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).

2008 Amelle Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $45. Under cork. I have written about Amelle a ton, certainly more than any other now-defunct winery (wait, Clos Pepe might fit that bill) and I am getting to the end of my bottles from the producer. This is the first bottle of all that I have tasted from Amelle, that comes off as a bit tired. The nose is rich, and layered with red fruit, eucalyptus, and even some pine, but that fruit is a bit stewed, and as I said, tired. The palate follows this theme: layered, rich, but also a bit stewed. Would I consider this flawed? No, I just waited a tad too long to pop this one–I am sure it was a beauty. Excellent. 90 Points.

NV Colligny Père & Fils Champagne Brut Rosé, France: Retail $35. Blend? I drink a ton of champagne. A ton. And our favorite brand has been Mailly Grand Cru. For. Years. But the price of the rosé has shot into the stratosphere, rendering it far too expensive to be anywhere close to an everyday wine (at least for me). So the last time I was at Total Wine, I went perusing for a new “house champagne”, both Brut and rosé. This was one of the options at the price point. Yeah, no. Sure, it is fine as there is some fruit and tons of tartness, but the two are lacking in balance. Sure, it’s “OK” but there have to be better wines out there at this price. Very Good. 87 Points.

2016 B Kosuge Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $45. Under DIAM 10. We are nearing the end of the couple of cases of this wine and it is still fabulous. Straw to yellow in the glass with lemon meringue and toasted oak on the nose. The palate falls somewhere between “traditional California Chardonnay” and a more lithe “modern” version of the world’s most popular white variety. Nice weight and balance, I have always been impressed with Byron Kosuge’s wines, and I certainly put his Chards (why do you only make one a year, Byron?) at the top of the list. Excellent. 92 Points.

2021 Château de Montfort Vouvray Maison de Rivière Résèrve, Loire Valley, France: Retail $15(?). Under screw cap. I saw this wine at my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) for under fifteen bucks and I said “Sure, why not?” Well, when I got home, I could not find a scintilla of information regarding this wine on my friendly interwebs. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Bupkis. No photo, no tasting notes, no nothing. Of that? I am not a fan, not even close. Having said all of that, Chenin Blanc is a bit of a red-headed stepchild in the wine world as no one knows its rightful place. Desert wine? Regional (Loire Vally) curiosity? A versatile wine that might have multiple expressions based on terroir? Your guess is as good as mine. A bit golden in the glass with plenty of beeswax and ripe peach on the nose. The palate is close to dry with oodles of fruit (hence the perceived sweetness), a slightly herbal quality (sage), and yes, a touch of sweetness. I get it. A large percentage of Vouvray is vinified with some residual sugar, but I would love to try this completely dry. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Union Champagne de Saint Gall Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, France: Retail $45. 100% Chardonnay. Since Mailly Grand Cru is now overpriced, we were looking for a lower-priced champagne to fill the “house wine” void left by Mailly. This was a bit more than I wanted to pay (it came in at right around $40 at Total Wine but still less than Mailly which hovers slightly above $50 these days). Quite pale in the glass with plenty of tree fruit (pear and peach) and a yeasty goodness aspect. Tart on the palate with really luscious fruit, actually, particularly for a champagne, and an odd hint of mocha (I say odd since I can’t say for sure that I have experienced that before in a champers). This is a Brut, and like with many similar wines, I think it would possibly be better with a lower dosage (i.e., slightly less sweet) Excellent. 91 Points.

2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Germany: Retail $40. Given my last experience with this wine at the beginning of September, I thought it wise to pop the remaining six bottles of this wine in a timely fashion. While this is not quite as dark or as oxidized as the last iteration, this wine, too, is oxidized. Having said that, this is actually delightful. Tons of petrol on the nose with ripe lemon and green apple. Tart, slightly sweet, and nutty on the palate with depth and incredible length. Fantastic, even. Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: While last week I struggled with choosing a Wine of the Week, this Monday, the choice was fairly straightforward. Sure, the Amelle Pinot brought back memories of previous iterations that were stellar and we popped a couple of bottles of champagne, but any time you open an older German Riesling and it delivers, it is going to be tough to beat. Thus, the 2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese is this week’s top wine.

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