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).

2019 Domaine Cherrier Père et fils Les 7 Hommes, Sancerre, Loire Valley, France: Retail $50. Responsible Bottle (559g; 19.7oz). DIAM3. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. I last popped this over a year ago and I have now had six of the eight bottles I purchased. As I have stated countless times, I do not like Sauvignon Blanc; Sancerre is 100% Sauvignon Blanc; I love Sancerre. As Yoda might say: “A conundrum indeed this is.” But, this is a conundrum easily solved: the Sauvignon from Sancerre is typically rich, layered, and creamy, far from the harsher, tarter, and more acerbic iterations found, I don’t know, in New Zealand? This five+-year-old bottle of the best Sauvignons on the planet is reserved, for sure, but also Excellent. Solid fruit, balancing acidity, rich, multi-faceted, and complex, this might not appeal to deep adherents to the variety, but for me? This is on a path to the best of the genre. Excellent. 90 Points.

NV Collard-Chardelle Champagne Cuvée Prestige, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (877g; 30.9oz). 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir. I found this tiny producer in Villers-sous-Chatillon while leading bike tours in France several years ago. It is one of the few champagnes still aged in oak foudres, making one wonder why more aren’t. This has been in my cellar for close to a decade now and the loss of a little of the effervescence and the addition of a bit of color are the only signs of its age. Straw to a light yellow in the glass with lovely baked apple, fresh croissant, and just a hint of oak. The palate is pretty close to magical with plenty of fruit, a delightful zinginess, and a finish that lasts well into the fourth quarter. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2005 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l’Echo, Loire Valley, France: Retail $45. Responsible Bottle (567g; 20oz). 100% Cabernet Franc. As I mentioned in my note of just over two years ago, I picked this up in Paris and I was really excited to open that first bottle. But it was a bit of a dud. Not this one… Rich (even if slightly stewed) dark fruit (plum, blackberry, cassis) with plenty of spice (tons of clove). The palate is equally enticing with all that fruit continuing as well as the introduction of a zingy acidity. Look, there is no getting around the fact that this is an old wine (almost twenty years) and with that age comes secondary and tertiary flavors (and some loss of fruit), and that is fine with me. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2011 Château d’Esclans Déesse, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $35. Very Heavy Bottle (667g; 23.5oz). Vin du Pays du Var (now an IGP). A blend of mostly Mourvèdre and Syrah. Back in 2016, I found myself in the south of France (as one does) and I visited Château d’Esclans (of Whispering Angel fame). While I certainly tasted through the rosés (as one should), I also indulged with the whites and reds. And I was impressed. So much so that I ended up with two bottles of this red cuvée, the first of which I popped four-ish years ago. I really enjoyed it then (91 Points) and I urged others to get to the wine soon as it was likely on a downward trajectory. Well. This second bottle, some four years after the first and over a dozen years past harvest, is doing remarkably well, thank you very much. Dark fruit on the nose and palate with plenty of garrigue and spice. Full and rich, with plenty of verve, this is both a surprise and a delight. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2023 Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $25. Responsible Bottle (581g; 20.4oz). Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle. I hesitate to estimate the number of bottles of Whispering Angel I have opened, but it is well into the triple digits. Along with Mirival, the Angel is really our house rosé and while I realize that there is a lot of hate thrown their way, I would contend that it is rooted almost exclusively in jealousy; this is really good rosé. Fruity, tart, balanced, layered and lengthy, all for about $15 at my local grocery store. Yeah. Giddy-up and Whoa. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2011 Failla Pinot Noir Whistler Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $50. I bought these at the winery a while ago (March, 2013) and effectively forgot about them until tonight. Oops. We have been big fans of Failla for decades now and would have loved to have kept up with the brand but they offer neither media samples or even media discounts. I get it: a small production and an active mailing list equal a minuscule desire to offer up the wines at a discount (or worse, for free). But I hope the kind people at Failla also realize that there is a ton of wine (and most of it good) produced in the world and if I am going to take the time to write a (hopefully) well-thought and articulate post about the wine and disseminating it to tens of thousands of people, well…

Does that sound elitist? Be honest.

As for the wine itself? Rather dark in the glass, particularly for a Pinot and the requisite Sonoma Coast aromas of black cherry, eucalyptus, and sage. Yeah. This gets a Whoa right there. Fruity, bright, tart, balanced, and nuanced on the palate–which all would expect from an Ehren Jordan wine. Fantastic. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2004 Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Exception Blanche, France: Retail $125. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (883g; 31.1oz). 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay. When I visited the winery back in 2017, Xavier Millard, who would become the CEO of the brand, gave me a few bottles, including this one, to try at home. Yowza. Golden color with an amazing nose of lime, golden delicious apple, and oodles of yeastiness that I just love. The palate is fantastic. Quite dry with the brioche/croissant element at the fore from the jump. It is buoyed by lovely apple and pear fruit and a crisp, zingy acidity. The finish, however, is likely the most remarkable aspect of this incredible wine, as it lasts for several minutes. Outstanding. 96 Points.

Not the best photo and an enormous pour, but an incredible wine.

WINE OF THE WEEK: A long time ago, I should have started keeping data (I love data) on my weekly wrap-ups. It would be interesting to see, for example, if there had been a better overall week than this one. When the “stinker” of the week is a 90-point Sancerre, it is easy to say it has been a rather stellar week. In the end, it was the story of two champagnes and I opted for the Collard-Chardelle Champagne Cuvée Prestige as this week’s Wine of the Week for a couple of reasons, first, it was fantastic and second? I “found” this bottle while doing a little inventory in the cellar–I thought we has already consumed it!

What was your Wine of the Week?