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, France: Retail $50. Responsible Bottle (559g; 19.7oz). DIAM3. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Another really nice bottle of Sancerre. I can’t think of a time I had a bottle from the region, regardless of the producer or vintage, that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy the wine. This six-year-old iteration of the best Sauvignons on the planet is reserved, for sure, but also tasty. 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 Mumm Napa Brut Rosé, Carneros, CA: Retail $25. Extremely Heavy Bottle (847g; 29.8oz). 76% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay. 2% Pinot Meunier. One of the more consistent sparkling rosés on the market. That could be due to the fact that they make a shitload of it, but I digress. Light pink with strawberry and peach at the front of the nose. Quite nice on the palate with good balance but they might need to start cutting back on the dosage as this comes off as a bit sweet. But only a bit. Very Good. 89 Points.

NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Réserve Exclusive Brut, France: Retail $40. Extremely Heavy Bottle (862g; 1lb 14.4oz). 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. This was the last bottle of this in my cellar, finally. My wife had gone rogue and bought six of these and proved that she can’t be trusted buying wine. I usually avoid panning wines, but this has to be the worst widely distributed champagne on the market. Sure, it’s bubbly and wet, with hints of fruit, but that is the extent of its positives. And at forty bucks (usually on the shelf for around thirty), there are better choices out there. Now I just need to get my wife to understand that she is not to buy this no matter the price. Just not worth the effort. Good. 86 Points.

2023 Jean Reverdy et Fils La Villaudiere, Sancerre, France: Retail $? Restaurant $45. Responsible Bottle (602g; 21.2oz). Once again, I was flying solo at our local restaurant (my wife had orchestra rehearsal and my son was “studying”) and this was really the only wine that appealed to me on the list. I really should go in there and offer to help with the list for free. They have a few dozen wines on their list but they are all of the “national brand” ilk. Not bad wines, just there are more interesting ones out there. This one? I know I claimed above that I love all the wines I have tried from Sancerre, but, well, then there was this one. Don’t get me wrong, it was fine, even better than fine, but honestly, a Sancerre should be more. I know I am nitpicking, but I do that every now and then. Very Good. 89 Points.

2002 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets, Burgundy, France: Retail $65? Heavy Bottle (598g; 21.1oz). 100% Pinot Noir. Under cork. It has now been a couple more years since we had one of these and it is now clear that we need to get to the others soon. Real soon. Friends were over for the first time and I decided to pull this as it was the year they were married. They were far less enthralled with it than I was, and that is OK, not everyone gets “old Burgundy”. Sure, the fruit has faded, but it is still hanging on, the acidity is outstanding, and the secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors are off the charts. The nose is astounding: black cherry and raspberry with mocha, interestingly, and tons of fall aromas with clove, sage, and even pumpkin spice. The palate is reserved, as one would expect, but it is also loaded with many of the flavors that the nose suggested and the finish is lingering and impressive. There is also a decided menthol, meaty, gamey aspect to it. Not at all off-putting (at least for me), but it certainly screams “old”. On the palate, the fruit has certainly faded and there is a decided “stewed” aspect to it. But. There is a ton of acidity, plenty of earth, and a certain panache. Sure, it is more of an older Dean Martin kind of vibe, but even in his later years, he was still pretty smooth. I am digging on this wine big time. Like I said above, older Burgs are not for everyone and that is fine; leave them for me! Outstanding. 94 Points.

2013 St. Amant Winery Zinfandel Old Vines Marian’s Vineyard, Lodi, CA: Retail $28. Responsible Bottle (596g; 21.0oz). Under cork. It has been a shocking eight years since I have tried this wine and this is now the last bottle in the cellar. I probably waited a tad too long. Sure, there is some fruit, but it has faded and has moved on to secondary and tertiary flavors. Normally, I don’t mind, even relish that occurrence but with Zin, you really want that fruit. Still, the acidity and weight are there and enough fruit to make it quaffable, even enjoyable, but it’s not quite what I had hoped. Very Good. 89 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: There were not a ton of choices for Wine of the Week this week. In fact, there was really only one, the 2002 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets. The fact of the matter is, however, I really struggled with the wine. In the end, I decided to love it. A lot. But the struggle? Did I love it simply because I should since it was an older red Burgundy. Or did I love it since I have held onto it for so long and only a crazy person would keep something that was bad. Or was it because I first schlepped this back from France in my already over-crowded suitcase? Or is it as simple as the fact that many people (including my kids) would consider me old and I was looking to justify it for some broader, more existential reason? Nah. It was great. Yeah, let’s stick with that.

What was your Wine of the Week?