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 Paul Clouet Champagne Brut Rosé, Champagne, France: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (830g; 29.2oz). 70% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, including 10% of Bouzy Rouge AOC Coteaux Champenois. I brought this back from Champagne in 2017 and this is the last bottle that we had from that trip to Paul Clouet in Bouzy. We have loved all the wines previously and this is no exception, although this has a decided “old Champers” vibe to it. One of the darker rosé champagnes I have had in a while with red and darker berry fruit on the nose with some oxidized notes on the palate. Still some good fruit as well, but I wonder if I have waited too long? Nah, this is gangbusters, rich, layered, and with that “older” champagne vibe that I love. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2008 Duval-Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Premier Cru, Champagne, France: Restaurant $125. Retail $110. 100% Chardonnay. It was my birthday (ish), and I wanted vintage champers, naturally. We were at perhaps the best place in the U.S. (at least in Houston) for bubbles, à Bouzy, which just has a fantastic champagne list. I have been a fan of Duval for a while (they actually sent me a saber a few years ago), so this was 100% in my wheelhouse. Pale straw with yellow apple, Bosc pear, and crushed seashell on the nose. Whoa. The palate has a vibrant sparkle, but the fruit is initially a bit subdued. The fruit comes in on the mid palate with plenty of tartness. And verve. Really lengthy finish. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2012 Laetitia Winery Pinot Noir Estate Whole Cluster, Arroyo Grande Valley, CA: Retail $40. Heavy Bottle (690g; 24.3oz). I was sent two bottles of this wine nearly a dozen years ago, and I really liked it then (92 Points), and I might like it even more now. There is a surprising amount of fruit here, oodles of black cherry, raspberry, even a touch of blackberry on the nose. That fruit continues onto the palate–if I had tasted this blind, I never would have guessed it was 13 years old. Fruity and robust, with plenty of acidity and a hint of earth on the backend. I pulled this from the cellar, thinking that I had waited far too long, but that could not be further from the truth. This is completely delightful, and my wife and I argued for quite some time over who would get the last glass (I did, after she fell asleep). Outstanding. 93 Points.

2022 Penfolds Max’s Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia: Retail $25. Responsible Bottle (550g; 19.4oz). Under screw cap. When I saw this on clearance for about eight bucks, I bought the three remaining bottles. I guess I would classify Penfold’s as the “Mondavi” of Australia, but that is just a rough comparison. This wine is bright, tart, fruity, and, well, a joy. Sure, it’s not the most complex Chardonnay I have had (even this week), but it is fresh, clean, and exceedingly easy to drink. Twenty-five bucks? Sure. Seven flipping dollars? Sign. Me. Up. Excellent. 90 Points.

2023 Planeta La Segreta Bianco, Sicilia, Italy: Retail $20. Extremely Responsible Bottle (397g; 13.7oz). Under screw cap. 40% Grecanico (Garganega), 20% Grillo, 20% Chardonnay, 20% other varieties. When I saw this was a) white, b) from Sicily, and c) on clearance for seven bucks, it was a no brainer. I bought two. Fresh and crisp with plenty of tree fruit and a touch of citrus on the nose. The palate is fruity and crunchy, with good weight and a lengthy finish. I was expecting an easy-drinking but crisp white and this wine delivered that and more. Seven bucks? I wish they had more! Excellent. 90 Points.

2017 Cave Vinicole de Kientzheim-Kaysersberg Pinot Gris Schlossberg Anne de K, Alsace Grand Cru, France: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (456g; 16oz). Synthetic stopper. I went to my local Total Wine since they were having a 20% off “Winery Direct” wines. After perusing for a bit, I saw this Pinot Gris from one of my favorite vineyards in Alsace. As I have mentioned several times, I consider the region as a second home of sorts as I studied and played basketball there for a while. I also had just returned from a wine competition and judged many Pinot Gris wines (mostly from the U.S.) and found a number of them compelling. Well, this turned out to be a sweet (or at least demi-sec) wine and while it is quite good, to put it simply, my wife and I just don’t drink much sweet wines these days. So while I contemplate returning the other two bottles, I have this one before me and it is quite good (but sweet). Honeyed tree fruit dominates with some orange blossom and a hint of pumpkin spice. The palate is loaded with acid, but the sugar is certainly noticeable. It works with all that tartness, but I am not sure I am going to keep the other two bottles. Make no mistake, the wine is fantastic. But it’s sweet. Which I think I have mentioned. Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: This week, I was tempted, even really tempted to opt for either the 2023 Planeta La Segreta Bianco or the 2022 Penfolds Max’s Chardonnay as the Wine of the Week as both were nice wines, both were a bit of a surprise, I bought them on a whim, and they cost me well under $20 combined. But I think the price was more of an indication of where I bought them (I love my H-E-B) than any commitment the respective producers feel toward making fantastic wines at affordable prices. No, instead, I went with the no-brainer, the 2008 Duval-Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Premier Cru, a fantastic wine from a phenomenal vintage, and we popped it on my birthday (ish).

What was your Wine of the Week?