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).

2018 Domaine des Carlines Côtes du Jura La Vouivre, France: Retail $25. Paid $30 via Garagiste. Under cork. 70% Chardonnay, 30% Savagnin. While Chardonnay blends are fairly rare in the rest of the world (outside of sparkling wine production), they are fairly commonplace in the Jura with Savagnin often blended with its more worldly brethren. Slightly golden in the glass with a distinct nutty, even oily aspect to the nose. Not much fruit to be ascertained in the glass, but there is plenty once it hits the palate: lemon rind, quince, and perhaps some lime. Fantastic. This is paired with just a hint of that oily/smoky combo found on the nose and a rich, even unctuous mouthfeel that for me is the defining character of many of the wines from the region. Excellent. 91 Points.

2003 Cave de Vouvray Vouvray “50”, Loire Valley, France: Retail $25 (500ml). 100% Chenin Blanc. So it has been a scant few months since I have popped a bottle of this wine (since I always forget to consult CellarTracker before pulling a bottle), but boy has a ton changed in my appreciation for this wine. Whoa. In the glass? This goes beyond amber, even beyond “dark”. While certainly not “stout” this has to be darker than 95%+ of the beers in the world. And the nose. Nutty, fruity (dried apricot), spicy (cardamom, cinnamon, clove), this is fantastic to simply smell for a fortnight. The palate is tart, even really tart, with that dried apricot aspect just going bonkers. Whoa. I know I just had a bottle of this a few months ago, but this wine is head, shoulders, kneecaps, and feet above that one. Holy cow. Extraordinary. 97 Points.

NV Antoine Derigny Champagne Grand Cru Brut, France: Retail $65. 100% Chardonnay. A Grand Cru from the Mesnil-sur-Oger region, I picked this up from Last Bottle for under thirty bucks. Whoa. It has been a solid six months since I have popped a cork and, well, whoa. Normally, I gravitate toward Pinot-dominated Champers, but this Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs clearly has some age on it, which, at least for me, is key for the genre. Baked pear tart, yellow apple, even some tangerine and some fresh-out-of-the-oven croissant. This is stellar. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2007 Joseph Drouhin Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, France: Retail $22. 100% Gamay. You know, this is certainly (well) on the way to its downward slope. The fruit is essentially faded, and what is left is certainly a bit (or more) stewed. But this is fantastic. Sure, as I mentioned, the fruit was at a premium, but the acidity is certainly there. As are secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas. Maybe not for everyone at this point in its long life, but I dig it. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Gallimard Père et Fils Champagne Cuvée de Réserve Blanc de Noirs, France: Retail $50. 100% Pinot Noir from l’Aube. I had just returned from a loooong weekend of basketball in Bryan, Texas, which is just outside of College Station, home to Texas A&M University. We have lived in Texas for almost seven full years now and I do not think I have come anywhere close to having an “authentic” Texas experience as I did in Bryan this weekend (no, the weekend at the Dude Ranch did not count). While the food was surprisingly good, my half-Asian son and I were certainly “outsiders” from the jump. Happily home in a much more diverse Harris County, my wife had this bottle of bubbles waiting for me. Wonderful as usual, I will buy more from Last Bottle Wines or Last Bubbles whenever it becomes available. Excellent. 92 Points.

2008 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $65. We bought a couple of bottles from the winery way back in 2011 and I had essentially forgotten about them until today, when I got back from an exceedingly long weekend at an AAU basketball tournament with my younger son. Yeah. Ouch. But this bottle came pretty close to making up for it. A bit golden in the glass with aromas of lemon curd, vanilla, and a subtle shot of oak. And a whoa. The palate? Yowza. I have yet to have a wine made by Ted Lemmon that was not characterized by intense fruit and impeccable balance. That is the case here, too. I have rarely had a Chardonnay this delicious, regardless of origin. Sure, it is a bit more “boisterous” than its Burgundian counterparts, but we all know Americans tend to be that way. Outstanding. 96 Points. 

WINE OF THE WEEK: I really can’t complain about any of the wines we pulled this week from the cellar as they were all fantastic. Two bottles, however, really stood out. The first, the 2008 Littorai Charles Heintz Chardonnay, I expected to be good. Ted Lemon is a genius when it comes to Chardonnay, and I figured the 15-year-old wine would be just fine. The other, this Week’s Wine of the Week, the 2003 Cave de Vouvray Vouvray “50”, I also figured would be “good” just not this good. We don’t drink a ton of dessert wine any more despite having accumulated quite a few, so it is beyond satisfying that when we actually pull one, it delivers like this Vouvray (which we purchased from the winery however many years ago) did.

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