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).

NV Antoine Derigny Champagne Blanc de Noirs, France: Retail $50? Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (829g; 29.2oz). 100%(?) Pinot Noir. The conundrum continues and I am about to give up on this wine due to the rather significant bottle variation. This is now the 11th bottle of the case I bought and I doubt I will buy more if it should come up again on Last Bottle Wines or Last Bubbles. Overly nutty and a bit sweet, this is perhaps the worst bottle so far. Disjointed and lacking balance. Not terrible, but not stellar, either. Very Good. 88 Points.

2023 Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $25. Responsible Bottle (581g; 20.4oz). Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle. Sure, I live in Houston now, which is much more palatable at this time of year than say, Detroit, where I grew up (to the extent that I “grew up”). My brother said that it was 6° there this week. As in Fahrenheit. As in Pass. Hard Pass. It actually dipped below freezing here this week, but that did not stop us from popping some rosé, which we consume all year, regardless of the relative temperature. Stellar. As always. Sure, some dismiss this wine due to its ubiquity (I saw it in my local drug store the other day), but two things can be true at the same time. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Fluteau Champagne 100% Pinot Noir Coeur de Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, France: Retail $55? Heavy Bottle (840g; 1lb 13.7oz). 100% Pinot Noir. Well, I solved the mystery of the last bottle I tried of this wine; I did purchase it at my H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) and I loved the first, so I bought all that was left (only three bottles). While many of the notes are similar, this is considerably tarter than the first, thus, I am dropping it a couple of points. It just goes to show that the popular refrain is popular for a reason: there are no great wines, only great bottles. We will see how the other bottles fare (I also have a magnum from Last Bubbles). Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Philipponnat Champagne Royale Réserve Brut, France: Retail $75. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (910g; 32oz). 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes, 20-30% reserve wines. Like I said in my last note of nearly five years ago, I don’t drink a ton of Philipponnat, but that might have to change as this is a solid effort. Yellow nearly golden in the glass with a ton of green apple notes, a hint of citrus, and a boatload of yeasty goodness. The palate is tart and refreshing initially with a brilliant sparkle and plenty of body. Good fruit persists throughout as does a zingy acidity finishing with a bit of fresh croissant. For the $49 I paid, I would consider buying again. At $75? There are better wines out there, I think. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy Bottle (834g; 29.3oz). 50-55% Pinot Noir, 20-25% Pinot Meunier, 15-20% Chardonnay with 10-20% Reserve wines. Before any of you out there hammer me (again) with the point that champagne bottles have to be heavier so they won’t explode under the pressure (about the same as a road bicycle tire), I know! That does not change the fact that they are indeed heavy, much heavier than most still wine bottles. In other words, all things being equal (and this pains me to say since I love my bubbles), champagne has a (much) bigger carbon footprint than still wine. Yeasty, citrusy, lovely on the nose, with a straw color with a slightly golden hue, there’ are delicate, yet persistent streams of bubbles, looking to escape after their years of captivity. The palate is crisp, fresh, fruity, yeasty, and delicious. Outstanding. 93 Points.

NV Taittinger Champagne Cuvée Prestige, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (835g; 29.5oz). 60% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay. It is difficult to keep up with the subtle changes in Brut champagnes these days and Taittinger is in that group. Brut La Française, Cuvée Prestige, now “Brut Prestige” the whole thing is pretty stupid, if you ask me. These were on a modest sale at my H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) and I fell for it; I bought six. Well, I might be returning the other five as this is just not that good. Dirty and flinty on the nose, with some citrus but not much in the autolytic arena. The palate is much the same, although it was moderately better on day two. Maybe I will give another bottle a try before returning the rest. Meh. Very Good? I Guess. 87 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: We went through a few bottles of champagne this week and while I always enjoy popping a bottle of bubbles, those we opened this week were far from inspiring (although the Philipponnat and the Piper-Heidsieck were quite good). No, this week, I am opting for the 2023 Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel as my Wine of the Week. Why? Default? Perhaps. But as I stated in the note, we drink a ton of the stuff and frankly, for the $15 we pay for it at our local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B), it is really tough to beat.

What was your Wine of the Week?