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).

2020 Ca’ del Baio Barbaresco Autinbej, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $38. Restaurant $58. 100% Nebbiolo. Just a quick note as I selected this at one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus (it’s actually in Upper Arlington) as I was in town with my son to catch a football game and check out a few colleges. I had a bottle of champagne in my hand (you select the wine yourself at this restaurant) but given the temperature (about 50°) and my likely dinner selection (tomato-based pasta), I saw this Barbaresco and changed my mind. Glad I did (and I can’t believe I just said that). Fruity but also earthy nose with a delightful palate of fruit, earth, a touch of tannic grip, and a zingy tartness. Fantastic. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Antoine Derigny Champagne Grand Cru Brut, France: Retail $55. 100% Chardonnay. From Last Bubbles (or Last Bottle, I forget). Since my wife popped a bottle of this while I was out of town (and drank it all, over two nights without writing a note), I figured I would catch up when she was away at orchestra rehearsal (yes, my wife is an annoying over-achiever). Once again, this is a stellar champagne with similar notes: Normally, I gravitate toward Pinot dominated Champers, but 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. While this might be a (slight) step below previous iterations of this wine, it is still stellar.  Excellent. 92 Points.

2000 Le Duo de Bourgogne Clos Vougeot, Burgundy, France: Retail $125? 100% Pinot Noir. From one of the legendary Grand Cru vineyards in the world. OK. This bottle was a bit more stewed, even a lot more so. Does that make it “bad”? Um. no. Amber in the glass with stewed notes and utterly lacking in fruit. But, hey! It’s almost 25 years old! and sure that plays a role, but come on, what else do you have that old that has not faded at least a bit? Wait, don’t answer that. Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Gloria Ferrer Brut, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $20. 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay. I had a couple of bottles of this wine left over from my last two tastings of American Sparkling Wine that I hold for other wine writers here in Houston (the Sixth Annual Blind Tasting of American Sparkling Wine is this weekend). I guessed the last bottle (not to be confused with Last Bottle) was from the 5th Annual tasting and that makes sense since that would mean this bottle was left over from the 4th, which I did not like quite as much. That tracks here as, while still a nice wine, it is a bit overly nutty and a tad funky for me. Still? Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Réserve, France: Retail $50. 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. Purchased six bottles from Last Bottle Wines back in 2020 and this is now the “Last Bottle” we have of this wine. And it is fantastic. My only regret? I did not have the foresight to buy more than six bottles. (#Dummy) Slightly golden in the glass with plenty of toasty, yeasty notes as well as a bit of citrus and marzipan. Tart, fruity, yeasty, and tons of loveliness on the palate. Close to a Whoa. Yet another Pinot Noir-dominate wine that just lights up my Christmas tree. Lovely. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2001 MacPhail Merlot, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $45? Big Ass Bottle. 100% Merlot. I have professed (hopefully poetically) about my disdain for both Merlot (meh) and heavy bottles (needs to change), but this incredible wine from James MacPhail made me question one of those stances. I opened this wanting just one more glass on a Friday night when the family had abandoned me to go who-knows-where. And boy did this wine fill a void. I was a tad bit worried, though, that corking up this bottle before writing a note would not end well as the ample fruit was a bit stewed and came off as slightly oxidized. 24 hours later? Yowza. This wine not only improved, it garnered a spot as one of my all-time favorite Merlots. Dark in color, oozing black fruit (blackberry, plum, cassis), this is surprisingly light on the palate, driven by the fruit, yes, but also a zingy tartness that holds the wine together wonderfully. Whoa. Outstanding. 94 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The last few weeks, choosing the Wine of the Week has seemed to vacillate between a rather difficult decision and a fairly obvious choice. This week is decidedly the latter. While we popped a couple of our favorite Champagnes and opened an old red Burgundy, none of the wines compared with the 2001 MacPhail Merlot, this week’s Wine of the Week. As I mentioned in the note, I am not a big Merlot drinker. In fact, Merlot represents one half of one percent of the wine I currently have in my cellar (a total of nine bottles, so you can do the math if you like). Even though this bottle was more than two decades past its vintage date, with a bit of time, it was as lively and lithe as one could hope with a wine of any age. Much thanks to Kerry MacPhail (now of Tongue Dancer Wines) for sending me this beauty.

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