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).

2009 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (625g; 22.0oz). Under cork. After last night’s 2010 (see next note), I decided to go to the well again, this time to the 2009. Whoa. Equally as compelling as its younger sibling, this is simply joyous. Medium color with still tons of tart red berry fruit, just gorgeous on the nose, with some eucalyptus, and just a touch of spice. Yowza. The palate is tart, even really tart, with oodles upon oodles of cherry, boysenberry, and even a hint of strawberry. Yowza. Again. As I mentioned in another note, when these Clos Pepes are gone? It will be a sad day in the Drunken Cyclist’s house. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2010 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (631g; 22.2oz). Under DIAM10. I am going to drop to my knees and cry the day that I pop open my last bottle of Clos Pepe. These wines, fifteen years out, are still rock solid and completely gorgeous. Sigh. I won’t get into what has happened to the magnificent vineyard in the last decade. Another Sigh. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2012 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $45. Very Responsible Bottle (466g; 16.4oz). Under screw cap. Almost a year later and this bottle might be better than the first. In a previous note, I said this was “Fruity and rich, still with oodles of red and dark berry fruit (blackberry, raspberry) with bits of black pepper and sage on the nose. The palate certainly shows signs of age, but there is still tons of fruit, tons.” But this seems juicier and more layered this time around. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2012 Solminer Wines Syrah, deLanda Vineyard, Santa Inez Valley, CA: Retail $60(?). Responsible Bottle (544g; 19.1oz). 100% Syrah. Under cork. From my notes, I won this at a party at Brewer-Clifton in Buellton, where the Wine Bloggers Conference was held that year. I’ll be honest, I do not remember much about that party, which means that it was probably a pretty good one. Well, the wine. Did I wait too long? Is it still good? I really can’t answer the first question, but the second? Yeah, it’s still pretty good. Fairly dark in the glass with really ripe (over-ripe?) red fruit (albeit slightly stewed) but no real spice to be found. The palate is fruity, tart, and while old, it is still holding up pretty well. I would guess this is on the downward slope, but the acidity and fruit still make this an interesting, pleasant, and, yes, even Excellent quaff. 90 Points.

2024 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (428g; 15.0oz). The kind folks at Rodney Strong sent me a few bottles of this wine with their last shipment of samples since they know I am a huge fan. We had just finished the last bottle (no, not that Last Bottle) of the 2023 and decided to get to these. Very similar notes to the wine I tasted blind for the Ninth Annual Blind Tasting of American True Rosé back in May (“Very light cotton candy color with a subtle nose as the wine was once again, too cold. Eventually, lovely red fruit was coaxed out of the glass, albeit subtly. The palate has nice fruit and fantastic acidity, and the two remain in concert throughout. This is a stellar wine in a flight of stellar wines. Quite tasty. Whoa. Outstanding. 96 Points.”) The fact that this wine sells for around twelve bucks at my local H-E-B just blows me away. Outstanding. 95 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: I have stated many times in this space that I rue the demise of Clos Pepe. Once my favorite vineyard on the planet, the wines were made by the infamous Wes Hagen and have been one of the great joys I have had in wine. Back in 2014, though, Wes’ stepfather and vineyard owner, Steve Pepe, decided to grant the entire vineyard to Hall Wines on a 25-year lease. The result? Meh. Nonetheless, the 2010 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir is this week’s Wine of the Week.

What was your Wine of the Week?