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).

2022 Vignerons de Buxy Montagny 1er Cru Blanc, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA: Retail $65 (?). Responsible Bottle (571g; 20.2oz). 100% Chardonnay. My wife brought this wine home from a work dinner, and I was excited: Premier Cru Burgundy? Giddy-up. Well. meh. Yeah, I had big hopes for this wine, but, well, while it was Very Good, it was not much more than that. Some fruit, good acidity, and some verve. But not enough, frankly. 89 Points.

NV Christophe Dechannes Champagne Tradition Brut, Champagne, France: From Magnum. Retail $120. Extremely Heavy Bottle (1748g; 61.5oz). 100% Pinot Noir. 10g/l dosage. I had hopes for this magnum as I liked the 750s (89 points). Well, this is not all that much better, but certainly not worse. So pretty much the same? Yeah, let’s go with that. It comes from the Côte de Bar, the newly(-ish) added region to Champagne that is producing some solid Pinot Noir. Fairly light in the glass with nice citrus and yeasty notes, while the palate is tart and engaging with solid fruit and a bit of depth, but it lacks the pizzaz that I want in my champagnes. Sure, it is quaffable and even Very Good, but I would not put this at the same level as some of the more popular large house Bruts. 89 Points.

2024 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $22. Very Responsible Bottle (483g; 17.0oz). Under screw cap. Every time I open a bottle of Pinot Gris (as opposed to Pinot Grigio), I lament the fact that I do not drink enough of it. Thus, when I saw this on the list for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Wine Garden, I knew I had to try it. And I am happy I did. While I do not know Adam Campbell all that well, I have admired his wines for a while now, and this is no exception. Rather light in color, in the glass, with oodles of ripe peach and touches of golden apple on the nose. The palate is equally enticing, with plenty of juicy fruit, a balancing tartness, and touches of minerality and spice. Yeah, I should drink more Pinot Gris. Excellent. 92 Points.

2021 Château de Montfort Vouvray Maison de Rivière Réserve, Vouvray, Loire Valley, France: Very Responsible Bottle (420g; 14.8oz). Under screw cap. This is the last of the three bottles I bought from my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B), and while the wine is not all that spectacular, it has been consistently solid. Would I buy it again? Good question. 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.

2008 Pommery Champagne Grand Cru Royal, Champagne, France: Retail $80. Extremely Heavy Bottle (852g; 30.0oz). 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. My final season of coaching basketball had come to a rather ignominious end, and I needed champagne. My brilliant wife, who knows that every remarkable event (and most that are simply mundane) requires a bottle of bubbles, had this chilled and waiting for us when I got home. And from the incredible 2008 vintage? I might have to divorce her just so that I can ask her to marry me again. Near golden in color with plenty of yellow apple and yeastiness on the nose, yowza. This is why I buy vintage champers. Yum. The palate i seven more alluring with rich, yeasty fruit, plenty of sparkle still, a near searing acidity, and a finish that lasts for days. We bought several bottles of this wine and while it might continue to age beautifully, it is so darned good now. Stellar. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2023 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay, Napa Valley, CA: Retail $35. Responsible Bottle (595g; 20.9oz). When I saw this on the list for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wine Garden, I was a little excited. Not because I was on the panel that selected this as a Double Gold or as the Reserve Grand Champion, Best in Show, but simply because it has been a while since I have had a wine from this producer, one that I have really appreciated in the past. So I went out and bought a bottle at my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B). Fairly clear to slightly yellow in the glass with oodles of lemon curd and more than a touch of oak in the glass. On the palate? This is still as solid as it did portend on the nose; plenty of lemon meringue pie, a smidge of wood, a touch of vanilla, and plenty of verve. Yeah, this is somewhere along the path to “traditional California Chardonnay”, but it stops well short of “Cougar Juice”. If you like a nod back to “Historical Cali Chard” (or something like that), then this is a wine for you. If not? Well… Outstanding. 93 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Nothing even resembling a “choice” when it came to selecting this week’s Wine of the Week. A vintage champagne is almost always going to get the nod, and when that vintage is a 2008, likely the best vintage in Champagne since at least 1996? Yeah. No need to overthink (over even think at all). The 2008 Pommery Champagne Grand Cru Royal is this week’s top wine.

What was your Wine of the Week?