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).

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.

2013 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Terres Brulées, Northern Rhône, France: Retail $70. 100% Syrah. One of the more renowned wines from the Jean-Luc Colombo portfolio, I was thrilled to see this on the shelf, waiting to be opened. Dark, but short of brooding, with a hint of barnyard on the nose, this is quintessential Cornas, at least to me. The palate is reserved, for sure, but lacks the barnyard aspect that the nose portends. Good plum, blackberry, plenty of earth, spice, and tartness. Outstanding. 93 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 Bubbles for thirty bucks. Whoa. It has now become our de-facto house champagne and while normally, I gravitate toward Pinot-dominated Champers, this BdB 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. I have now purchased more than four cases of this wine and I will continue to do so–it is that good. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2021 Giacomo Grimaldi Roero Arneis, Tuscany, Italy: Retail $20. Our third night in Austin we went to a small Italian restaurant, Intero, on Cesar Chavez, Inter. Decent wine list and great food, we decided to deviate from our champagne path and opted for this Arneis. A bit golden but quite green apple-y as well as lemon-y 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 malo. 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. One of my favorite houses I don’t drink all that much simply because it’s not all that available in the US. And the rosé is even more difficult to find. 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 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.

WINE OF THE WEEK: As even the most casual reader of this space knows, we consume way more than our fair share of champagne in this house (and particularly at restaurants). That makes it all the more interesting when we discover a “new” (I believe the house was founded in 1847) producer. Such was the case with this week’s Wine of the Week, the Non-Vintage Bérêche et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve Vieilles Vignes. Given this country’s screwed up three-tier system, it is unlikely that I will ever find it on a shelf to buy, but if I do, I will certainly snatch up a few bottles.

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