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).

2019 Brooks Pinot Noir Old Vine Pommard, Eola – Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $60. Heavy bottle (611g; 21.4oz). Under DIAM10. We had friends over and they were, well, French wine snobs (aren’t we all?) and they were championing Burgundy (don’t we all?) and I decided to challenge their collective paradigm with this Old Vine Pommard from Brooks. While I imagine they did not confuse this with a, I don’t know, Gevry-Chambertain 1er Cru, they certainly were impressed, as they should have been. Dark in both color and aromas (blackberry, maybe even some plum) and the palate is equally dark on the fruit side, but it is now accompanied by a zingy, tart, freshness that defines only the better Pinots. And this is one of those. And then some. I have been a fan of Brooks for well over a decade now, which does not seem like all that long in the grand scheme of things, but this is always a go-to when fancy French discussion comes up, and Brooks usually holds its own quite nicely. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2018 Couly-Dutheil Clos de l’Echo, Chinon, Loire Valley, France: Retail $40. Responsible Bottle (561g; 19.7oz). Under Nomacorc (UGH!). 100% Cabernet Franc. My last note contained much of the info I would again convey here, but the wine is better than I last stated (at least this bottle), and I purchased through another avenue: Spec’s. I have a couple of big tastings coming up, and I was looking for a bit of a “ringer” if you will. Well, I think I found it. Inky dark with a luscious, inviting nose of dark fruit (blackberry, plum), earth, a subtle floral aspect, a hint of vanilla, and layers of complexity and verve. Whoa. Yeah. Pretty amazing before even the first sip. The palate is equally, no, more opulent with considerable weight, depth, and complexity. Whoa. This is simply an incredible wine (and for $33?? forget about it) with incredible fruit, earth, tannin, a zingy tartness, and a finish that goes on for days. I loved the last bottle (93 Points), this is another level entirely. Outstanding (and really close to Extraordinary). 96 Points.

2023 Flowers Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $55. Restaurant $55. Heavy Bottle (656g; 23.1oz). Under DIAM10. I was once again flying solo; my wife had a work dinner and my son, a recent high school graduate, had no interest in joining his old man for dinner. The restaurant was out of the Patz and Hall Chard, so I opted for this newer vintage of the Flowers Sonoma Coast. I have had a few bottles of the 2023, and while whiskey iteration certainly has some similar characteristics, I feel this is a notch below its slightly older sibling. More yellow than straw in color with notes of pear, golden delicious apple, and lemon rind on the nose. The palate is well-structured with plenty of fruit, notes of vanilla and oak, and a roundness that is welcomed, at least in my book. Tart, fruity, and slightly mineral, this is a really nice Chardonnay. Excellent. 91 Points.

2012 Foursight Pinot Noir Charles Vineyard, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (629g; 22.1oz). 40% whole cluster and 40% new French oak, with both fermentations occurring naturally (no yeast inoculation).I picked this up on a visit to the winery way back in 2014 and popped it tonight with a bit of roast pork. Good wine, good meal, great pairing. Despite being close to fourteen years past the vintage year, there is still solid fruit on the palate along with a healthy dose of vanilla and a hint of earth. The palate is fantastic with really good fruit (red berries a go-go), a zingy tartness that carries through and beyond the finish, integrated tannins, and just oodles of verve. I really loved this wine in the winery a decade ago (!), and my admiration has only grown. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2002 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $125. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (934g; 32.8oz). 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. 100% Grand Cru. Chardonny: Avize, Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Cramant and Oger. Pinot Noir: Verzenay. My wife bought me a couple of botlles of this wine for my birthday (yeah, she’s a keeper) and I thought it was time tonight to crack one and see where they were. Whoa. Golden in color with a fine sparkle (if a bit lacking), with a gorgeous nose of meyer lemon, lime, golden delicious apple, and considerable yeastiness. Many websites I visited stated this is at peak (or near-peak) maturity and that is certainly my view. Rich, textured, and layered on the palate with fruit, yes, but the fresh baked brioche shares the spotlight with the lip-smacking tartness. I love when I open a bottle of champagne, but I am head over heels when I open it at just the right time, like this beauty. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2010 Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $125(?). Obscenely Heavy Bottle (913g; 32.1oz). Under cork. Whoa. So. I acquired this bottle way back in 2012, shortly after I started my blog, and paid the princely sum of $85 for it. I had spent the afternoon with Luc Morlet as he sauntered around the cellar at Château Boswell (where he made his wines at the time), pilfering tastes from various barrels with his faithful thief. We then had a more “formal” tasting of bottled wines, including this Pinot. I loved it then, so much so that I actually bought this bottle for waaaaay more than I had to spend. Dark, even super dark in the glass with much more of a dark fruit vibe (blackberry) than what one might assume with Pinot Noir. The palate? Whoa. A surprising amount of dark fruit, particularly given its age, with appearances from vanilla, oak (albeit subtle), and just a brief cameo of earth. Yeah. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

NV Michel Tixier Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé de Saignée, Champagne, France: Retail $45. Extremely Heavy bottle (847g; 29.6oz). 100% Pinot Meunier. This is now the fourth bottle I have cracked of this wine here in Houston, add another likely 4-6 that I have had in Paris, and I imagine I am becoming a bit of an expert on this lovely wine. I find that fascinating for a couple of reasons. First, it is a rather small producer from the tiny Premier Cru Village of Chigny-les-Roses in the Vallée de la Marne region of Champagne. Second, it is 100% Pinot Meunier, which, as a rule, I try to avoid. Why? Well, I always say that I find the grape too floral and it does not have the constitution to age all that well (at least in comparison to its brethren, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), but the real reason is that the variety has become a darling of the sommelier crowd. Ugh. They can be tough to stomach at times. Pinot Meunier? Aligoté? Blaufrankisch? Blech. Yuck. Ew. But this wine is divine. Glad I still have a few more bottles, but don’t tell any sommeliers, they are just waiting to give me a “I told you so!” Excellent. 92 Points.

WINE OF THE WEEK: Wow, another pretty fabulous week of pulling wines from the cellar (which is again on the fritz–anyone have any recommendations for servicing wine cellars in Houston? My “guy” is clearly not getting it done) with several stellar bottles, most paired with equally compelling company. I was going to opt for the 2002 Lanson Noble Cuvée since, while we drink a ton of champagne, it is not all that often that we open a Tête de Cuvée. Instead, I opted for a bottle that I have had for a while, one that caused a bit of panic with my wife, and one whose bottle almost dislocated my shoulder (two of those three are not positives). Yes, the 2010 Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles is this week’s Wine of the Week!

What was your Wine of the Week?