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:

2009 Benoni Chardonnay “Petits Grains” Sonoma Coast: Retail $25. I had forgotten I had this, so I grabbed it for some inspiration for some writing. Well, the wine was OK, but not enough for any real inspiration. It was fine, but rather boring. Good, I guess. 84-86 Points.

NV Vicomte de Castellane Champagne Brut: Retail $35. I bought these back in 2010, and just popped the first one this week. There was a slight hint of age but it was still fabulous. Great yeast and verve, this is a great example why I love champagne. Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

NV Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray Vouvray C. Greffe Rosé: Retail $15. Good acidity, lacking a bit in fruit, but it has bubbles and in the end, that means a bunch. It also helps that I got this for $8. Good to Very Good. 85-87 Points.

2011 Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray Vouvray De Chanceny Tête de Cuvée, Brut Excellence: Retail $25.This was our third bottle of this and I am really enjoying it. Not quite as much sparkle as some other wines, but great body and acidity. I always visit this winery when I ride through Vouvray and it certainly brings back some fond memories. The wine speaks for itself, but when you add on the images from the past, this comes close to special. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2012 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rosé Domaine René Couly: Retail $20. I am gradually changing my opinion on this wine. We have had quite a few and each one is better than the last. At first, I thought it was a bit fat (lacking acidity), but this was bursting with strawberry and watermelon with fantastic acidity and an impressive finish. Despite the synthetic cork, I think I am ready to bump this up to Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

2007 Henry Fessy Régnié: Retail $25. I say this all the time, but I do not drink enough cru Beaujolais. What do I do about it? Nothing. I just sit around and complain about not drinking enough cru Beaujolais. This week, I acted–I pulled this out after the wife had gone to bed and I was rather happy about it (the wine, not the wife going to bed). Good fruit, acidity, descent finish. Some of the best values to be had in wine come out of Beaujolais–I really do need to drink more of it (and so do you). Very Good. 86-88 Points.

2008 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay:  Retail $60. I pulled this since I was headed off to NYC in the morning for the In Pursuit of Balance tasting, hosted by Jasmine Hirsch (thanks to a certain Dude for getting me a ticket). I bought this at the winery a few years ago. A great nose of pineapple and lemon, with a great creaminess and balance. There is an interesting nuttiness on the lingering finish. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

2002 Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Chaillots: Retail $25. From a half bottle. I used to think that half bottles were a great idea, but they seem to just gather a ton of dust in my cellar. We were out to dinner and my wife indicated that she wanted some more wine when we got home. Well, at least she talks a big game…. When she bailed on another bottle, I grabbed this halfie (is that a term?) to watch the Olympics. The fruit had all but left the building, but there were some fantastic secondary flavors. Very Good older Burg. 88-90 Points.

2001 Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin: Retail $50. Removing the cork was close to a complete disaster. When am I going to learn that when I take an older bottle to someone’s house, I should at least bring an Ah-so opener? The wine, though, was fabulous: Great dark fruit flavors with considerable depth. Much more old world than new, this wine was a delight with the duck. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

2009 Rafael Reverte Garnacha Cistum: Retail $40. This was a bit of an odd bottle, since my wife cracked this and drank 90% of it. Let’s just say that does not happen ever. The wine? My previous note still holds: I picked this up from the PLCB when it went on sale for $12. The store claimed that this received a 92 from the Advocate, which stated that its drinking window as 2014-2024. I am not so sure about that, but this had more new world fruit and very little tannin on the back-end. For $12? Not bad. For the $38 suggested retail claimed by the PLCB? Not a chance. Very Good. 86-88 Points.

2011 Vistamar Malbec Sepia Reserva: Retail $8? Friends of my wife gave this to her as a Secret Santa gift and this is a good example of why you should not be afraid to give wine to a Wine Guy (or in this case to Wine “Spouse”?). This wine was not good. I would call it a hot mess if it were even slightly warm. Thus, it is just a mess. There is some fruit, but clearly over extracted. Oh, and it is over oaked, too. My wife would not drink it. Nor would I. I tried, but this might have been the first time that I poured a wine out that was not technically “flawed”. But, and it is a big one: it was interesting to try. Still, don’t get me wrong, this was Not Good. 67-69 Points (I think that is the lowest score I have ever given out, if it isn’t, then this score should be lower).

WINE OF THE WEEK: This was an interesting week in that one of the two top contenders for Wine of the Week was consumed on a Monday night. I have never verified this, but by far the Wine of the Week is usually consumed on the weekend. Why is that? I guess like most people, the weekend is time for miniature “celebrations” and what better way to celebrate than with a nice bottle? After much debate and some vacillation, I chose the 2008 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay as Wine of the Week. As I mentioned in the note, I drank it the night before going up to NYC for the In Pursuit of Balance tasting (more on that later this week), hosted by Jasmine Hirsch. When chatting with her at the tasting, she intimated that the ’08 Chard was one of their bigger (and more out of balance) wines they have produced. Well, the time in the bottle seems to have treated it well, it was fabulous.

What was your Wine of the Week?