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 Camille Jacquet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, France: Retail $50. 100% Chardonnay. I thought I ordered a case of this wine so I was confused when two cases showed up. I checked and I actually ordered 18 bottles (not sure how that happened), but nonetheless got an additional 6 from Last Bubbles instead of another champagne I ordered. Oh well, they were the same price. And this wine is fine. Pale color, lively sparkle, notes of citrus and brioche and quite tart on the palate. I am going to age a few and see if this acidity settles down a bit. Now? Like I said, it’s fine, particularly at $32. Just not sure I want two cases of it. Very Good. 88 Points.

NV Gardet Champagne Dosage Zéro, France: Retail $60. 34% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier. This is now the third bottle (out of six) of this wine that we have tried and I am more than enthralled by this purchase from Vivino. Pale straw in color with a fairly active sparkle with apricot, peach, and a touch of green apple. The palate is fruity, but also extremely dry (as one would expect with a Brut Zero) with loads of green apple and under-ripe pear. I typically love Zero dosage wines and this is no exception. Fantastically dry and fruity with an active sparkle and tremendous verve. Yeah, Excellent. 91 Points.

2016 Larsen Projekt Grenache, North Coast, California: Retail $30. Under screwcap. My fifth of six bottles that I bought from the proprietor, a buddy of mine, and while all have been stellar, there has been some bottle variation. This bottle was at the upper end of the curve with big dark fruit. Many berries. Whoa. Yes, this seems to be better since the last opening, and while it was great then…now? Yowza. Great fruit, spice, a bit of earth, this wine is really fantastic. Whoa. Only one bottle left, however. Outstanding. 94 Points.

1997 Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Magnum Collection Brut, France: Retail (magnum) $225. 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. We received this magnum as a gift back in the summer of 2018 from some dear friends who were moving to Kuala Lumpur and we held on to it until they returned, which was tonight. I have waxed (hopefully poetically) about my love for the brand multiple times here and I remain steadfast in my appreciation for these wines. But. This is on another level. Golden in the glass with oodles of citrus and yeasty notes, this 26-year-old wine is certainly showing its age in the most positive way possible (and that is a very good thing). The palate is tart, yes, but also complex and layered with baked apple and a delicious brioche component. Whoa. Look. I love vintage champagne, and I love aged champagne even more. Give me an aged vintage champagne?? Yeah. Off the hook. Outstanding. 96 Points.

NV Remy Massin & Fils Champagne Brut Rosé, France: Retail $50. 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay. Purchased from First Bottle Wines for $40. Fairly dark in color for a rosé champagne with aromas of fresh red berries (cherry, strawberry) and just a touch of fresh croissant. The palate is quite fruity, even really fruity but balanced by a zingy tartness and some yeasty goodness. This is clearly a step or two above the first bottle, which seems to be happening a lot to me lately. Excellent. 92 Points.

2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany: Retail $45(?). It has been an incredible ten years since I last popped one of these and I was not entirely sure what to expect. Well? Amaze-balls (technical term). Not quit golden (but certainly yellow) in the glass with green apple and loads of that petrol aspect that one expects, even seeks out, in older Rieslings. The palate is sweet, but well short of cloying, with a surprisingly lively acidity and quite a bit of verve. OK. Whoa. The finish is lengthy and complex as one would expect from a wine of this pedigree. Whoa again. Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: While this was yet another stellar week for pulling wines from the cellar, with many excellent and outstanding wines selected, the choice for the Wine of the Week was fairly simple. Opening a vintage champagne is almost always a treat, made better when said wine has a bit of age on it as well. How does it get even better? When it is a magnum and you get to share it with good friends. The 1997 Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Magnum Collection Brut checked all the boxes and then some.

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