Even though I have only been away for a little over a week now, it feels like forever since I have slept in my own bed. I have made up for it, however, by drinking fairly good wines, many of trhem from Champagne. Here are a few of the wines that I have had on the road, those that I remembered to write down.

NV Ruppert-Leroy Champagne Cuvée 11, 12, 13 Brut Nature, France: Retail $65. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Biodynamic. Aged in oak foudres and stainless steel. We were in Austin, at one of the “hottest restaurants in town” and we opted for this cuvée from a grower in Essoyes in the Aube. While we were not entirely sure the hype for the restaurant was deserved (it was fine, but nothing more, and certainly not worthy of the price), this champagne was certainly the highlight. Made from a perpetual reserve, it is close to golden in the glass with intense lemon and a healthy brioche, a hint of hazelnut, and even a dose of minerality. Whoa. The palate is, understandably, quite tart, but the fruit certainly holds its own as does the yeasty, brioche component. Yowza. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve Vieilles Vignes, France: Retail $70. 35% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier. It was our second night in Austin and we went to one of our favorite restaurants, June’s All Day. No longer owned by June Rodil, who has moved to Houston, it still has 1/2 price bubbles on Monday, which is why we were there. The food was good, but the room was *hot* (it was a brisk 104° outside) making champagne even more refreshing and this was our second bottle. I was being a total dufus and trying to explain the subtleties of champagne to our server and since the first bottle was a Brut Nature, I decided to go with a Brut to show her the difference. I am sure she was annoyed. Close to golden in the glass with green apple, caramel, and intense baked brioche. Whoa. The palate is rich and bodacious with tart, bruised green apple, and all of that yeastiness. Add a lengthy finish? Yeah. Whoaza. New word. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2021 Giacomo Grimaldi Roero Arneis, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $20. It was our third night in Austin and we went to a small Italian restaurant, Intero, on Cesar Chavez. They have a decent wine list and great food, so we decided to deviate from our champagne path and opted for this Arneis. A bit golden but quite green appley and lemony with floral notes and even a touch of honey. The palate is surprisingly rich and full-bodied as most of the Roeros I have had have been more acid-driven. This seems to have spent some time in oak and has gone through at least a partial malolactic fermentation, but that is just a guess. And I like it. Great fruit, ample tartness, and that roundness really work well together. Nice. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Henriot Champagne Brut Rosé, France: Retail $65. 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. Henriot is one of my favorite houses but I don’t drink all that much simply because it can be difficult to find in the US. And the rosé is even more difficult to procure. I was at a restaurant in Austin with my lovely bride and one of our preferred restaurants and not only did they have the rosé, but it was half-off bubbles Thursday (there has to be a better name for that). Salmon color with red berries and, interestingly, a bit of mocha(?). Yeah, weird. The palate is fruity and nice with good acidity and bubbles. Solid. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Prestige Rosé, France: Retail $70. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. We were in an empty restaurant. Literally, no one else in a place that could sit easily 70. No. One. We had one bottle of champers already and we didn’t want to go back to the hotel and we didn’t want to go for a stroll since it was 100° outside. The restaurant on Thursdays had champagne at half off. No brainer: order another bottle. Fairly dark in the glass, this has to be in the upper 10% of hue when it comes to rosé champagne. Dark cherry and even raspberry on the nose with perhaps some rhubarb. Yowza. Rich, even close to unctuous, which is odd for champagne. Yeah, this is a big boy, One of the “darker” champers I have had, much more vinous than just about any champagne and that is saying something. Outstanding. 93 Points.