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).

2011 Amelle Pinot Noir Pratt Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $45. Heavy Bottle. Under cork. Despite only having three bottles left of this wine, I pulled this upon my return from the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville, OR and I was, curiously, jonesing a bit more Pinot (I had tasted easily a couple hundred Pinots over the weekend). While this is still pretty fantastic, it is a deviation from the most recent bottles we had popped. Good fruit, nice acidity, and some depth, but a decided step down from the previous bottles. Excellent. 90 Points.

2019 Georges Dubœuf Mâcon-Villages Domaine Les Chenevières, Mâcon, Burgundy, France: Retail $25. Responsible Bottle (560g; 19.7oz). 100% Unoaked Chardonnay. It has been a solid three and a half years since I last tasted this wine and it is doing quite nicely, thank you very much. Perhaps a bit more color this go-around, leaving “straw” in the rearview and now more “yellow”. The nose is quite creamy (100% malolactic fermentation) with notes of lemon rind and a saline aspect. The palate is rounder and fuller than I remember it, with plenty of body–almost a dessert wine kinda weight. Still plenty of tartness (3.36pH) but also a barely perceptible kiss of sweetness (1.3 g/l RS). Yeah, I dig this wine on many levels, not the least of which is the memory of tasting the 2021 from barrel at the winery. Excellent. 90 Points.

2022 Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine, Tavel, France: Purchased at Restaurant: $43. Retail $22. 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 20% Syrah. The International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) had just ended and I was craving two things: some comfort food (the food at IPNC is amazing, but I needed to take the sophistication down a notch); I also wanted some wine (natch), but *not* Pinot Noir (I can’t believe I just typed that). I found my burger (after a bit of difficulty) and when I saw this Tavel, way down on the bottom of the list, I knew it would be perfect both for the burger and to recenter my palate a touch. Medium color for a Tavel, but dark for any other rosé, this is, as one would expect, loaded with fruit: strawberry confit, raspberry, even a touch of plum. Great acidity, plenty of depth, and a hint of verve. Yeah, this hit the spot (just don’t tell my friends in Oregon that I bought this on my last night in the Willamette). Excellent. 90 Points.

2014 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (628g; 22.1oz). Under DIAM15. Good friends came over, somewhat unexpectedly, rather late, and we quickly delved into some pretty personal stuff. What to drink with that? Clos Pepe, naturally. Why? I have no idea, but it was good, really good, outstanding, even. It has been over four years since I popped a bottle of this 2014 and it did not disappoint. Bright red fruit, even nearly a decade since its harvest, add in an herbal note (sage), spice (black pepper, cardamom). Add in fantastic tartness, depth, complexity, and of course the hallmark length, and this is quintessential Clos Pepe. Sadly, the last vintage of note. Outstanding. 93 Points.

NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Grande Réserve, France: Retail $50. Really Heavy bottle (836; 1lb 13oz). 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. 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 (which is where I purchased it). 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. 91 Points.

2022 Le Pont Rosé, Bandol, France: Retail $25. 40% Cinsault, 40% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre. Picked this up at Total Wine on a whim and cracked it before a party, so just a quick note: In Oregon for a couple of weeks so of course I am drinking … #Bandol ! Tons of fruit, great zing, and plenty of oomph. Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Normally, in this space, I highlight one of the above-reviewed wines as my Wine of the Week. It is a relatively straightforward exercise that takes a bit of contemplation (but usually only a bit). This week, however, I have to go a bit off script as I was out in Oregon for the “last” International Pinot Noir Celebration (it remains to be seen if it actually is the “last”). On the first official night of the event, I tasted some truly remarkable wines, not the least of which was this 1990 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Jeroboam (3.0 liters). I guess I get to taste more than my fair share of fantastic wines, but this one really was phenomenal.

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