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 Barbier-Louvet Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée D’Ensemble, France: Retail $55. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. The winery is located in Tauxières-Mutry, a Premier Cru village on the Montagne de Reims, but the wine is classified as a Grand Cru, so the fruit likely comes from the nearby villages of Bouzy and Louvois. Pale to golden straw in the glass with plenty of green apple and fresh brioche. Yum. The palate is fruity, lively, and rich, with a lengthy finish–just delicious from start to finish. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Gallimard Père et Fils Champagne Grande Réserve Chardonnay Les Riceys, France: Retail $50. 100% Chardonnay. Another bottle from Last Bottle Wines (or was it Last Bubbles?) and another stellar wine. A bit golden in the glass, suggesting a bit of age on this non-vintage Blanc de Blancs with loads of baked Granny Smith apple pie with a lovely yeasty, flaky crust. The palate is quite nice as well with a lip-smacking tartness to go along with all that freshly-baked apple pie goodness. I have said dozens of times that I am not necessarily a fan of the Blanc de Blancs style, but when it has a bit of age on it (like it seems this bottle does), the body intensifies while the elegance remains. A winning combo in my book. Excellent. 92 Points.

2010 Maranet Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail: $30. This is the second label of noted Russian River Pinot producer DuMOL, typically made from younger vines with fruit that is not up to a level worthy of being incorporated into the flagship wines. I last tasted this over two years ago, it was good then and is holding up very nicely. Good fruit, more than ample acidity, and a touch of depth. Very nice. Excellent. 90 Points.

2018 Nino Franco Faìve Rosé Brut, Veneto IGT, Italy: Retail $24. 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. While my love for Nino Franco will likely never wain, I am slightly less enthralled with this bottle than I was the previous (91 points). Sure, all the fruit is there (plenty of red and some black), but there is a bit lacking this time. Plenty of tartness, all that fruit, and a pretty solid level of acidity. So what’s missing? I don’t know for sure, but the “verve factor” seems to be in absentia tonight. Very Good. 89 Points.

2016 Onward Wines Malvasia Bianca Petillant Naturel, Skin Fermented Capp-Inn Ranch, Suisun Valley, CA: Retail $30. Well, there is a lot to get to here. First, Pet-Nat. While not necessarily a “fan” I can appreciate a good one when it comes along, and this is excellent. Second, Suisun Valley. There is a reason you don’t see this appellation a lot (or have even heard of it): most of the fruit grown either ends up in blends or is sold locally. Third? Skin-fermented. Not at all typical for white wines although it is becoming more common with the orange wine “boom”. Last, Malvasia Bianca. A variety that is fairly widespread across the Mediterranean, it is usually blended with other varieties and is pretty rare in the U.S. Phew. As for the wine? A bit cloudy in the glass, which is expected with a Pet-Nat, with an intensely aromatic nose of ripe pear, citrus, and a doughy, yeasty component. The palate comes off slightly sweet from all of the fruit, but it is also quite tart and just a ton of fun. Excellent. 91 Points.

2009 Maison Roche de Bellene Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières, Burgundy, France: Retail $240(?). 100% Chardonnay. Under cork. I bought this back in 2017 from my favorite wine shop in Beaune for 55€ (about $60) and I had forgotten about it until now. The cork was in fine shape and while the color has clearly moved on to “yellow”, the nose was fantastic with great lemon curd and minerality dominant with touches of white pepper and spice. The palate is a bit subtle initially but 100% classic Meursault: rich, even on the verge of unctuous, with some buttery, creamy notes (but nowhere near an oak monster), loads of citrus and the accompanying zinginess, and a finish that lasts for minutes. Whoa and a Yowza. Outstanding Plus. 96 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This was an easy one. This week’s Wine of the Week has sadly become a rarity: a nicely aged white Burgundy. I was certainly trepidatious opening the 2009 Maison Roche de Bellene Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières, as there have been far too many older whites from the best region in the world for Chardonnay that have prematurely oxidized (what us wine geeks, always looking to save our precious keystrokes, have reduced to “premox”). Not this one. No, it was glorious and caused me to recall my introduction to the great white wines of Burgundy over three decades ago.

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