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).

Monday is usually the day that I publish the tasting notes from wines that we have purchased for consumption at home or in a restaurant. This is the first such article in the last four weeks, however, which is not all that surprising since I have rarely been home over the course of the last month. It looks like I will be home for the rest of July, though, which is good (I get to see my family and my dog) and bad (have you noticed the temperatures down in here in Houston)?

Most of the month of August, though, will be in France, Switzerland, and Italy, though, so I thought I should at least try to catch up a bit before I go (and throw a little humble brag out there while I am at it).

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs, France: Retail $105. 100% Chardonnay from four Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte des Blancs : Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger. The last bottle of this wine I tried I had for over a decade. This one? I’ve had it for about five months. A bit golden in the glass with an incredible nose of lemon meringue, wet rock, and that classic yeasty, freshly baked croissant aspect that is rarely achieved to this level of perfection outside of the Champagne region. The palate is perhaps even more impressive with a perfect balance of fruit, tartness, sparkle, and that oh so seductive dose of brioche. This is one of the better widely available champagnes on the market. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2009 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Somewhat haphazardly I discovered tonight on Facebook that Catherine Pepe, mother of Wes Hagen, died. Catherine was married to Steve Pepe, owner of Clos Pepe, the vineyard where Wes once yielded his magic thief. I only met Catherine once, but she was so gracious, kind, welcoming, and just good that it made an indelible mark on both me and my wife. The world is a less-good place with her passing. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2021 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $55. I saw this at a restaurant for $41 and, of course, I leapt. I have visited the winery a couple of times and the setting is simply amazing–it is a mere few kilometers from the coast, high above sea level with views for miles (when the fog is minimal). A rich nose of tropical fruit (tons of guava) and a decided citrus rind aspect. Whoa. The palate is fruity, tart, mineral, and simply fantastic. I have had a bunch of Flowers Chards over the years, and this one certainly ranks up there among the best that I have tried. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2015 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France: Retail $60. 44% Grenache, 37% Syrah, 14% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault. I believe this is my first time trying the 2015 la Nerthe as I can’t seem to find any notes on it. Medium color but a bit dark on the nose with dark berry fruit and plum along with a veritable spice rack as well: cardamom, black pepper, and maybe even some anise. The palate is surprisingly fresh with a lovely balance between juicy fruit and a balancing tartness. I am a big fan of la Nerthe and this 2015, nearly a decade out, is doing quite well. Fantastic. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2021 BP Provence Select Côtes de Provence Les Sarrins Rosé, France: Retail $25. 60% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 10% Rolle, 5% Mourvèdre. Agglomerated stopper. This winery is owned by Bruno Paillard and I first visited a handful of years ago while in Provence. When I saw this on sale for $16 at Central Market here in Houston, I jumped. We have gone through a bunch of this wine now (it is easy to drink a lot of rosé in Houston), so much that this has clearly become our “house rosé”. This 2021 is still going strong and I hope my H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) continues to carry it with the 2022. Classic Provençal rosé in blend, color, and nose with red berry fruit a-go-go with mineral and floral notes. Yowza. The palate is lovely–great fruit, fantastic acidity, impeccable balance. I had a previous vintage of this wine years ago and loved it. This one is better. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2020 Château de Trinquevedel Tavel, Rhône Valley, France: Retail $21. 60% Grenache, 13% Clairette, 13% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 3% Mourvèdre, 1% Bourboulenc. Ah Tavel, if there were ever a singular town in France that I would love to visit (but have not yet been), it might be you (although Cassis and Condrieu are also on that list). As with all Tavel, this is dark in the glass, closer to a red than certainly a Provençal rosé. And along with all that color comes fruit, body, and depth. Yowza. Perhaps the best known (or at least most widely distributed Tavel in the U.S., thank you Kermit Lynch), this wine is quite robust, but also tart and lively on both the nose and the palate. Why more rosé wines are not made this way (with more ripeness on the vine and just a bit more skin contact), I might never know, but thank goodness for Tavel. Excellent. 92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Somebody once asked me why most of the wines in this (usually) weekly recap of the wines that we opened from our cellar are always rated so high. I guess that is a good question but after even a brief moment of reflection, the answer is somewhat obvious, at least to me. First, since I taste more than my fair share of wines over the course of an average week, the wines that I choose to buy and store in my cellar are those that I really like. Second, many of the wines that I hold onto and store have a memory or a person attached to them, which only adds to my appreciation of them. That is the case with all but one of the wines listed above, too. I opted for the 2015 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape as this week’s Wine of the Week since it checked both boxes: it is a fabulous wine and it made me chuckle more than a few times as I recounted a few of the adventures I have had with Christophe Bristiel, ambassador of the brand, good friend, and completely (and wonderfully) crazy person.

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