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).

2009 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills, CA: I have long exclaimed that Clos Pepe might be *the* Californian Grand Cru and I have yet to taste a Clos Pepe to prove me wrong (that is not entirely true as the current producers, well, um…). While this bottle may have been a step below the previous cork we pulled, it was still amazing. I have long admired Greg Brewer’s wines and this has to be among his best. Intense fruit, incredible spice, zingy acidity, and a finish that lasts for days. Yowza. Whoa. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2012 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA: Retail $40. Very Responsible Bottle (467g; 16.4oz). Under screw cap. Brian Loring is known for his fruity wines that he intends to be consumed practically immediately. Well, I disagree. I have held on to a few Lorings over the years and each has been stellar, as is this one. Dark berry fruit, a bit of earth, and some clove on the nose. The palate, perhaps not surprisingly, is quite fruity even a dozen years out. Body, acidity, balance, it is all there. I am sorry, Brian, but this decade-plus old wine is fantastic. Outstanding. 93 Points.

NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Essentiel Extra Brut, France: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (839g; 29.6oz). Based on 2017 vintage. 45% Pinot Noir, 36% Pinot Meunier, 19% Chardonnay. 23% reserve wine. There was a bit of a sale at my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) and I bought a few bottles of this champers to hold onto for a while. It seems they had a few different batches as this wine differed from the last in terms of blend and base vintage. Still, the notes are similar: Straw to light yellow in color with tons of tree fruit (green apple, pear, a bit of peach) with oodles of brioche and fresh croissant. The palate is tart, even quite tart, with a slight savory component and a fervent sparkle. I think I was right; this could use a little time, but it is Outstanding right now. 93 Points.

2011 Secondé-Collard Champagne Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millesime, France: Retail $100(?). Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (859g; 30.2oz). Despite being sold at Total Wine, I could not find any useful information online about this wine. Since it is a Grand Cru from Bouzy, I assume it is majority Pinot Noir with maybe some Chardonnay as well (I don’t believe there is any Grand Cru Meunier in Bouzy). My wife got this for me for Christmas and while I was thrilled that she thought to buy me some vintage champers, 2011 was not anyone’s definition of an outstanding vintage. Nonetheless, this is pretty spectacular. Yellow, on the verge of golden with ripe pear and golden delicious apple and a bit of chausson aux pommes definitely coming through. The palate is harmonious and luxurious while also coming off extremely dry (although it is labeled as a Brut). Dried apple and apricot upfront, fighting for recognition against a surprisingly fervent sparkle. The yeastiness that one craves in a vintage champagne comes in on the mid palate along with a salinity and nuttiness. Yes, it was perhaps a sub-par vintage, but this wine is anything but that. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2008 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $50. Responsible Bottle (548g; 19.3oz). We were going through a few Oregon Pinots and I landed on this one. 2008 was lauded as an outstanding vintage by all the “experts” but received a more reserved assessment from the locals. For me? I am decidedly leaning toward the former as this still has plenty of fruit, albeit slightly stewed, with more than the requisite acidity and a healthy dose of earth. I have had plenty of Sokol Blosser wines over the years and this 2008 might rate at the top. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2021 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Orchard Block, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $75. Heavy Bottle (621g; 21.9oz). I first tasted this a little over a year ago for the Sixth Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir and it was OK (88 Points). Well, a year can clearly make quite a bit of difference; red and dark fruit with bits of spice and earth on the nose. The palate is even more enticing with rich fruit, bits of the spice and earth that the nose promised, and a zingy acidity that more than holds it all together. Whoa. While transformations are close to common in wine, complete transformations are rare, but I feel that is what we have here. Yowza. Outstanding. 94 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week we had a few friends in from out of town and our older son, Nathan, was at home for a few days as well. We pulled a few good corks and also played a little Cards Against Humanity. This was the first time playing the game with my sons, and it proved to be both hilarious and a little unsettling at the same time. If you are not familiar with the game (at this point, how could you not be?), it is, to say the least, off-color. The wines, though, were anything but and in particular, the 2012 Loring Pinot Noir, Garys’ Vineyard, this week’s Wine of the Week, was absolutely singing.

What was your Wine of the Week?