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).

Just a quick update: we are still without power although the local power company says we should be restored by this evening. They also said the exact same thing yesterday, soooo…

2015 Domaine Adrien Besson Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, Burgundy, France: Retail $33. Responsible Bottle (586g; 1lb 4.6oz). Under cork. 100% Chardonnay. I had just returned from New Orleans where I had a stellar Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux (which is fairly rare in the U.S.) and I decided to pull one of my own Chablis 1ers, this Montmains (a much larger vineyard). Whoa. Brilliant straw in the glass, with faint citrus (lime, lemon curd) and white acacia flower, but the star of the show, as with many a Chablis, is the steely minerality. The palate is surprisingly a tad round but with much more fruit than I found on the nose. By the mid-palate, the acidity kicks in and carries the wine all the way to the finish. Lovely. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2013 Brick Brook Grenache, Edna Valley, CA: Retail $20(?). Ridiculously Light Bottle (482g; 1lb 1oz). This was part of a mystery case from Last Bottle Wines that I purchased way back in 2016. Yowza. I was looking for another wine in the cellar and I came across this and decided “What the heck?” Well, pretty decent; it might be even more than that. Fairly dark in the glass with dark red fruit, a bit of earth, and touches of spice. Given the nose, I was pleasantly surprised by how fruity and tart this wine was on the palate with bright red berries, a zingy tartness, and a lengthy finish. Very nice. Excellent. 90 Points.

NV André Clouet Champagne Silver Brut Nature, France: Retail $50. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (879g; 1lb 15oz). 100% Bouzy Grand Cru Pinot Noir. Zero Dosage. It has been a while since I have had one of these and while I still like it, it has certainly slipped since the previous iterations. Straw to yellow (OK, maybe on the way to golden) with fresh peach, pear, and a touch of Granny Smith apple to pair with the yeastiness. The palate is fairly austere, even for me, with a biting acidity and remnants of fruit. OK, I will freely admit that this wine might need time, but honestly, I had higher hopes; I am a big fan of both Brut Nature and 100% Pinot Noir wines, but this falls a bit short. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV André Clouet Champagne Rose No. 3, France:Retail $50. 100% Pinot Noir Grand Cru (10% Bouzy rouge added to the vin clair). We were in Spec’s to pick up some sparkling wine to serve my father-in-law (but telling him it was expensive champagne; thank you Gruet, New Mexico) and my wife said she wanted a bottle of Clouet Rosé, adding that she remembered liking it. I was going to add that the reason she liked it was that it was good, but I kept my big trap shut, hoping to keep my bid for husband of the year alive for at least another five minutes (I also realized that I did not heed my own advice about buying more of this as I wrote in my previous note). Those notes are spot on, but this wine had a little more age to it, both in characteristics (a bit more yeasty and a hint of oxidation) and objective evidence (the cork did not expand much at all after extraction). We love our champagne, even non-vintage wines, with a bit of extra bottle age on them. Bravo. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2021 Château de Gaure Oppîdum, Limoux, France: Retail $30(?). Responsible Bottle (578g; 1lb 4.3oz). Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac. AOC Limoux. A good friend brought this with him from France for the two of us to try. I am not entirely sure, but this might be the first time Mauzac has passed my lips (although I am sure I have had some Blanquette at some point). A good friend brought this over from France and it was quite enjoyable. It is not all that often that you see a Chardonnay blend (outside of Champagne, of course), particularly with an aromatic white like Mauzac. Fresh and lively with nice fruit, good tartness, quite nice. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Guy de Chassey Champagne Grand Cru Brut Cuvée de Buretel, France: Retail $55. Paid $36 at Vivino. 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. I paid a little more ($36) than I normally do for a “daily” champagne (I try to keep it around $30), but this has been well worth it. Pale straw in the glass with Granny Smith and Golden apple bursting through the nose along with a touch of caramel and freshly baked croissant. Yowza. The palate is bright, tart, ebullient, and, well, fantastic. Great fruit, appropriate tartness, tons of autolytic, yeasty goodness, and a lengthy finish. Excellent. 92 Points.

2022 Les Sarrins Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $25. Really heavy bottle (709; 1lb 9oz). Agglomerated stopper. I could not find the precise blend, but it contains Syrah, Rolle, and Mourvèdre. My local H-E-B finally got in some of the 2022 vintage of this wine. But now it is time for the 2023! We’ll see how long that takes. Nonetheless, as I have written before, this wine bursts with lively red fruit, loads of tartness, and a mineral finish, and I find the 2022 is more vibrant, and alive, with more fruit and zing. Yes, I know that the folks at Bruno Paillard make this (one of my favorite producers in Champagne), and that might make me a bit jaded (it does), but honestly? This wine is gangbusters. Excellent. 92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The picture above is actually of two fabulous wines I had while in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago (more on that trip later this week). I did not take notes on either of the wines since I was at dinner with a good friend, but both the 2020 Collet Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux and the 2018 Les Matheny Arbois Poulsard were fantastic and worthy of any Wine of the Week award. But. I did not write any notes… Thus, instead, I opted for the 2015 Domaine Adrien Besson Chablis 1er Cru Montmains as this week’s top wine. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of that bottle, which is why I included the photo above. It all makes sense. At least to me.

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