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:

2007 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills: Retail $35. We took this over to our friends’ house and I got kicked under the table by my wife as I was taking notes on the wine on my iPhone—but before the assault I did note: “Black cherry and a bit of heat on the nose. Rich an full on the palate. Really nice.” Very Good to Outstanding. 89-91 Points.

2011 Argyle Riesling: Retail $25? I have a few of these bottles left, and the wine is certainly not a world beater, but it is a solid wine. Tart and bright with good acidity. I have a few of them left, but I am reluctant to go through them too quickly as my source for all things Argyle is no longer with the company. I have grown spoiled by the great prices. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2006 Buena Vista Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard Series Ramal Vineyard: Retail $30. We have had several of these now and this was the first that was corked. It was not overpoweringly bad, but unmistakably off. I managed to polish off most of the bottle, however, watching my pathetic team lose again. It turns out the wine was better than the game. By a lot. Flawed.

2006 Campion Pinot Noir: Retail $30. This was the third bottle that we have had of this wine. The first was quite enjoyable, the second much less so. This third bottle was a return to the form of the first—great cherry flavors with just a hint of earth. The wine was pleasant and engaging, but fell just short of reaching Outstanding. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

NV Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray Vouvray C. Greffe Rosé: Retail $15. I had a case of this transferred to my local PLCB store from one up in Allentown (about 65 miles away). It took just over two months. Who says a State run monopoly is not efficient? The wine? It’s perfectly serviceable, but in no way spectacular. A bit lacking in fruit and a tad overly acidic, but a Crémant for $8? Worth the wait (almost?). Good. 85-87 Points.

2010 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Carneros Selection: Retail $30. We bought a couple of cases of this wine and we have been having at least one every week. This week, I took it to a party, and after seeing the wine that was available (including the wines that other guests had brought), I decided to pop this bottle (even though we sort of intended it as a gift). I felt a little bad (particularly after seeing that they had a built in wine fridge in the kitchen—thus imagining that they were above average wine drinkers), but given the other choices, I really had no other option—I mean, you don’t expect me to drink beer do you? Very Good to Outstanding. 88-90 Points.

1995 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Dutton-Sanchietti Vineyard: Retail $50? II do not know the last time I was this tired. There was a snow storm this morning, but I was still required to go into work. The kids were annoying the heck out of me once I got back home, and my wife was clamoring for more wine. At the last minute, I opted for this older Pinot. We had it a while ago and it was Very Good (but not great), but this was a notch above–good fruit and intrigue, it really hit the spot. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

2011 Jordan Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Russian River Valley: Retail $30. Another wine that we had at our friends’ house. As I was taking notes on this wine, I got the evil eye from my wife, who clearly was annoyed that I was on my phone, even after I assured her that I was not Tweeting but taking notes on the wine. Oh the hazards we wine bloggers endure.  Bright and lemony. Bracing acidity and verve. Little to no oak. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Last week, it seemed as though I had a plethora of wines that were worthy for Wine of the Week (WOTW). This week? Not so much. I am certainly not complaining since I certainly get to drink more than my fair share of pretty good wine, but this week there were really not many standouts. I ended up choosing the 1995 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Dutton-Sanchietti Vineyard as my WOTW. I picked this up from an online auction earlier in the year, and did not really know what to expect. After the first bottle (which was just “OK”), I assumed the others would show a similar solid, but unspectacular, character. This second bottle was certainly closer to spectacular than pedestrian. Why? Bottle variation certainly could have played a role, but I tend to think it was much more contextual. We popped this wine at the end of a long day and at a time that the boys had managed to get on every last one of our nerves. This wine was rich and inviting, causing us to contemplate and concentrate on something other than arguing over bedtime or shoveling snow–taking us out of the mundane if even for a moment. And that is one of the main reasons I enjoy wine.

What was your Wine of the Week?