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).

2022 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, France: Retail $55. Very Heavy Bottle (704g; 1lb 8.8oz). I had just popped a 2009 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas Vineyard and it was singing (despite being *really* big). So, when my local restaurant was out of the Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot, I let them talk me into this one. Meh. Sure, I expected this would be “Wagner Family of Wines” big, but I did not think it would be this syrupy and concentrated. It really comes off as a Syrah or even a Zinfandel (a very warm climate Zin) and that is not what I want in a Pinot. Sure, it is technically “Very Good” but this is really not a Pinot and the vineyard deserves better. Very Good. 88 Points.

2012 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (604g; 1lb 5.3oz). Under cork. I wrote this over four years ago and it certainly holds true today: “I will skip the traditional lament about the demise of this winery (sad), and get right to the point–this is baller Pinot. Light in color but rich in aroma (Bing cherry, a bit of earth, some slight rhubarb), the palate is downright ridiculous: fruit, tartness, earth, intrigue. Say what you will about Wes Hagen, but he made some killer wines from this fruit and although that is no longer, well, Wes still rocks.” I still have four bottles left and this wine just seems to keep getting better. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Guy de Chassey Champagne Grand Cru Brut Cuvée de Buretel, France: Retail $55. Exceedingly Heavy bottle (847g; 1lb13.9oz). Paid $36 at Vivino. 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Another fantastic bottle of this wine (after the first was less than stellar). 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.

NV Camille Jacquet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, France: Retail $50. 100% Chardonnay. We ended up with a ton of this wine after the kind folks at Last Bubbles double-shipped us (a good problem to have when it comes to champagne, in my book). I figured a Grand Cru from the Côte des Blancs? What is the problem? Well, it is a solid wine, but I honestly expected (and certainly hoped) for more. Would I buy it again? Probably not. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Grande Réserve. France: Retail $50. Really Heavy bottle (836g; 1lb 13.3oz). 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. Another delightful bottle from Last Bubbles. I have had a few wines from this house, which is located on la Côte des Blancs in Le Mesnil sur Oger (a grand cru village), but I don’t think I have tried this Grande Résèrve. They offer a few different cuvées including the “Brut Résèrve” which only serves to confuse dumb Americans like me. This wine, the “Grande Résèrve” is not on the website, however, which makes me think that this might be intended only for the U.S. market, or perhaps an exclusive for the nice folks at Last Bubbles. Slightly golden in the glass with a delicate yet fervent sparkle and lovely aromas of freshly baked apple pie. The palate is tart and precise with plenty of fruit, great acidity, and just a kiss of sweetness. Excellent. 92 Points.

2013 Trattore Farms Viognier, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $35. Heavy Bottle (642g; 1lb 6.6oz). Under cork. I first tasted this wine nearly three years ago, and absolutely loved it then (96 points). Even though I vowed to save this second bottle to share with my dear friend who introduced me to the winery several years ago, I decided to pop this cork to celebrate my wife, who, despite her endless intelligence, has stood by me for nearly a quarter of a century. While that might sound grandiose, this wine certainly did not disappoint; not only has it not slipped one iota, but it may even be better than it was when I opened the previous bottle in 2021. Wow. Whoa. Yowza. And a Holy Cow for good measure. This wine is off-the-charts fantastic. Rich, layered, complex, fruity, and tart, I could sip at this wine for several days. A bit dark in the glass, as one would expect, but otherwise? No signs of age here. I can safely say that I have not had a Viognier this good outside of Condrieu (and even then…). Outstanding. 96+ Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: As much as I like to see how a wine evolves over time (which is why we often buy multiple bottles of wines that we like), it is probably even more rewarding to have a wine that changes little over the course of several years (that is when you really like the wine, naturally). Such was the case with this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2013 Trattore Viognier. I bought two bottles of this wine back in 2014 with a good friend and popped the first bottle seven years later in 2021. It was fantastic then (96 Points) and was also the Wine of the Week. Now? The wine is every bit as good as it was in 2021, perhaps even better. I love when that happens.

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