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).

2021 Roberto Anselmi Capitel Croce Bianco, Veneto IGT, Italy: Retail $30. Restaurant $41. Very Responsible Bottle (419g; 14.7oz). My wife and I were doing a little stay-cation get-away to Austin, and we decided to go to a tiny restaurant that I have been wanting to visit for some time, APT 115. The wine list is broad, impressive, and beyond reasonably priced. This beautiful Garganega is a case in point, as it was only a few dollars above retail. Yellow, but not quite golden in the glass with great tree fruit on the nose, oodles of ripe yellow peach and a touch of pineapple. The palate is rich and fruity, yes, but also tangy and angular with plenty of acidity to pair with all that fruit. Anselmi is one of the best producers of Garganega for a reason. Outstanding. 93. Points.

2015 Château Bonnet (Pierre-Yves Perrachon) Saint-Amour Vieilles Vignes, Beaujolais, France: Retail $30 (?). Responsible Bottle (545g; 19.2oz). 100% Gamay. Sigh. This is now the fifth bottle of the six that I bought and this is the best of the lot. Did I drink the others too quickly? Is this the natural progression of the wine? Is there some bottle variation? All of the above? While many of the previous notes remain constant (“Fairly dark in the glass, tons of fruit on the nose (black cherry, raspberry, even cassis), with touches of flint and earth, this is a real delight. The palate is tart, fruity, earthy, and still has some soft (but noticeable) tannins on the finish.”), this bottle seems to be richer, more cohesive, and just downright juicier. How is that possible? Other than the ideas put forth above, I have no idea, but I do know I completely love this bottle, and I am thoroughly enjoying it as I watch the first episode of the latest season of The Bear. Excellent. 92 Points.

2002 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim, Alsace Grand Cru, France: Retail $75. Very Heavy Bottle (793g; 27.9oz). Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Muscat d’Alsace (white and red), Muscat à Petit Grain, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Traminer, Chasselas, Chasselas Rose. I bought three bottles of this wine waaay back in 2010 from the PLCB and this is the second that I have popped. And I waited too long, that is clear (who knows, maybe I can blame the PLCB?). Amber, even close to “brown” in the glass with some citrus, yes, but also a nuttiness that is not at all off-putting, in fact, it was inviting. The palate is rather harmonious, in fact, but it is also off-dry, even close to sweet, but it seems to work. Clearly oxidized, but I happen to like it, even a lot. Yeah, I waited too long, but this is still pretty fantastic. I am going to bump it up from my last note. One more bottle to go… Outstanding. 93 Points.

2023 Domaine Lathuiliere Gravallon Beaujolais Roche Noire, Beaujolais, France: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (468g; 16.4oz). Under DIAM2. There was a 20% off sale at Total Wine and I did a bit of browsing. This clocked in at twenty bucks after the discount, so I took a flyer. Glad I did. There is not a whole lot of white Beaujolais to begin with and very little of it makes it to this country. Which is a shame. Quite flinty with plenty of citrus on the nose with a hint of nuttiness, kinda what you want in an unoaked Chardonnay. That is confirmed on the palate with loads of fruit, a near-biting tartness, and nice weight. Very pleasantly surprised. Excellent. 91 Points.

2023 Pardon & Fils Beaujolais Blanc, Beaujolais, France: Retail $20. Very Responsible Bottle (436g; 15.3oz). Agglomerated stopper. 100% Chardonnay. As I mentioned in another note, there is not a lot of Beaujolais Blanc made. In fact, it is only about 2% of the entire production. So very, very little makes it out of the region and even less comes to the U.S. so imagine my surprise when I found not one but two different bottles of Beaujolais Blanc at my local Total Wine and both were 20% off (so I bought both, naturally). While my wife liked the more expensive wine (naturally), I gave a slight nod to this one. Pretty close to clear in the glass with tropical notes of pineapple, kiwi, and even a touch of mango (particularly on the nose). The palate is fruity, tart, and loads of fun, with little to none of the pretense that is often associated with the variety. Sure, it is not going to set the world on fire, but it will likely cause me to return to the store and stock up! Excellent. 91 Points.

2009 Skewis Pinot Noir Salzgeber-Chan Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (659g; 23.2oz). Under cork. Well, this marks the beginning of the end, I guess. This is the end of my 2009 Salzgeber-Chan bottles from Hank and Maggie Skewis. Sad, but also glorious. Presumably, I do not need to explain the sad (there is no longer any Skewis wine being produced), but this, like other wines, is better. More integrated and harmonious than four(ish) years ago, this is simply fantastic. Incredible fruit, lively acidity, fully-integrated tannins, and a finish that astounds. I have written much about Hank and Maggie Skewis, and all remains true. I guess all that is left is another “Bravo” and a sincere “Thank You”. Outstanding. 95 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The choice for Wine of the Week was pretty darned easy this week as I popped the last of my 2009 Skewis Pinot Noir Salzgeber-Chan Vineyard bottles. Hank and Maggie retired about a decade ago now, but I still get to enjoy their wines for a few more years at least. One of these days I will have to look them up and see how they are doing. I wonder how much Skewis wine they have left in their cellar?

What was your Wine of the Week?