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).

2009 B Kosuge Syrah Hudson Vineyard, Carneros, CA: Retail $55? Under cork. I have been a fan of Byron’s wines for quite some time now and upon one visit to “his” winery, he indicated that he had this Syrah (going on 7 years old at that point) on “sale” for about 30% off. And so I bit. It was not a willy-nilly adventure since I had trusted Byron as a wine maker for years. No, it was more of a question of the variety: Syrah. Although I have never explicitly asked, I am pretty sure that Byron sees himself as a bit of a Pinot wunderkind and thus Syrah was a deviant, a departure, a shot in the dark at a different variety. And. It. Works. Dark in the glass with dark berry fruit, some pizzaz, and a whole lot of verve. Whoa. Black fruit (blackberry [duh], blueberry, cassis) dominates the nose, but there is also a spicy aspect that I normally don’t associate with Pinot Noir. Oh wait, yeah, this is a Syrah. Yeah. There is some coffee, a bit of earth, some fresh tobacco leaf, and whoa. This is much better than I remember the first bottle. The palate is still fruity, but more reserved than one would expect from a Sonoma Syrah. Great acidity and a killer finish round out this wine. Whoa. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2018 de Négoce Chardonnay OG N.77, Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $12. I have been through a few bottles of this wine, now, and it is still compelling. However, while still intriguing, this is a decided step below prior bottles. Here are my previous notes, which largely still apply: Quite light in the glass with barely a “pale straw” evident, but there is quite a bit of citrus and just a touch of oak on the nose. The palate is tart, but not overly so, with a slightly weighty mouth-feel, and subtle citrus and oak. So while I still like the wine a ton, this bottle slipped a couple of notches from its perch at 93 points. Still, Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Michel Genet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé “Redblend 9208”, France: Retail $50. $39 at Garagiste. 92% Chardonnay, 8% Pinot Noir (which is represented in the “Redblend 9208”). Originally, when this was admittedly a bit too cold, it came off as a tad too acidic, to the point of effectively hiding the fruit. As it warmed, however, that juiciness was released with loads of red berry fruit, more cherry than strawberry which helps to tamper that initial tartness. While the “warmer” version is much, much, more in line with what I expected (it is quite good), I still was hoping for more when I purchased three bottles of this wine and waited close to a year to receive them from Garagiste. Excellent. 91 Points.

2019 Head High Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $20. Under screw cap. A friend brought this over for a wine dinner and I have to admit that I have never heard of it. But after some primo Pinot, we twisted, snifted, and I have to say that it is not terrible. Sure, this came nowhere close to the $75+ Pinots that we had been tasting, but this did the genre and price range proud. Would I ever actually buy this wine? Well, no, but if this were served at a wedding that I attended? Sure. Even more than sure–a decided “yes”. Very Good. 88 Points.

2020 Head High Chardonnay, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $20. Under screw cap. A friend brought this over when we were having a tasting of some Sonoma Chards and Pinots and, well, it is fine. Maybe above fine and well into Very Good. Lemon, salinity, banana, and even a hint of vanilla on the nose. The palate is tart and fruity, with a bit of reckless abandon. In other words, this wine lacks focus, it is a bit all over the place. Still “good”? Yes. Very Good. 87 Points.

2012 Provenance Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley: Retail $60. The former CEO of Provence is the father of one of the students that I used to coach, way back when, so all cards on the table, I have a soft spot for the wines. No need to embellish any further since this wine is, well, gangbusters. Medium color with dark, even close to brooding, fruit (blackberry, plum, cassis), with a touch of black pepper, and just a subtle hint of basil. Whoa. The palate is balanced, with the acidity coming through from the jump. The fruit punches back, however, on the mid-palate, creating a wonderful interaction that lasts through to the well-above-average finish. Yowza. Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week, I was more than a touch worried when I opened this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2009 B Kosuge Syrah Hudson Vineyard. First, it was fourteen-years-old and, well, that is pretty old for a California Syrah. Second, it was made by Byron Kosuge whi is a master when it comes to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but Syrah? Third, as I recall, this was the only vintage of this wine that Byron made and while there are many perfectly good possible reasons for that, it still leaves a littel doubt there. Well, in a word, my fears were all stupid. Byron has proved time and again his mettle in the cellar and there is certainly no exception here. Bravo (again) Mr. Kosuge.

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