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 over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

2015 Adler Fels Chardonnay The Eagle Rock, California: Retail $20. Heavy Bottle. Under cork. I received a couple of bottles of this wine as samples back in 2017 and while I popped the first bottle shortly thereafter, this second bottle has wallowed in my cellar, waiting for me to notice it again. Well, tonight? I did. And while this did not cause me to lose my socks, it was better than I remembered. Sure, the oak presence is perhaps a bit too much, but there is still good fruit, nice acidity, and, well, it’s rather tasty. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV André Clouet Champagne Rose No. 3, France: Retail $50. 100% Pinot Noir Grand Cru (10% Bouzy rouge added to the vin clair). This is the last bottle of this wine that I have on hand and despite the rather inconsistent nature of the wine, I am sure I will be buying more shortly. This is probably the best bottle of those that I have had thus far with rich, juicy, red fruit, a lovely level of tartness, and a finish that lasted all the way through Ted Lasso. Bravo. Outstanding. 93 Points.

NV Antoine Derigny Champagne Brut Rosé, France: Retail $60. 60% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier, colored with 12% Bouzy red Pinot Noir. The first two bottles of this case that I purchased from Last Bubbles were excellent, but this bottle is a bit of a step back. While many of the notes are similar (fresh strawberry and cherry, a delicate sparkle, plenty of tartness), there was a metallic aspect to this wine that had not been in the first two bottles. This did get better as it warmed, however. Excellent. 90 Points.

2014 B Kosuge Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $48. Heavy bottle. Under cork. I have had a few of these now and, for the most part, they have been stellar. This bottle, however, is decidedly golden, a clear indication of some oxidation here. So while I assume that there might be some cork issues (there also might be a hint of cork taint). All that being said, I love Byron’s wines and this is no exception. Sure, there is something going on, but there is still some fruit, hints of oak, and verve. Nonetheless, Flawed.

2011 Ceja Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $55. Heavy Bottle. Under cork. OK, so I was invited on a wine-themed cruise on the Danube a few years ago and about halfway through the voyage (which was glorious), there was a wine quiz for all the passengers. I attended with the only intention to watch but just before the quiz/contest was to start, the folks from the winery insisted that I partake. I won. And, to just add a bit of assholedness to the proceedings, I let the owner of the winery, who ran the contest, that an answer to one of the questions, the only one that I got wrong, was actually incorrect and I let her know what the correct answer actually was. Yeah, I am that guy. This bottle served as part of the prize. Quite fruity in the glass with dark and brambly fruit, a bit of clove, and just a touch of earth. The palate, unfortunately is less than whelming. Sure, there is some fruit and plenty of acidity, but it lacks the character that I hope to find in a bottle of this price. Oh well, at least the cruise was fantastic. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Remy Massin & Fils Champagne Brut Rosé, France: Retail $50. 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay. Alas, this bottle was a return to the first that we popped a few months prior. In other word, “Meh.” Sure, there is good red berry fruit and a nice tartness, but despite the seemingly fervent sparkle upon pouring, this comes off as, well, a bit flat. Not anywhere close to having to pour it down the drain, but given the success of the more recent bottles I have tried, this is certainly a disappointment. I guess it just proves the adage: there are no good wines, only good bottles. Very Good. 88 Points.

2021 Vignobles Paradis Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Claire-Voie, France: Real $25. Fron WTSO. 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache Noir, 10% Vermentino. Pretty much what one expects from the appellation: more floral than fruity (but still plenty of red berry) on the nose with very nice acidity and a bit of a chalky mouthfeel. I got this from WTSO for twelve bucks and I certainly would consider it “worth it.” Gets better as it approaches room temperature. Very Good. 89 Points

My prizes for winning the trivia contest on the cruise. I have no idea what happened to the bear and I should open that Zweigelt soon.

WINE OF THE WEEK: I am not going to lie: I have had better weeks pulling wines from the cellar. All but one of the wines this week were, frankly, disappointing. One would think that the Wine of the Week discussion would be fairly straightforward and that the André Clouet Rosé No. 3 would be this week’s top wine. Nope. I decided to go with the 2011 Ceja Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley for this top honor this week, not for what I found in the bottle but rather the memories it evoked having pulled the cork.

What was/were your Wine(s) of the Week?