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 that stood out:

2010 Amelle Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard Sonoma Coast: Retail $42. While this was certainly infanticide in my mind, it was still marvelous. Dark red fruit in perfect balance with the acidity, alcohol, and tannins. This was our first bottle of this and I am ecstatic that we have a bunch left. I was a huge fan of the work that Eric Buffington did at Freeman, but this wine is even beyond those fine efforts. Freeman will no doubt miss his talents. Outstanding. 92-94 Points.

2011 Argyle Riesling: Retail $18. A serviceable Riesling that delivers a bit of fruit and a hint of complexity. The finish here is longer than expected, but that is a bit of a low bar. This is not the bottle of wine to serve your boss if you are bucking for a promotion–unless you are more likely to get promoted if you show him that you know how to be frugal. Still, a good every day kind of wine. Good to Very Good. 85-87 Points.

2005 Campion Pinot Noir: Retail $30. This was my note a month ago and it remains spot on: 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.This wine has now crept up into the Excellent range. 88-90 Points.

2011 Cosentino Winery Cabernet Sauvignon The Cab Lodi: Retail $22. By no means a big blockbuster cab, but it does not have the big cab price tag either. Some nice fruit, and while it lacks a little depth on the mid-palate, it has a respectable finish. This is a good example of a mid-week wine that will not disappoint and you wont feel bad if you don’t drink the whole thing. After all, you want to be at the top of your game for that enthralling meeting with your boss first thing in the following morning…. Good to Very Good. 86-88 Points.

2001 Château Dauphiné-Rondillon: Retail $20. I know that Sauternes gets most of the love in the region, but some of the satellites (like Loupiac) are capable of producing some really fine wines. This is a case in point. Great honeyed pineapple with a perfect sugar level. This wine has a ways to go, but it was fabulous tonight…. Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

2008 Faiveley Bourgogne Blanc: Retail $20. I do not utter many absolutes, but if you see “Faiveley” on the bottle, buy it. The guy just makes fantastic wines. This was clean and crisp and after her first sip, my wife gave me the “Hmmpf” look. Not the “Hmmpf, why did you buy this, you moron?” look, but rather the “Hmmpf, this is pretty good, right?” look. She was spot on. Smart girl (choice of husband the possible exception). Very Good to Excellent. 88-90 Points.

1993 Robert Mondavi Winery Zinfandel: Retail $??? A phenomenal wine that will have its own post up soon.

2008 Siduri Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills: Retail $25. I was really surprised by this bottle–we have had tons of Siduri, but mostly the vineyard designate bottlings. I assumed that this would be a more scaled back version of those. While certainly not as complex as say, their Clos Pepe, this wine has incredible fruit and balance. I was certainly ‘wowed’ and glad that I have another bottle. Excellent. 89-91 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This was not even close. OK, it was close since the Mondavi Zin was fantastic and we drank it to honor his 100th birthday, but since I am planning a separate post for that wine, I took it out of the running. Even if I had left it in, I still believe that I would have opted for the 2010 Amelle Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard Sonoma Coast. I went down in the cellar and grabbed this when my wife was having some of her co-workers over for a barbecue. Some of them might read this, so I wont say that I was disappointed that I had to share this wine with them, but I was. This wine is still young, but the expression of the fruit, the complexity, and the balance are impressive. I will try and hold off a bit before cracking the next one (and make sure that I am alone).

What was your Wine of the Week?