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).

NV Brigitte Delmotte Champagne Rosé de Saignée, Champagne, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy Bottle (861g; 30.3oz). 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. I paid $30 for this at Wines Til Sold Out and that seems to be a pretty fair price. It is far from a hallmark rosé in Champagne, but there is plenty of fruit, a fervent sparkle, and nice tartness. Still, I feel it lacks the finesse and complexity that defines the best wines from my favorite appellation. Nonetheless, it is very good, excellent, even, and quite a fun way to start the weekend. Excellent. 90 Points.

2012 Fields Family Wines Syrah Estate, Lodi, CA: Retail $25. Heavy Bottle (604g; 21.2oz). This is now the second bottle of this wine we have popped in fairly rapid succession (at least for me) and it falls in line quite closely to the first, with the possible exception that this comes off as a bit “spicier” than the previous bottle. And that is a good thing, hence I am bumping it up a notch. Great fruit, a healthy dose of spice, plenty of body, a still vibrant acidity, this wine really does have all one looks for in a Syrah. Excellent. 92 Points.

2023 Domaine Lathuiliere Gravallon Roche Noire, Beaujolais, France: Retail $25. Under DIAM2. Very Responsible Bottle (468g; 16.4oz). As I mentioned in a previous note on this wine, white Beaujolais (always Chardonnay) is rare even in the region (about 5-10% of production), and therefore it is extremely rare in this country. I bought half a case of this and might need to get more. A nice, refreshing quaff, fresh and bright. quite flinty with plenty of citrus on the nose with a hint of nuttiness, kinda what you want in an unoaked Chardonnay. That is confirmed on the palate with loads of fruit, a near-biting tartness, and nice weight. Very pleasantly surprised. Lovely. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Lini 910 Lambrusco Rosso Labrusca, Emilia IGT, Italy: Retail $25. Extremely Heavy Bottle (830g; 29.2oz). 85% Salamino, 15% Ancellotta. I received this bottle as a gift five years ago, but this is still incredibly fresh and fruity. I don’t drink a ton of Lambrusco, in fact, I really don’t drink any at all, but this is really delightful. Lambrusco is (typically) fresh, joyous, and fun. It is not intended to provoke intense reflection or discussion, it is supposed to be a fairly simple red, with a bit of bubbles, that should be enjoyed with food; food that is rich and hearty that the sparkle and acidity can help mitigate. That is precisely what we have here. A bit Bretty on the nose, but plenty of fruit and fun that continues onto the palate. Dry, tart, fruity. Lambrusco. Yum. Very Good. 89 Points.

2020 Louis Jadot Les Petites Pierres, Mâcon-Villages, France: Retail $18. Responsible Bottle (566g; 20.0oz). Under DIAM5. I had pretty much forgotten about this wine when I came across it today, doing a bit of inventory. Tons of citrus on the nose, but also a bit reductive and flinty. The palate is quite mineral, initially, followed by fruit and tartness. I paid about thirteen bucks for this wine and that is about what it is worth. I imagine they make a ton of it and that’s fine. Just don’t expect a life-changing moment, because it just isn’t there. Very Good. 87 Points.

NV Montaudon Champagne Brut Tradition, Champagne, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy Bottle (839g; 29.5oz). 80% Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay. As I had mentioned in a previous note, we bought a case of this wine based only experience with it well over two decades ago. Well, the first ten bottles of the case did not impress; they were, at best, average. Well, these last two bottles were an improvement (albeit slight) and were quite pleasant (we also had guests over so I was not really paying that close attention). The improvement, however, was not enough to change my assessment of whether to buy any more (it is a solid “pass”) at $45/bottle? There are just better choices out there. Very Good. 89 Points.

2003 Domaine des Monts Luisants, Morey-Saint-Denis Pierre Virant, Burgundy, France:
Retail $120? Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (959g; 33.7oz). 100% Pinot Noir. What a completely stupid bottle; it weighs over two pounds. Stupid. Oh. The wine? Corked. Yeah what a stellar experience all-around. Stupid. Corked.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Most weeks, I am fortunate; I get to pull some pretty stellar wines from the cellar. Other weeks, like this one, the weekly lineup, while still solid, falls somewhat short of “stellar”. That is what happened this week as I pulled a number of wines that were, well, just OK. One that stood above, though, was this week’s Wine of the Week, the 2012 Fields Family Wines Estate Syrah. Since my in-laws moved from the Bay Area some eight years ago, I have not been back to Lodi, which I had visited regularly for several years. This wine reminds me that I need to get back, and soon.

What was your Wine of the Week?