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).

2008 Edouard Brun & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Brut Millésimé, Champagne, France: Retail $75. Extremely Heavy Bottle (880g; 31.0oz). 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. My wife was out of town, and I was headed to the H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) to gather provisions to make spaghetti and meatballs for the first time (I have been serious about cooking since COVID, but, for some reason, have never made perhaps the quintessential Italian-American dish; cut to the chase: the meatballs were phenomenal, if I do say so). While cooking, I like to have something in my glass, so after I pulled out of the garage, I ran inside to get something in the freezer so it would be cold when I got back. I left my glasses in the car. I tried to read the label. Couldn’t. Later. Much later. I realized this was not only a vintage, but perhaps the best vintage of this century (ever?). Oh well, I just won’t tell my wife, since she would likely be a little ticked off that I did not share it with her.

Holy cow.

I know I liked the last bottle of this wine (no, not that Last Bottle), but this bottle seems to be a notch above the previous. Fantastic citrus and Golden Delicious apple on the palate, really remarkable fruit given the age, with a smidge of minerality and plenty of yeasty goodness that one seeks in vintage Champagne. The palate? Yowza. Tart, fruity, bright, expressive, layered, and looong. This really lives up to the reputation of 2008. Am I sad that I didn’t share this with my wife? Yes? Maybe? OK, no. Outstanding. 95 Points.

NV Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label, Champagne, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (858g; 30.2oz). 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier. Another casualty! I was off in wine country and my wife hit the NV Brut section of the cellar fairly hard, including this Black Label, which might be next in line for our “house” champagne. When I asked her to write a note for the wine, she said, simply, “That’s your job.” And there you have it, I am installing a lock on the cellar door.

2023 Château Miraval Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France: Retail $25. Heavy Bottle (604g; 21.3oz). Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle, Syrah. Under cork. As I mentioned in a previous note, the price of this wine at my local H-E-B has shot up about 33%, from about $15 to over twenty bucks. Yeah. No. With Whispering Angel at $15 and Rodney Strong around $12, I might have to sit out the 2024 vintage of this wine. Say what you want about its ubiquity, Miraval consistently churns out wines of note. This 2023 certainly continues that progression. Sure, their divorce is a complete sheet show, but this wine has not suffered (yet?). Great fruit, balancing tartness, and a lengthy finish. Yes, this is fantastic and you would admit it too if you were not so hung up on being able to buy this at Walmart. Excellent. 92 Points.

2021 Château de Montfort Vouvray Maison de Rivière Réserve, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $15(?). Very Responsible Bottle (420g; 14.8oz). Under screw cap. It’s been a solid two years since I popped one of these and the notes are remarkably similar. A bit golden in the glass with plenty of beeswax and ripe peach on the nose. The palate seems a bit sweet, but I would guess it is closer to dry with oodles of fruit (hence the perceived fruitiness), a slightly herbal quality (sage), and yes, a touch of sweetness. I get it. A large percentage of Vouvray is vinified with some residual sugar, but I would love to try this completely dry. Very Good. 89 Points.

2017 Wrath Chardonnay EX Unoaked, Monterey, CA: Retail $20. Responsible Bottle (534g; 18.8oz). Under screw cap. I received two bottles of this wine back in 2019 as samples and I really liked the first one (90 Points) and I might like this one even more despite (or due to?) the additional age. Slightly past straw and on the way to yellow with plenty of lemon curd on the nose with a hint of buttered popcorn. The palate is surprisingly rich, even really rich with several layers and plenty of heft. For a six-year-old $20 Chardonnay that was likely meant to be consumed within a year of release? This is really a gem. Excellent. 92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: OK, this one was easy. It is not all that often that I open a bottle of vintage champagne. Rarer still? I open a bottle of vintage champagne without my wife. What is not all that rare, unfortunately, is when I unknowingly open a bottle of vintage champagne. Well, not only did all three of those situations occur this week, but said wine, and this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2008 Edouard Brun & Cie Champagne Premier Cru, was a phenomenal bottle of wine. One that I should have shared with my wife, but I was selfishly glad that I had it all to myself. I didn’t ask, but she might say that the selection of the wine was no “accident” at all, and I would not have much ammunition to refute that assertion.

What was your Wine of the Week?