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 Collet Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $42. Extremely Heavy Bottle (842g; 29.6oz). 50% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir. These were on sale at my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) for just under thirty bucks, so despite the fact that I have never been all that enthralled with this wine, you can never have too much “no need to think about it” champagne lying around. And this is certainly that. Nice tartness and sparkle, but not the most complex bubbles on the market, and that’s OK. Sometimes you just need a sparkle in your life without the need to put much thought behind it. Very Good. 89 Points.

2022 Château du Galoupet, Côtes de Provence Cru Classé, France: Retail $49. Responsible bottle (507g; 17.8oz). 58% Grenache, 12% Tibouren, 11% Syrah, 11% Rolle, 6% Cinsault and 2% Sémillon. Aged in 62% new and 38% one-year-old 600-liter French oak barrels. This is interesting on a number of levels. First, this estate was purchased by LVMH (the largest wine and spirits conglomerate in the world) back in 2019. My guess is that they wanted to get in on the high-end rosé market that has recently been dominated by Château d’Esclans (OK, you could argue that Domaines Ott is still in that space, but you would be wrong). Curiously, though, I had never heard of it (I don’t think) until a local restaurateur handed it to me to try. Now, me not knowing of a prestige rosé is not news worthy but the fact that it is owned by a company with more than enough resources to make a heavy splash in my circle but hasn’t despite owning it for half a dozen years is surprising to me. (You, of course, could argue that I am but a wee minnow in an ocean of wine, and you would be right, but still). As for the wine? Whoa. Interesting. This can’t be anyone’s definition of a “typical” Provençal rosé. At all. Fairly dark in the glass, with a color much closer to salmon than the lightly hued wines most associated with the region. Rich, even unctuous on the nose with complex aromas of ripe strawberry, fresh melon, rhubarb, a salty aspect, and certainly some wood. The palate is initially round and even a bit clumsy; perhaps I was expecting a quick shot of tartness as with many wines from the region, and I was confused when that did not happen. The fruit comes in on the midpalate, followed by the acidity, and then that saline note that indicates, at least for me, that this is a serious wine, one that needs a meal much more than it needs a swimming pool. The finish is complex and lasting, confirming my estimation on the seriousness of this rosé. It improved as it approached cellar temperature, which should not be surprising given its vinous characteristics. This rosé is not for everyone. Those looking for a simple cold shot of fruit and acid should move along, but if you want to confirm your assertion that rosé can indeed also be a serious wine, well, this is your jawn. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2013 La Follette Chardonnay, Sangiacomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $38. Responsible Bottle (580g; 20.4oz). Under cork. For once(!) I listened to myself (I think) and got to this wine rather soon after the last bottle (no, not that Last Bottle). I was worried about the level of oxidation (which seems to have advanced here) and, well, life is just too short. Like that former bottle, this wine has some clear signs of age (more color, an oxidative note, the oak is more pronounced), but is still clearly kicking “with plenty of ripe pear, lemon curd, and oak (plenty of that) on the nose.” The hit parade continues as the “palate is rich, even really rich, with signs of oxidation. A nuttiness comes in on the mid palate, which lasts through the finish. Yeah, this is an old school Cali Chard at this point…” I went on to explain in my previous note that my wife is not a fan of ripe, buttery, and oaky Cali Chards, but she liked this one. So either I am failing as a wine evaluator or my wife’s tastes are evolving. I’ll opt for door #2. Excellent. 92 Points.

2012 MacPhail Pinot Noir, Sangiacomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $55(?). Heavy Bottle (693g; 24.5oz). Under cork. Well, there is a lot to unpack here, so bear with me. According to my notes, I received this bottle from Kerry Forbes MacPhail, wife of James MacPhail, winemaker and former (and now again current) owner of MacPhail Family Wines. “Big” Jim Caudill introduced me to the MacPhails way back then and the initial meeting was fantastic. Jim was a PR and marketing legend in Sonoma (and one of the truly nicest people I have ever met) and I guess he just knew that the MacPhails and I would “hit it off” so to speak. He was right. Since that initial meeting, I have reviewed countless Tongue Dancer Wines, the brand that the MacPhails started once relinquishing their eponymous label (James sold the MacPhail label in 2011, but bought it back last year). Sadly, Big Jim passed away in 2019, but my connection to the MacPhails has remained constant, a true testament to Jim’s insight; I have visited them on several occasions, and even spent some time with them in Umbria this past June. Thus, having just returned from Italy, seeing this in my cellar, I thought there could not be a better bottle to open to toast both my friendship with the MacPhails and the memory of Big Jim. The wine comes from the Sangiacomo Vineyard, what I consider to be one of Sonoma County’s Grand Cru Vineyards and is quite dark in the glass, even on the verge of brooding. But there are still lovely black and red fruit notes (blackberry, black cherry, raspberry), a touch of mint, even some anise, and considerable earth on the palate. Whoa. The palate is a tad more reserved than the nose did portend, but nonetheless gorgeous: ripe fruit, considerable zing, and just the right amount of earthiness (but the latter requires a bit of concentration), with a floral note that effectively binds it all together. This wine was gorgeous on its own but the way it brought back so many memories reminds me that wine is unique and why I remain fascinated. Thanks James, Kerry, the Sangiacomo family, and above all, Big Jim, for this moment. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Moutard Père et Fils Champagne Cépage Chardonnay Champ Persin, Champagne. France: Retail $45? Extremely Heavy Bottle (861g; 30.3oz). 100% Chardonnay. I bought six bottles of this wine from Garagiste.com back in late 2022 and this is now the third bottle that we have cracked. As I have mentioned before, I have always fancied myself a Pinot Noir leaning champagne snob and I always looked down on those pesky Blanc de Blancs. Well. A funny thing happened on the way to the gyropalette. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the climate, but I am coming around to the BdB style. In a big way. Particularly if one takes the time to wait a bit on the Chardonnay champagnes. It seems, at least to me, that these wines continue to take on complexity as they age and that one needs to wait at least a half-dozen years after release to really appreciate what these wines can become. Case in point. This has become better since the last bottle we cracked, and that was on top of the improvement witnessed since the first. Yellow, near golden, in the glass with tons of lemon curd and yeasty goodness. Add in a touch of salinity, and an ounce of minerality and I can’t wait any longer. Tart, vibrant, complex, and enticing, this is a wonderful quaff, full of energy and life. Yeah, I might have to rethink my stance on the genre even further. Excellent. 91 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The pick for this week’s Wine of the Week was easy. I have often written in this space that one of the wonderful aspects of wine and what I feel makes it unique, is its ability to bring people together and to invoke a host of memories. That was certainly the case with the 2012 MacPhail Pinot Noir, Sangiacomo Vineyard, this week’s top wine. While many of the wines I have in my cellar can cause me to conjure up a memory, this one did so on many different levels.

What was your Wine of the Week?