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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:

2006 Antica Hirpinia Taurasi Riserva: Retail $38?. 100% Aglianico. I picked this up at the PLCB for $13. I thought it was an incredible deal and I could not wait to taste it, so I popped it as soon as I got home. Meh. It was OK, but there was not much fruit to balance out the bracing acidity. For the price I paid ($13), it is fine, but not much more than that. I bought three and I am thinking of returning the other two. Good, I guess. 84-86 Points.

2010 Bonny Doon Vineyard My Favorite Roussanne Beeswax Vineyard: Retail $25? A wine that we had over the summer, with similar notes: I do not have a bunch of experience with 100% Roussanne, but this was an intriguing wine. Pear and melon on the nose with a bit of herbal tea. On the palate, the rich and unctuous fruit made it seem sweet and the ample acidity held it all together. Not sure that the flavor profile is for everyone (in the same way that Gewurztraminer can be a challenge), but I enjoyed it. Very Good to Outstanding. 89-91 Points.

NV Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray Vouvray C. Greffe Rosé: Retail $15. Pineau d’Aunis 50% Cabernet Franc 50%. We took a bottle of this to what might turn out to be our favorite restaurant in China town. The food was spicy and the wine held its own–plenty of acidity and sparkle. Good to Very Good.  85-87 Points.

2008 Cosentino Winery The Novelist: Retail $20. A blend of Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc. I have a long history with Cosentino, but I won’t get into it again here. This wine is perfectly fine, albeit a bit fat and overly round, but good grapefruit and hibiscus. Perhaps too chalky on the finish, but I nitpick. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2004 Domaine de l’Oriel Gérard Weinzorn Gewurztraminer Cuvée Claire: Retail $25? The color showed no indication of age initially, but after a minute or so in the glass, it developed the classic golden hue of aged Alsatian whites. The nose was a bit reserved but that great Gewürztraminer floral scent comes through with even a bit of honey. Slightly sweet on the palate with a finish that last for quite some time. Outstanding. 92-94 Points.

2011 Failla Keefer Ranch Chardonnay: Retail $45. Melon and quince on the nose which melds right into the palate with a bit of melon. On the palate, I am transported back toy countless trips to the Failla tasting room, wonderful flavors and depth, if I only drink Failla Chards for the rest of my life I would die a very happy man. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

2010 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Carneros Selection: Retail $30. From a winery that continues to produces solid wines, this is no exception. Great fruit of primarily lemon and melon, this coats the mouth with just the right amount of oak and acidity. This wine keeps improving. Very Good to Outstanding. 88-90 Points.

2007 Monmousseau Vouvray: Retail $15. Similar notes from last summer: This was another wine that I was a tad bit worried about this week. The producer is not known for making the finest of wines and the drinking window on CT closed last year. While the wine does not seem to be sliding downhill yet, I just don’t think it was all that far up the hill to begin with. Clean and refreshing, but not all that complex. Good to maybe Very Good. 86-88 Points.

1987 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bates Ranch: Retail $30?. I drank this over two nights, and it was certainly a better showing than the first bottle that we had a week ago. Some stewed fruit, but really nice acidity. Perhaps even slightly better on night two. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2010 Tallulah Marsanne Como: Retail $35? The wine was a bit too cold to begin and hence the nose did not give up much besides a little lemon. As it warmed, some more tropical flavors (think guava) came to the fore. On the palate, surprisingly vibrant with great acidity and flavors. Really rich and unctuous with a very nice finish–a very interesting wine. Outstanding 90-92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week it was rather difficult to choose a wine of the week, but it was clear that the contenders were going to all come from the same evening (although Sunday night we unexpectedly had some Grgich Hills Violetta dessert wine that would have been a contender had we not found out that the bottle had been open for roughly two months already–I was not quite sure what to do with that information). We had the 2011 Failla Keefer Chard, which will always be one of my favorites and ended with the 2010 Tallulah Marsanne Como, both of which would be wines worthy of WOTW honors. The wine we started with, however, the 2005 Domaine de l’Oriel Gewurztraminer Cuvée Claire was simply a notch above. I like Gewurz, but it is certainly not one of my favorite varieties since I find that the floral aspect can be overwhelming most of the time. Not this one. This was simply the best Gewurz I have ever had–all aspects (including the famous Gewurztraminer nose) were in perfect balance and the finish was incredible.

What was your Wine of the Week?