2018 Dragonette Cellars Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard (Sta. Rita Hills)

 Popped and decanted to get some air. Unfolded graciously, but clearly young.... structured red fruit, suave tannins and a tight savoriness that loosens up over a few hours that, to me, speaks of some whole cluster inclusion. This my first experience with this Santa Barbara producer. Two thumbs up. Enjoyed with chicken and sausage jambalaya. 

Sonoma Coast GC vs Corton GC

 

Enjoyed the 2009 Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard alongside the 2010 Michel Mallard Corton Le Rognet Grand Cru. Aubert was double decanted back into bottle.... some very fine sediment.... really a wow wine.... haven't had one in ages. Mallard was slow-o'd in bottle for a couple of hours. Both wines paired deliciously with Creole BBQ grilled oysters, grilled octopus and charcoal grilled whole branzino. 
I was focused on the Aubert until I tasted the Corton Le Rognet and was riveted to how on point it was.... a beautifully elegant showing. In reality, I've never had a pinot noir from the Hill of Corton that was ready. This was my first encounter with Le Rognet Grand Cru, and oh boy is it good stuff. My favorite of any of the Corton GC reds. Lengthy savory finish... surprisingly approachable for a 2010 ....

We've got a 2010 Michel Mallard Corton Maréchaudes waiting in the wings to compare to the 2010 Corton Le Rognet! Will report back 👍🍷
The 2010 Corton Le Rognet was crazily approachable! I've never had anything like it from Corton before!

I found a bit of background info on Maréchaudes... look forward to trying it... ...

"...The name "Maréchaudes" is derived from the name of a vineyard mentioned in the 13th century as "En Mareschaut", which comes from the Old French "maresche" (marshland). The lower part of Aloxe-Corton was indeed marshy due to its proximity to the source of the Lauve river. Major work was undertaken to drain the soil to make it suitable for viticulture..."

I found some notes on a 2010 Michel Mallard Aloxe-Corton La Toppe Au Vert 1er Cru we enjoyed about a year ago that showed well, with Maréchaudes being located just next door to La Toppe... indeed,  upon closer examination of the maps, a small corner of La Toppe Au Vert may be classed as Grand Cru, with the rest being 1er Cru...

http://lestastevinsdulac.blogspot.com/2025/03/2010-domaine-michel-mallard-aloxe.html

Based on comments by @"Neal Martin", Mallard uses anywhere from 60% to 80% whole cluster in his Grand Cru wines and up to 50% bunches for the 1er Cru wines. 

Barolo and Barbaresco

 2004 Paitin Barbaresco Sorì Paitin

Slow o'd for several hours before dinner.  This bottle showed extremely well ... perhaps exhibiting a bit more refinement than a bottle we enjoyed a couple of weeks ago. Make no mistake, this wine is a fruit forward mouthful of delicious dark berry framed by tannins softened by age. I could forsee delicious tertiary development over the next twenty years. Always a delight to drink one of these wines from any vintage. Paired nicely with blackened catfish filet served over grits and covered with a shrimp and spicy andouille sausage étouffée.

2012 Pecchenino Barolo Bussia
Drinking deliciously now.... a mid-weight wine exhibiting delightfully balanced character with mouthwatering acidity framing the fruit. I think this will age elegantly. Historically,  a producer more known for their Dogliani, they've cracked the code with decent Barolo as well. 

2005 Martinelli Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge Vineyard

 Couldn't resist opening my last of these .... what a bottle and what a wine! 👍🍷

2018 Castellare Chianti Classico

 95% Sangioveto, 5% Canaiolo

If I remember correctly,  I swear this was reviewed as a "don't miss it" wine and that opinion is spot on based on this bottle. 
Double decant... no sediment... really a beautiful little wine and a screaming value, especially nowadays... drank superbly with prosciutto and goat cheese pizza... yum! 🍕🍷

2018 Melville Pinot Noir Sandy's Block

 

Semi-awkward young phase. But you can taste the whole cluster pedigree.... slightly distracting jauntiness on the palate when first poured.... it will likely settle down (or just wait five years) ... the savoriness and sappy-ness are reminiscent of a Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts .. I don't drink a lot of Santa Barbara Pinot Noir anymore, so this is quite fascinating...

Although the soils in Les Beaux Monts are shallow, stony, red-brown clay-limestone, often featuring iron-rich clay and chert nodules (chailles) in contrast to the sandy loam soils of Sandy’s Block.

this gets exponentially more elegant after a couple of hours of air in situ .. the savory notes get yummy...

Producer notes:
"... The Sandy’s block is named in honor of Ron Melville’s sister and was deliberately planted on the extremely sandy northwest section of our east vineyard. This block also contains clonal material representative of our new era of plantings and includes selections from Calera (Clone 90) and clones 37, 459 and 114. These four selections, when planted on sand, produce wildly intense and pretty aromatics with a very ethereal and harmonic palate impression. 50% of the fruit was gently de-stemmed, with 50% remaining as whole clusters, and was fermented in small 1.5 ton open top fermenters. Total skin and stem contact averaged 30 days (7-day cold soak, 2+ weeks of fermentation and 1+ week extended maceration). After spending 8 hours in the basket press, the wine was transferred directly to neutral barrels where it remained sur lie without disturbance and with no sulfur ..."

2016 Čotar Metodo Classico Crna

 Producer notes from @"Eric Guido"

"....Čotar is located just over the Italian border in Slovenia in an area known as Kras, which is actually an extension of Friuli’s Carso district, a region that is well known for its production of Refosco. However, here in Kras, Refosco takes on the name Terrano, a variety that father-son team Branko and Vajsa Čotar excel with...."

100% Terrano (Refosco)

Based on the label, it appears the disgorgement may have occurred in 2022.

Only a slight effervescence on the palate. Bone dry. Excellent minerality. Shockingly purple yet fairly deft in the mouth. A food wine with the stoniness.  Paired with grilled shrimp and filet mignon, creamed spinach and sautéed shrooms...

I'm looking forward to trying the 2013 Čotar Crna still red wine. 
This is really my first experience, I think, with Slovenian wine...

Interesting!

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Additional note courtesy Michele Gargani:

Terrano and Refosco are not synonymous or interchangeable. Refosco refers to a family of grapes, often called "refoschi", so it's important to specify which one you're discussing. These aren't just different clones or biotypes; they're distinct varieties altogether, much like Cabernet Franc is separate from Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wines they produce can be quite different. When people mention Refosco, they generally mean Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, which is more prevalent in the Colli Orientali. Within the broader Refosco world, there are also minor varieties like Refosco di Faedis and Refoscone, but remember, these are entirely different grapes. In fact, there's no Terrano in the Colli Orientali, and very little Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso in the Carso (Kras)