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).

2010 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (619g; 21.8oz). Under DIAM10. I didn’t realize that it had only been a scant four months since I last opened a bottle of this beauty, and as you may imagine, not much has changed. This is a beautiful wine, but it is fruitier than I remember, which is rather remarkable given the fifteen-plus years since the harvest. Rich, luscious fruit, the SRH classic eucalyptus, and just a hint of earth. The palate follows suit: rich cherry fruit, incredible acidity, and just a hint of tannin. This continues to be my benchmark for all wines from the region. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2005 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Les Grandes Terrasses, Cornas, France: Retail $60. Responsible Bottle (553g; 19.5oz). 100% Syrah. Under cork. It’s Sunday night, after a long week, and we wanted “one more glass” of wine. We were celebrating the end of “Dry January” (we didn’t participate in the dumbest movement on the planet, and don’t ever need a reason to celebrate, but, well, here we are), and I decided to pull an older wine. My wife does not like older wines (I typically do), so this was to serve as a distraction as we played backgammon (my wife had waxed me the previous time we played, so I wanted something, anything, to help distract her even slightly). The nose here is gorgeous with lovely red and black fruit (raspberry, blackberry, plum), vanilla, and a healthy dose of baking spice. Yowza. The palate was a bit of a dropoff from the nose, however, but still pretty gangbusters: bright cherry and raspberry fruit (although certainly a tad faded), some light spice, and a brilliant tartness. The acidity here is off the charts. There is also a hint of unresolved tannins on the finish, but I would certainly drink in the short term. Nonetheless, Outstanding. 93 Points. Oh, and my double 6s pulled out the game on the last roll….

2014 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $30. Very Responsible Bottle (483g; 17.0oz). I received two bottles of this wine back in 2018, for my Second Annual World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir, and I liked it back then (91 Points). It is also tasty tonight, when I pulled it from the cellar after the latest drubbing dished out to my son’s basketball team, but I do not want to talk about that. Instead, this wine, while certainly on its downward slope, still has plenty of life left. Sure, a lot of the fruit has slipped away, but there is plenty of zingy acidity, a touch of earth, and, well, verve. I am pretty sure I prefer this iteration, as it is Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Brut Réserve, Champagne, France: Retail $55. Extremely Heavy Bottle (889g; 31.3oz). 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. 100% Grand Cru. I was at a basketball game (I have coached the sport pretty much continuously after my college “career” ended) and my glorious wife had this in the fridge waiting for me after a tough loss (I was an assistant coach on the team where my son was the starting point guard, and, arguably, the best player). Need I offer the quote that is often attributed to Napoléon? “Champagne. In victory one deserves it, in defeat one needs it.” And I needed it. Excellent. 92 Points.

2004 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Santenay 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau, Santenay, Burgundy, France: Retail $65(?). Responsible bottle (587g; 1lb 4.7oz). 100% Pinot Noir. This is now the third bottle of four that I purchased and it has been almost exactly a year since I popped the last one. Well, it is holding up quite well, thank you very much. And while this might not be quite as good as the last bottle (no, not that Last Bottle) and the notes are strikingly similar over the last six years: “This 1er Cru is a bit dark, on the border of brooding, but nowhere close to stewed, with dark cherry, lilac, and earth (no barnyard to speak of here either). The palate is close to pure Pinot pleasure: fruit, zingy tartness, lengthy finish. While my income has increased, sadly so have the prices of even the more “affordable” wines from Burgundy, rendering them mostly a fond memory. I still have a few bottles, though, and I will cherish each one.” Outstanding. 94 Points.

NV Taittinger Champagne Cuvée Prestige, Champagne, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (835g; 29.5oz). 60% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay. It’s a big house, been around forever, but it is just average champagne, if you ask me. I paid $42 for it at H-E-B and there are better options in that price range. Very Good. 89 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: The fact is, that despite my affinity for the region and the love of its wines, I just do not drink much Burgundy these days. Why? It has become prohibitively expensive. Santenay is a perfect example. At the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, Santenay is no one’s choice as the “best” wine in Burgundy, but from my days as a cycling tour guide in the region, I loved the tiny town and both its red and white wines. Why? There was a great little wine shop in the center of town back in the day, which had plenty of Santenay at very reasonable prices. I am not sure if that store still exists (it has been a while since I have visited the town), but the prices for all wines from Burgundy, including my little Santenay, have shot through the roof. I have just a handful of bottles left, and after they’re gone? Well, my love affair with burgundy will likely be over. But this week? This still lovely 2004 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Santenay 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau, is my Wine of the Week.

What was your Wine of the Week?