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 Argyle Pinot Noir Cowhouse, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $65. Responsible Bottle (504g; 17.7oz). Under screw cap. We have been going through some older Pinots lately, and this was next up on the chopping block. It had been about four and a half years since the last bottle we opened of this wine. I am sure the screw cap has a lot to do with it, but this wine has really not changed all that much over the years. Sure, there might be some slight bricking this time around, but that is really nitpicking, as this wine is still fresh as a daisy. An alluring nose of vanilla cola, sarsaparilla, and even ginger. Whoa. The palate is loaded with dark cherry, even though the nose was utterly lacking in fruit, but there is also an intense tartness, some leathery characteristics, and a finish that lasts for several minutes. Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV André Clouet Champagne Rose No. 3t, Champagne, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (896g; 31.6oz). 100% Pinot Noir Grand Cru (10% Bouzy rouge added to the vin clair). I think this bottle has a bit of age on it, as the color is closer to a salmon than a pink, and the fruit is a little more candied. Rich color, rich red berry fruit aromas, a touch of white flower, and just a hint of yeastiness. On the palate, this really is a quintessential rosé from Champagne: fruity, tart, just a bit of freshly baked croissant. Yeah. Yowza. Excellent. 92 Points.

NV Brigitte Delmotte Champagne Rosé de Saignée, Champagne, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy Bottle (845g; 29.7oz). 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. My wife was off at a “business dinner” (I am not sure why I put that in quotes, but it makes it a bit more dramatic, no?) and I pulled this to watch my favorite hoops team give it to the Celtics. Fruity, dry (for the most part), and a bit mineral, this is a solid sparkler, for sure. Excellent. 90 Points.

2018 de Négoce Chardonnay OG N.77, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $12. Responsible Bottle (593g; 20.9oz). Cameron Hughes claims that this is a $40-50 wine, and who am I to argue? I bought a case of this wine back in 2021, and this is now the tenth bottle that I have opened. Quite light in the glass with barely a “pale straw” evident, but there is quite a bit of citrus, and the oak is much more prevalent than in previous iterations. The palate is tart, but not overly so, with a slightly weighty mouth-feel and subtle citrus. But once again, the oak comes through assertively, stopping short of overpowering. While I enjoyed this bottle, I hope my remaining two are a return to the first nine, which were a notch above this one. Excellent. 90 Points.

2007 Montaudon Champagne Brut Millésimé, Champagne, France: Retail $75. Extremely Heavy Bottle (886g; 31.1oz). It looks like this has the three main varieties in Champagne (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier), but I could not find the proportions. The cork was difficult to extract, and there was barely a sigh, which caused some concern. But there was a sparkle, albeit faint, and a wonderful yeasty, dried pear and apricot nose. Yowza. As I mentioned, there is not a ton of mousse here, but the palate is no less enthralling: yeasty, slightly oxidized, with rumors of fruit and dried flower. Yowza. This is not the best aged champagne we have had, but it is why we love older vintage champers. Fantastic. Excellent. 92 Points.

2012 Domaine Rolet Chardonnay, L’Etoile, Jura, France: Retail 25€? Heavy Bottle (595g; 21.0oz). Under cork. Sigh. This wine. So, long story short, I “inherited” this bottle when my good friend died unexpectedly and suddenly. He was a huge fan of the Jura in general and Domaine Rolet in particular. Monsieur Rolet had died a year or two prior to my friend, and there was a bit of a fire sale on some of the older vintages from the estate. And my friend bought a ton of those bottles. My friend’s widow intimated that her recently deceased husband would have wanted me to have some of these wines, and this is one of the bottles that I brought back to Texas. Beyond yellow and well into Golden in the glass, with sherried lemon, a bit of a honeyed note, and a surprising mineral aspect. The palate? Holy cow. Rich, layered, complex, and more than a bit “different”, this is a complete and utter delight. Yowza. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2016 Wrath Pinot Noir Ex Anima, Monterey, CA: Retail $29. Responsible Bottle (539g; 19.0oz). I kind of liked this wine when I first tried it back in 2018 (88 Points), but I knew then it was not a wine to cellar. So why did I? Good question. The fruit is now a bit stewed and disjointed, but there is above-average acidity and a meatiness that is both odd and compelling (at least for me). Yeah, time (or well past time) to drink up. Good. 86 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The choice for Wine of the Week this go around was easy, even too easy. I say that because I once again was so enthralled by the wine that I forgot to take a picture (hence the 2005 in the above photo). I have a few more of these older Rolets left, waiting for the “right” moment to pop them, knowing that once I pop the last, it will be a sad day. Not only will I have extinguished the remaining stock of wines from my departed friend’s cellar, but it seems as though the new owners of Rolet are, well, kind of jerks. So, I doubt I will be buying more.

What was your Wine of the Week?