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 may have been given as gifts).
2023 Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France: Retail $110. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (801g; 28.2oz). 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 10% Counoise. We invited some “new friends” over for dinner and they brought this. They are already well along the path to “best friends” regardless of pretty much anything else. Whoa. Dark. Even really dark in the glass with oodles of black raspberry, plum, and, well, verve. Peppery. Floral. Even some slight herbal notes (basil, thyme). Whoa. Even though I have a pretty good friend from the region, I do not drink a ton of CdP and the main reason? More than perhaps any other region in France, understanding the great producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is essential. And this is, perhaps, the producer in the region. More subtle than I imagined, based on the nose, but this is a beauty. Yowza. Good, on the verge of great, fruit, amazing tartness (without being intrusive), and a gravitas that one expects from both the region and the producer. Whoa. As I mentioned, I do not drink a ton of Châteauneuf, but the Perrin family, perhaps stating the obvious, really have it dialed in. Outstanding. 94 Points.
2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Extra Brut, Champagne, France: Retail $125. À Bouzy Restaurant: $189. 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay. It was Father’s Day and we decided to go to à Bouzy after a couple of games of bowling (I’m not saying who won, but it was me). My wife poo-pooed the idea of an Extra Brut (she claims that they are too dry), but it is completely in my wheelhouse, and, well, Father’s Day. And it was a 2008 (probably the best vintage since 1996) for a reasonable-ish price. The first glass was bad, as in the glass was not clean, so I requested a new glass. Much better. Bright, citrusy, and quite yeasty on the nose with plenty of floral notes on the back end. As expected, quite tart, even on the verge of austere, but the yeasty, autolytic aspect compensates and helps to round out the wine. Still, this needs food. Unfortunately, à Bouzy has slipped in the food department. This used to be a go-to place for us, but if it were not for the Champagne list (which is still stellar although prices seem to have crept up), I would not be back. The wine? Pretty gangbusters. Outstanding. 95 Points.
2022 Brooks Pinot Noir Rastaban, Eola – Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $55. Heavy Bottle (605g; 21.3oz). 100% Pinot Noir. I first tasted this vintage while at the winery for a tasting and I liked it so much, I bought the company, er, three bottles. Pretty dark in the glass, particularly for an Oregon Pinot, with mature fruit (blackberry, black cherry, and maybe even cassis), with a healthy mineral note, and just a touch of oak. The palate is simply gangbusters with an intense wave of fruit, plenty of spice, and a captivating tartness that takes ahold of this wine on the mid-palate and does not relinquish control at all through the lengthy finish. Whoa. I have long been a proponent of Brooks, and while I will freely admit that it has claimed a soft spot in my heart, this Rastaban, with a half-dozen years on it is pretty darned amazing. Outstanding. 94 Points.
2018 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l’Echo, Loire Valley, France: Retail $40. Responsible Bottle (569g; 20.0oz). Under Nomacorc (UGH!). 100% Cabernet Franc. I have had a couple of these in rapid succession (at least for me) not because I was worried about the wine (it’s fabulous) but rather we had some “new” friends over and I wanted to pull a wine, serve it blind, in the hopes of “stumping” them. While I was more or less successful in my primary goal, this wine also served to be stellar on all accounts. Dark, even really dark in the glass with plenty of dark fruit (plum, blackberry) and a lovely mint aspect (I am not a huge fan of mint in the kitchen, but here it is absolutely glorious). Fruity, a bit dark, tart, weighty, and expressive, this is the height of Cab Franc, for me. Yeah, I can’t imagine that I would prefer this variety from any other vineyard. Outstanding. 95 Points.
2022 La Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d’Or, Burgundy, France: Retail $150. Heavy Bottle (641g; 22.6oz). 100% Pinot Noir. As I have mentioned far too often, I don’t drink much Burgundy these days, and I buy even less (close to zero at this point) since the prices have become ridiculous. This Volnay, even ten years ago? It was probably half the price. But when a friend brought this over for dinner last night? All aboard the Burgundy train! Dark, really dark, even inky dark in the glass (the color is certainly brooding) with equally dark berry fruit (black cherry, blackberry, cassis, even plum–very un-Burgundian) and just a hint of earth on the nose. The palate? Again, if I had tasted this blind, I am not sure I would have landed on 1er Cru Volnay (although I am pretty sure I would have nailed “Pinot Noir” at least. Great tartness, though, that is certain, which lifts the wine on the palate and underscores that this is a fantastic wine. I am just not sure how to assess it. Is it a great wine? Unquestionably. Is it a “classic” Burgundy? Um… Outstanding. 94 Points.
2024 G.D. Vajra Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy: Retail $25. Very Responsible Bottle (411g; 14.4oz). 100% Barberra. From one of the more respected names in the region, this Barbera is a delight and a prime example of(of which Burgundy should take note), that affordable, tasty wines are still a possibility in a region that has really taken off in the last decade or two. Medium to dark in the glass with dark and red fruit plentiful as is a mossy earthiness and a lovely floral component. Yum. The palate is fruity, tart, slightly earthy, an simple delectable. There is a touch of complexity on the finish, but make no mistake, this is a quaffable wine, a Tuesday (or Wednesday) pizza night wine that will enthrall the casual drinker as well as the wine snob. Fantastic. Excellent. 91 Points.
WINE OF THE WEEK: Usually, in this spot, I am pretty straight-forward and I pick the best wine of the week. It makes sense, usually, that the top wine of the week would also be the highest scoring wine. This week, however, I am departing from that simplistic approach and opting for the 2023 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape as the Wine of the Week. Why? Well, I just spent two weeks in the region, and it is a special place.
What was your Wine of the Week?
