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:

2012 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rosé Domaine René Couly: Retail $20. This rosé continues to be one of my favorite wines. Strawberry off the charts with some great citrus as its acidic backbone. I actually opened this before chilling it and it was still fantastic (maybe even more so). Really the only problem I have is that darn synthetic cork–if they would just go twist-off…. Outstanding. 89-91 Points.

NV Baron Dauvergne Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Privilège: Retail $50. Rich and fruity with heft and depth. A touch sweet but this scratches my Bouzy itch: I always prefer those champagnes that are heavier on the Pinot–providing more heft and backbone, which this has in spades. Outstanding. 90-92 Points.

2001 Maxwell Shiraz Ellen Street: Retail $40. I am typically not a fan of the “Aussie” Shiraz style, but this was quite pleasant. Big fruit, but not overwhelming by any means. Some depth through the mid-palate and a lingering finish. I did not expect it, but this was  Outstanding. 89-91 Points.

NV Pfaffenheim Crémant d’Alsace Brut Excellence: Retail $20? This was our third time with this wine and based on my previous notes, this is coming around a bit. A touch more complexity this time, while maintaining its lemony verve. A solid sparkler, but falls just a bit short from being spectacular. Very Good. 87-89 Points.

2000 Michel Picard Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Le Charmois: Retail $35. A bit stewed and hot on the nose. Far from austere but the acidity dominates the subtle red fruit compote. Better with food. By a lot. I might have waited a tad too long on this one (My notes from a few years ago indicated I had a much better impression). One bottle left–it better be soon!  Very Good.86-88 Points.

2011 Nicolas Potel Pouilly-Fuissé: Retail $25. I imagine that there are more interesting Pouilly-Fuissés out there–there is nothing inherently wrong with this wine, in fact it is quite nice, but there is nothing here to jump up and down about either. With few exceptions, I just think that the whole appellation is a bit over-blown. Very Good. 86-88 Points.

1999 Giovanni Viberti Barolo Riserva Bricco delle Viole: Retail $45. I do not drink a lot of Barolo, but that might change. A funky barnyard nose concealed the lovely fruit found on the palate. Still lively acidity and impressive depth buoyed by ample tannins. This is truly Outstanding and fantastic with food. I wish I had bought more of these from WTSO back in ’09 when I had the chance. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK(s): This week, in the drunken cyclist house, we hit our apex rather early on. Sure, there was the NV Baron Dauvergne Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Privilège that we popped Friday at a BYOB to celebrate my wife’s promotion. There is nothing like a nice bottle made with Pinot Noir from Bouzy to get me going. I was also pleasantly surprised Saturday night by the 2001 Maxwell Shiraz Ellen Street–as I mentioned, I do not have a lot of experience with Shiraz, but I might need to change that based on this bottle. No, the Wine of the Week this time around we popped way back on Monday. I know I spend a bit of time on this blog bashing Italian wines (mostly the whites) but truth be told, I am a huge fan of the wines from the Piedmont. The 1999 Giovanni Viberti Barolo Riserva Bricco delle Viole was certainly impressive. While certainly drinking fabulously now, there remained some tannic structure on the back-end that suggest there is potential for some more development. I am not sure if I will be willing to wait, however, it really was that good.

What was your Wine of the Week?