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).

2020 Alvaredos-Hobbs Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain: Retail $80. Responsible Bottle (594g; 20.9oz). Under cork. 100% Mencia. It had been a long couple of weeks (I had COVID for the first time, the inept basketball coach at my son’s school was being, well, inept, and there was one other thing I can’t remember right now). Anyway, I wanted to invite over a few friends, cook, and drink some good wine, so one of said friends brought this to pair with my grilled salmon. Excellent choice. Quite dark in the glass with oodles of dark berry fruit (raspberry, cherry), a rich mouthfeel, plenty of tartness, and a killer finish. Perhaps it is no surprise that a Paul Hobbs wine is “big” but this seems to work. Yeah, it might touch the edge of “over-blown” but it was exactly what I needed after a long fortnight. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV André Clouet Champagne Silver Brut Nature, France: Retail $50. 100% Bouzy Grand Cru Pinot Noir. Zero Dosage. Champagnes with no sugar added after disgorgement were once fairly rare, but today, while certainly not “common”, they are more readily available. It seems to be due to the ever-increasing sommelier class who prefers the laser-sharp acidity that usually defines a zero-dosage champagne. Slightly golden in the glass with a surprisingly shy nose; eventually, I was able to coax some pear, freshly baked croissant, and even green apple. The palate is, as anticipated, extremely dry, and begging for food. Nonetheless, there is really great fruit (imagine biting into an under-ripe Granny Smith apple), and, yes, a searing acidity. This style is not for everyone, but I find it particularly delightful. Excellent. 92 Points.

2013 B Kosuge Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $65. Heavy Bottle (662g; 23.3oz). Under cork. It has been a minute since I have popped a bottle of this wine and it looks like time has not been all that kind (I rated it 95 points in 2020). Sure, there is still some dark fruit in this near-inky black wine, mostly blackberry and black cherry, but it is coming off a bit stewed with some heat. There is also a spice component (clove and Christmas spice) and herbal hints (mint, basil) that are a bit surprising. The fruit tries its best on the palate, but the secondary flavors are more at play here: some leather and clove mask the black cherry. Still, there is good tartness and a lingering finish. I liked it (my wife did not) even though this tastes like it is a full ten years older than it is. How do you rate it? Again, I dig it, so I am sticking with that. Excellent. 92 Points.

2001 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage, Rhone Valley, France: Retail $70. Stupidly Heavy Bottle (905g; 2lbs). 100% Syrah. Under cork. I do not drink a ton of Hermitage because, well, it’s expensive as (fill in vulgar word). Almost 15 years ago, though, I bought a case of this wine for a mere $22/bottle. That sounds like a steal, but I was a poor grad student at the time, with a wife and two young kids, and spending close to three hundred bucks for a case of wine nearly ended in divorce. Luckily, both the wine and the marriage have survived, but this is the last bottle of that case (hopefully, the parallel with my marriage ends there). Quite dark, even inky-dark with very little bricking at the edges. The nose is largely devoid of fruit, but there is plenty of smoked meat, ox blood, an herbal aspect (oregano, sage), and an inviting leather aspect. Whoa. OK, before I go any further, this is not a wine for lovers of fruit or for those who are looking for a “fresh” wine, but holy cow is it gangbusters. The palate has hints of fruit, but only hints, with a meaty, smoky component that dominates–and that it fine with me. Whoa. The acidity is still off the charts and the finish lasts and lasts. (Think a visit from the in-laws, but in a good way?). Whoa. Yeah, this is close to surreal. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2012 Ca’Erto Amarone della Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy: Retail $50. Responsible Bottle (577g; 20.3oz). Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone. I do not drink a ton of Amarone since the combination of alcohol and sugar tends to give me a killer hangover. Ugh. Regardless, I need to do my job, and here we go. Quite dark in the glass as one would expect with plenty of stewed dark fruit (again, as one would expect), with clove, mint, and a touch of oregano on the nose. The palate is classic Amarone with that stewed fruit that somehow manages to be quite tart as well. I would have to say that this is a delightfully reserved Amarone (given my limited experience) and screams out for either a ribeye or a cigar. Excellent. 92 Points.

Extra credit if you can identify the Funko Pop!

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week, I started the monumental task of inventorying and reorganizing my cellar. While I am nowhere near being done, I have made some headway. I also noticed that I have waaaaay too many older bottles kicking around and I need to cull the herd, so to speak. I was a little nervous when I pulled this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2001 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage, as it was well into its third decade and I have not had the best of luck with wines in that age range recently. My angst quickly subsided once the cork was coaxed out (thanks to The Durand) and the wine was magnificent. Fingers crossed for the several hundred other “older” bottles in there.

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