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).

2007 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Under cork. Responsible bottle (598g; 21oz). Under cork. I last cracked a bottle of this wine shortly into the new year and it was fantastic then (understatement: 95 Points). Today, from my final bottle of the 2007 vintage, this is certainly Excellent, but there are some odd notes both on the nose and palate. Nonetheless, this is a rather fantastic wine. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Grande Réserve, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy bottle (836g; 1lb 13.3oz). 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. Another Excellent bottle, but this seems to be trending in the wrong direction as this is not quite as good as previous bottles. Still a nice quaff, but… Excellent. 90 Points.

2000 Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée les Echansons, France: Retail $125? Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (903g; 31.8oz). 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. I have been a fan of this co-op for I have no idea how long and this is their top-of-the-line cuvée. OK. Make no mistake: this is an old champagne, even really old. And old champagnes are not for everyone, which I realize is super-snob, but here we are. Fairly dark to dark in the glass with plenty of caramel and toasted notes on the nose. Whoa. The palate? More old champagne, and boy is it incredible. Caramelized granny smith apple (think Tarte Tatin) with an intense tartness and impeccable balance. But the most remarkable aspect? The finish, which lasts for. ev. er. Yeah, this is why you hold onto vintage champagne. Outstanding Plus. 97 Points.

2021 Purple Star Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, WA: Retail $20. Responsible Bottle (464g; 16.4oz). Under screw cap. I last tasted this bottle nearly two years ago, and I loved it then. I still love it now. A bit grassy on the nose (with the slightest hint of cat pee), but quite tart and fruity on the palate. Vibrant, engaging, and still focused, this should be a benchmark for the variety in Washington… Excellent. 90 Points.

2023 Vietti Roero Arneis, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $27. Responsible Bottle (566g; 20oz). Under agglomerated stopper. I picked up a couple of bottles of this wine for my wife when I was in France for several weeks. They were on sale for close to twenty bucks at my H-E-B. She had one bottle I was gone and indicated that she was less than enthralled. So, upon my return, I popped this close to right away. In a word? She was wrong, this is Excellent. Light in color with a rather shy nose of tree fruit and lemon rind. The palate is both rich and tart, with a touch of mango joining the lemon. A touch of smoke, plenty of tartness, and the characteristic Roero roundness. Excellent. 91 Points.

2020 Vietti Barolo, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $70. Responsible Bottle (589g; 20.7oz). Under cork. 100% Nebbiolo. I bought this to hold onto for at least a few years, but I left it too close to the “OK to drink” pile and my wife popped it while I was off at La Fête du Champagne. Argh. As expected, this is way too young but there is good fruit and plenty of acidity. Lovely earthy notes and a perfumed floral aspect that is also very nice. Yeah, hold onto this at least for half a dozen years, maybe longer. Excellent now, 91 Points, but maybe a 92-94 potential?

NV Villebois Crémant de Loire Brut, France: Retail $20. Very Heavy Bottle (763g; 26.8oz). 60% Chenin Blanc, 35% Chardonnay, 5% Cabernet Franc. This is at least the fourth bottle of this wine that we have popped now, and I am pretty confident it was the best. Quite tasty tonight, light and lively with plenty of tree fruit and tartness, this is a fantastic go-to for when her parents drop in (often unannounced–they live about 200 feet away). Excellent. 90 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Even though my wife, in general, does not like older wines (actually, I think she does not like the concept of older wines since when she has tasted some older wines blind, she has liked them), she loves older champagne (as do I). So, when I pulled a 2000 Mailly Grand Cru Les Echansons from the cellar for a bit of a special occasion, she was thrilled (as was I). Like many wines, this wine also allowed us to reflect on the year (we were poor and engaged at the time), how we acquired the bottle (from dear friends, one of whom has since passed away), and our mutual love for the producer (our adoration is so deep that we named our dog Mailly).

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