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).

We left Annecy for Lake Geneva and Lausanne for a few days this past week, before finally ending up in Lyon, where my son will be studying for the semester. Here are a few of the wines we had over the past several days.

2021 Henri Badoux Aigle Murailles Rosé, AOC Chablais, Switzerland: Retail 22.50 CHF. Restaurant 49 CHF. “A blend of red grapes, mostly Pinot Noir.” It was our first night in Lausanne, on the banks of Lake Geneva, and our lunch upon arrival was less than stellar. Thus, I spent most of my afternoon searching for a restaurant to please the masses. I think I found it on the city’s main square and we opted for this Swiss rosé to pair with the tarte flambée. Fairly dark orange-ish pink, even peach in color. Floral and sweet on the nose with ripe strawberry and rhubarb at the fore. The palate is completely dry but also incredibly rich with layers of flavor and weight. Much more in the line of Tavel than Provence, this paired exceedingly well with the Flämmenkuche that delighted my 20-year-old son to no end. Very nice. Excellent. 91 Points.

Sorry about the blurry shot, but we were all so excited to dive in, I was not given any more time.

2021 Henri Badoux Aigle Murailles Grande Cuvée Rosé Brut, AOC Chablais, Switzerland: Retail 22.50 CHF (~$25). I paid 16.50 CHF. 100% Pinot Noir. We were so happy with the still rosé, when I saw this at the grocery street across from our hotel on sale for less than twenty bucks, I leaped. By the time it was cold enough to drink, we had switched hotel rooms (for the second time) and the “new” room included a balcony with a lake view. Perfect. The tasting notes, perhaps not surprisingly, mirror that of the still rosé, with wonderful red fruit, a zingy tartness, and a lingering finish. Excellent. 92 Points. (Bubbles are worth at least a point, no?)

2022 Domaine de la Maison Blanche (Les Frères Dubois) Grand Cru Epesses, Lavaux, Switzerland: Retail 17 CHF (~$19) I paid 40CHF at the restaurant. 100% Chasselas. I have not had a ton of Chasselas but most have been within a few kilometers of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman for the locals). As was the case tonight. We were in Lausanne for a couple of days and I nabbed a reservation on the bank of the lake with a rare view of Mont Blanc (which was decidedly lacking in Blanc). The waiter, (who when asked for a wine list, replied “I am the wine list”) suggested this when I requested a Chasselas. Pale straw in the glass with brilliant green highlights, and a nose that was quite shy but eventually revealed mineral, white peach, lime, and lemon notes. The palate is much bigger than the nose suggested with a floral component that was prominent but also utterly missing on the nose. Rich, even unctuous, on the palate with oodles of depth and a tanginess that would not quit. The lengthy finish only added to its allure. Whoa. Outstanding. 93 Points. 

NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut, France: Retail: $75. 58% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 7% Red Pinot Noir. Should you choose a restaurant solely based on one bottle of wine on the wine list? I mean what if the list is incorrect or they sold out? So many things could go wrong but seeing as this is one of my favorite rosé champagnes, we went for it. And they had it. And I was happy (it was essentially my birthday). The food was really good, but it was pretty darned hot in the restaurant (no AC). We used to drink this wine somewhat regularly back in Philadelphia, but it has been tougher to find in Texas. Given that our new home has less-stupid liquor laws than Pennsylvania (which could be said about practically every other state in the union), we have had more bubbles to choose from, too. Oh yeah, the wine. Luscious red fruit on the nose, mostly raspberry and a bit of cherry, with a healthy dose of yeasty loveliness. The palate has a fantastically fine sparkle, intense tartness, the delicious baked-bread component, a bit of fruit on the mid-palate, and an extremely lengthy finish. Exactly what I had hoped. Outstanding. 95 Points. 

WINE OF THE WEEK: Clearly, the Wine of the Week this go around is the Gosset Grand Rosé, one of my all-time favorites for so many reasons. But the real story this week was the ability to once again drink some Swiss wines since it is so hard to do so in the U.S. Sure, there are a smattering of wines that make their way over to us, but the vast majority of Swiss wines, particularly the best wines, are consumed locally. So it was great to get some Chasselas, some Swiss Pinot, and even a sparkling wine. I am headed back for another four days in Switzerland (after a brief stop in Italy) so I will try and pick up where I left off next week.

Mont Blanc looking not so Blanc.

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