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).

2000 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Rouge, Burgundy, France: Retail $75(?). Under Cork. Responsible bottle (579g; 1lb 4.5oz). Well, it has been over eight years since I popped a bottle of this wine and this is now the last of the three bottles that I purchased from a small-ish wine shop in Chassagne-Montrachet way back in 2007. Eight years ago, I loved this wine and, surprisingly, it might be even better now. Fairly dark in the glass with dark berry aromas (blackberry, black raspberry, even black cherry), more than a smidge of earth, and a touch of spice characterize the nose. The palate? Sure, it is clear that there is some age here, but it is utterly fantastic. Fruit, earth, and considerable zing are all there. Holy Cow this is good and warrants an upgrade in score. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2019 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu, Loire Valley, France: Retail $40. $70 at the Library Wine Bar in Houston. 100% Chenin Blanc. We were at the new wine bar in our ‘hood and I was immediately drawn to this. A “legendary” wine producer in Vouvray, now owned any an Asian-American family who has certainly ruffled a feather or two. Between straw and yellow in the glass with lemon zest and a touch of Asian pear and sea salt on the nose. The palate is completely dry with an intense tartness but also some sneaky roundness. There is no doubt this is fabulous and well worth the $70 that we paid at the wine bar. Outstanding. 93 Points.

NV Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label, France: Retail $38. 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier. Pale straw with a decided flinty, matchstick, dirty nose. Those aromas are so powerful, in fact, that it is near impossible to detect any sort of fruit here, initially. Eventually, I can find a bit of pear and lemon rind behind all that distraction, but this is still the funkiest nose of the flight. Another wine where the palate far outplays the nose: good fruit, nice acidity, complexity, and all the stuffing. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé, France: Retail $65. 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Well, we are getting down to the last bottles of this wine, which we loved so much that we named our dog “Mailly Grand Cru Rosé”. I’m not kidding, that’s her name. But. While this wine remains solid, it has now soared to close to $60 at Total Wine. It is certainly Excellent, even Outstanding, but at that price? There are several options available online that compete certainly in price (close to half) and quality. So we will likely only buy a few bottles of this every now and again, for semi-special occasions. Like tonight. My wife is scheduled for surgery this week and this is the last night she will be able to drink for a while. And she chose this as her “last bottle” if you will. Deep pink color, one of the darker rosé champagnes on the market. Lovely, rich nose of strawberry, cherry, croissant, and a slight mineral aspect. The palate is laden with fruit, plenty of tartness, and considerable verve. Sorry to see this one go…  Excellent. 92 Points.

2011 Domaine de l’Oriel Gérard Weinzorn Pinot Gris Sommerberg Les Terrasses, Alsace Grand Cru, France: Retail $35. Under cork. Responsible bottle (459g; 1lb 0.1oz). This is one of the wines that I procured when my friend of a few decades died suddenly. We had discovered this producer together however many years ago and subsequently shared many a bottle from Domaine de l’Oriel. This Pinot Gris, a variety that I feel is severely underrated in Alsace, is golden in the glass with aromas of baked, bruised pear and honeysuckle. The palate is rich and full with a hint of oxidation and just a touch of sweetness. Grand Cru Pinot Gris is relatively tough to come by in this country and that’s too bad because this is pretty terrific. Excellent. 92 Points.

2014 Wind Gap Wines Syrah, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $40. 100%(?) Syrah. I know I got these from Last Bottle Wines in early 2019, but I am not sure how much they sold for (I got them with credits). Apparently, I received six bottles, but I only have three left. Yeah. Mysteries abound. Good red fruit on both the nose and the palate with touches of earth and spice. I was ready to not like this wine, but this is a solid wine from start to finish and quite a pleasant quaff. Excellent. 91 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week the choice for Wine of the Week was an easy one. The 2000 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Rouge was a wonderful wine, close to other-worldly. But. It is also sad since Burgundy wines have become soooo expensive, I doubt that I will be buying any more. I was so distraught about the state of affairs with what had been my second favorite wine region (behind Champagne, naturally), that I forgot to take a picture of the bottle (it was my last bottle of the wine). Thus, I have included a photo of the 2011 Domaine de l’Oriel Gérard Weinzorn Pinot Gris Sommerberg Les Terrasses Grand Cru. Why? I figured I needed at least one pic.

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