful. Great toasted notes, not overly sweet, this wine was all the better given that we really had no other choices (5 year old Two Buck Chuck Merlot and André “Champagne”). Excellent to Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

NV Yves Ruffin Champagne Extra Brut Premier Cru: Retail $40? We took this down to our local BYO when I found out I was a finalist for a Wine Blog Award–great nose of apple and citrus. On the palate, some of the classic toasted bread notes that I love in my champagne. The finish was complex if a little short. Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé: Retail $75? Plum Market $50. On Friday night, I was invited to another blogger’s (The Winegetter) house to take part in a Virtual Tasting of Finger Lakes Wines (those notes will appear at another time). Another blogger, The Food and Wine Hedonist was also coming, so even though I was assured that I did not need to bring anything (I contemplated bringing wine from home), I could not show up empty handed. Being somewhat known as a “Champagne Guy” I thought this would be a good choice. A little funky on the nose, but great red fruit and brioche on the palate. Frankly, this champagne rocked, but I would say that it needs a bit of time. I know that the Champenois will swear up and down that non-vintage champagne will not benefit from further aging, but I disagree (I also bought three of these a few years ago and need to convince myself to let them sit a little while longer). Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Certainly a bit of a different week since we were visiting my family in Michigan, but the wine of the week is a fairly easy choice. Yes, I had a Ruinart Rosé and it was  fabulous, but the wine of the week this go around was the NV Moët & Chandon Champagne White Star. There were a couple of reasons for the selection, starting with the fact that it was really the only viable option on a night when I really wanted a glass of wine (did I mention that I was visiting my family?). Second, I am pretty sure that the wine was rather thankful to be rescued and consumed by people that would appreciate it (ignoring the portion that was sent down the sink)–the term “mercy drinking” comes to mind. Last, it was really, really good. This surprised the heck out of me since White Star was a blend expressly made for the American market (it was discontinued as of about a year ago) and was quite a bit sweeter than a standard brut–normally not the style I like. Perhaps it was the age (my sister had no idea when or why she got it), maybe it was the context, or likely a combination, but the wine was really fantastic.

What was your wine of the week?