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).

2014 Benovia Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $35. Under cork. This is now the last bottle of this wine that I purchased from Last Bottle Wines nearly six years ago. All four bottles were stellar, sure, but this wine is more closely aligned with “old school” California Chardonnay as the oak, butter, and heft are on display. It has been 2+ years since I cracked the previous bottle and this has certainly evolved and might just be the best of the four. Yellow, close to golden, in the glass and it is certainly buttery and oaky on the nose, with a bit of citrus peeking through. The palate is “classic Cali Chardonnay” with plenty of aforementioned oak and butter, but this is far from “cougar juice” as there is fruit as well: citrus and tree fruit (golden pear). Yeah, if you don’t like the oak on your Chard, this is not the wine for you, but if you don’t mind it or even seek it, this is stellar. Great balance and a lengthy finish. Whoa. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2008 Cosentino Winery The Poet, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $65(?). Responsible bottle. Under cork. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot. I believe this is the first Poet produced after Mitch Cosentino lost control over his eponymous winery. And it shows. Sure, this is a fantastic wine; Very dark in the glass with plenty of dark fruit (blackberry, cassis), some earth, and even a bit of tobacco. The palate has more than ample fruit, great earthy notes, and a fantastic mouthfeel. But the finish is a bit on the short side and not nearly as deep as the countless Cosentino wines I enjoyed before the switch in ownership. Excellent. 91 Points.

2013 B Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros, CA: Retail $35. Heavy Bottle. Under cork. A rare occurrence: I get to try a bottle of the Shop. Usually, this is the go-to wine for my wife when I am out of town. Not tonight. We were binging on one of our shows and my wife wanted another glass so she went to the cellar and pulled one of her all-time favorites. This bottle, while still stellar, comes off as a bit stewed. The fruit is a shade tired but there is still plenty of spice and more than an ounce of verve. The palate follows that theme with good, albeit slightly stewed, fruit, nice acidity, and overall great balance. But it is time to drink up–over ten years old now and it’s on the downward slope. Excellent. 90 Points.

2009 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $85 (1.5L): From magnum. Under cork. I “won” this bottle at the 2010 International Pinot Noir Celebration at a dinner with Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash and I waited until tonight to open it. And it was fabulous. Fresh and lively fruit on both the nose and the palate with wild cherry and just a hint of rhubarb. Fantastic. Great balance as a lively acidity holds all that fruit in check, leading to a lengthy finish that lasts for quite some time. This wine was made when Lynn was still firmly at the helm and I like to think I can taste her passion both for the variety and the Willamette Valley. Excellent. 92 Points.

2012 Preston Family Vineyards Syrah, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $36. Big Ass Bottle. 87% Syrah, 8% Petit Sirah, 5% Mourvèdre. I picked this up from the Dry Creek Valley Auction, nearly a decade ago for about twenty bucks. I think. Rather dark in the glass with subtle fruit but a near intense medicinal aspect, along with some menthol? There is also a bit of fruit, but it is rather hard to distinguish as than medicinal (menthol?) aspect is pretty powerful. On the palate, that medicinal aspect persists, but it is moderated by rather intense (particularly given the age) fruit. Quite tart, as well, with depth, weight, and a mocha aspect that was a bit of a surprise. In the end? I really like it. Even a lot. That fruit on the palate, paired with the zingy tartness, is rather remarkable. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2009 Skewis Pinot Noir Peters Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $50. Under cork. I have been around many a block with the wines of Hank and Maggie Skewis. They retired several years ago now (I believe their last vintage was 2014?) but the wines live on. After this wine I have a mere 15 bottles left but should this wine serve as an example, there is no real rush to get to them as this wine is spectacular. Medium color with a stunning nose: ripe Bing cherry, a bit of eucalyptus, an herbal aspect (sweet basil), and some wet, brown earth. Scrumptious. The palate, if possible, is even better with wonderful fruit, a balancing zinginess, particularly on the finish, and just a touch of mocha. On the verge of unbelievable. Outstanding Plus. 97 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Not too long ago, a friend of mine mentioned that I rate wines too high and, after a bit of investigation, I discovered that what he really meant was that I rate the wines from my personal cellar too high. That caused me to think a bit as no one likes to be accused of grade inflation and/or homerism. But then it hit me. Other than champagne, I do not buy a lot of wine these days but when I do, I buy wines that I really like. So while the ratings might seem high, the reason I bought them was because I rated them highly to begin with! So, in essence, it is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Even then, a wine might decline faster than I had hoped (as with the 2013 B Kosuge The Shop), or, as is the case with this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2009 Skewis Pinot Noir Peters Vineyard, a wine could evolve much better than I could have envisioned. In the end, I tried to explain this all to my friend but in the end, I just popped a few corks from the cellar and showed him.

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