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).

2015 Brooks Riesling Brooks Estate Vineyard, Eola – Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $32. Responsible Bottle (550g; 19.4oz). Under cork. 100 cases made from vines that date back to 1974. Labeled as “Medium Dry” on the International Riesling Foundation Scale, it comes off almost completely dry due to the relatively high levels of acidity. Tons of petrol on the nose with plenty of tree fruit and citrus. The palate is pretty darned fantastic with a wonderful tartness and an amazing balance. Yeah, Brooks holds a special place in my heart and this wine just reinforces that. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2017 Corison Syrah Helios Sunbasket Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $100. Heavy Bottle (621g; 21.9oz). 100% Syrah. Under cork. It has been a minute since I have tried any of Cathy Corison’s wines. She tends not to send out many to bloggers and they are a bit over my budget. But when a friend brings a bottle over? Giddy-up. I would classify this on the darker end of Syrah in color with plenty of fruit (red and black), spice (Christmas and cardamom), and herbal (sage, fresh oregano) notes on the nose. The palate is fairly juicy with hints of spice, sage, and mint. Surprisingly, perhaps, there is only modest evidence of tannins and I would put the acidity level on the medium to low side of things. So, I do not think there is much reason to hold on to this much longer, perhaps 3-5 years, max, although I do not think it is going to improve much in that time. The upside? It is pretty fantastic now, so drink up! Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Brigitte Delmotte Champagne Rosé de Saignée, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy Bottle (845g; 29.7oz). 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. This is the third bottle now of this wine and it is much more in line with the first bottle (Very Good) than the second (Excellent) as it is a tad sweet and a touch out of balance. Still? It’s champagne. And it’s a rosé. So giddy-up. Very Good. 88 Points.

2022 Louis Jadot Couvent des Jacobins Rosé, Burgundy, France: Retail $22. Very Responsible Bottle (423g; 14.9oz). Under screw cap. 100% Pinot Noir. My last bottle of this wine (at least for now?) and it’s, well, OK. Sure, it’s pink, yeah there’s fruit, and yes, it is tart. Life-changing? Nah. Will I buy more? Probably not. But it worked on a Wednesday. Very Good. 88 Points.

2019 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $49. Very Heavy Bottle (705g; 24.8oz). Under cork. I first tasted this wine as a sample back in the Spring of 2021 and absolutely loved it then (95 Points). I loved it so much, in fact, that I did something I rarely do: I bought a few bottles. Yup, instead of acting like a free-loading chump, I plopped down some cash to ensure that some of this captivating elixir would be around for later consumption (at least until my wife found them). Whelp, this wine may have gotten better. Sure, the descriptors from that first note remain constant (“Fairly light in the glass, this wine has a rather masterful touch: it is expressive both of the nose and the palate with luscious fruit, balancing acidity, and, well, tons of verve.”), but this now three year older wine seems to have developed more depth and complexity and the finish, which was already lengthy, has become seemingly endless. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2014 Vignerons de Bel Air Morgon Le Py, Beaujolais, France: Retail $18. Responsible Bottle (563g; 19.9oz). 100% Gamay. Under cork. This was part of a “Mystery Case” from Last Bottle Wines that cost $180 back in 2016. I have been sitting on this wine since and as I was doing a bit of inventory, I realized that this cork needed to be pulled. I was right. While I would say this is far from “over the hill” it is certainly losing altitude. Decent fruit, great acidity, and just enough intrigue to keep me, well, intrigued. Not the best Beaujolais I have had, but it is a fine Morgon, nonetheless. Very Good. 89 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The Wine of the Week “contest” really came down to just two contenders. There is no getting around it, the 2019 Tongue Dancer Pratt Chardonnay is a phenomenal wine. It already has a handful of years on it and will likely remain a stellar wine at least for that many more. The 2015 Brooks Estate Riesling also has some age on it and also will likely age gracefully for another half-decade or more. So why is the latter the Wine of the Week? Coin flip? Spread the wealth? Happened to remember to take a photo? Well, it was one or all of those…

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