The Wingtine Chardonnay is named after a specialised cultivation tool, the wing tine shank. It is used by Radio-Coteau—and more broadly in the Sonoma Coast area—to cultivate their Goldridge (sandy loam) soils. Its unique design lifts and fractures the ground vertically and horizontally, reducing tractor passes while maintaining soil structure.

The cuvée is sourced from Radio-Coteau’s biodynamic estate vineyard and the Heintz Ranch vineyard, just a stone’s throw away in Occidental. The estate vineyard’s SeaBed plot is home to several of the Wente clones, the original of which arrived from Burgundy in 1912. Described by Robert Parker as “one of the greatest Grand Cru sites for Chardonnay in California”, Heintz Ranch is an organically farmed site with mature vines (30-plus years old) and an excellent diurnal range, ensuring fruit with rich flavours and balanced acidities. Sussman believes the balance of the two parcels delivers the most striking result.

The fruit was hand-harvested in early September from both sites, whole bunch-pressed and fermented in a combination of concrete egg, stainless steel and neutral oak. Long (16 months) maturation on lees followed with no stirring, and the wine went through full malolactic conversion before being bottled without fining or filtration.

Compared with Radio-Coteau’s Anderson Valley Savoy Chardonnay, the Wingtine has a more floral and mineral-driven style (the Puligny to the Savoy Vineyard’s Meursault?).

The Savoy Vineyard in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, has established a firm reputation for producing some of the north coast’s most exceptional cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 18-hectare, southwest-facing site lies 120 kilometres northwest of the Radio-Coteau estate. Sussman has a per-acre contract and pays a premium for his fruit, so he retains control over how those acres are managed viticulturally. Low yields, green harvesting and organic farming are a few of his requirements.

Like the rest of the Anderson Valley, Savoy enjoys a pronounced diurnal range—night-time drops in temperature can be as much as 25 degrees Celsius—which brings the signature tension of Anderson Valley alongside flavour ripeness in both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. While a who’s who of the Sonoma wine scene sources Pinot Noir from this vineyard, just over two hectares are planted to Chardonnay, going only to FEL Wines and Radio-Coteau.

Sussman works with two Chardonnay clones within the Savoy site: the Wente clone vines (50%) have small clusters and berries and a mineral profile, while the Prosser clone (50%) lends a more tropical profile to the blend. The fruit was picked in late August and was whole bunch-pressed into barrel for wild fermentation. It underwent full malolactic conversion and enjoyed a 17-month maturation on lees with no stirring in lightly toasted, tightly-grained old French oak. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.

Compared to the Wingtine, the style is more in the classic Californian vein: richer, with a creamier feel, yet supported by mouth-watering acidity.

La Neblina means ‘the fog’ in Spanish, and this Pinot is drawn from three vineyards that thrive in the Pacific Ocean’s foggy summer mornings and the afternoon sunshine that follows. Alberigi Vineyard lies in the heart of the Russian River Valley, and its unique Goldridge loams—so particular to this area—are farmed organically. Then, Dierke Vineyard is a certified-organic hillside site on the western flank of Sebastopol planted in 2006 on Goldridge soils. The fruit from this site is famed for its powerful and expressive nature, complementing the more elegant and restrained Alberigi fruit. The Radio-Coteau estate vineyard in Occidental, just 12 kilometres from the ocean, rounds out the trio of western Sonoma’s coastal sources, contributing wild spice and silky, seductive textures. Across all three vineyards, a patchwork of clones (777, 114, 115, Mt. Eden, Calera and Burgundian Heirloom) lends further complexity.

Handpicked and fermented with 20% whole bunches, only the free-run juice was sent to neutral, tight-grained barriques and puncheons for 16 months’ maturation. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Capturing the misty forest floor and wild-berry fruit of the cool Sonoma Coast, the 2021 is a seductive and vibrant Pinot Noir: perfumed, elegant yet powerful with pitch-perfect texture and a lingering close. In the words of winemaker Eric Sussman: “It’s singing!”

This single-vineyard wine is sourced from Radio-Coteau’s home vineyard in Occidental. Eric Sussman had been purchasing fruit from this 17-hectare site for years and didn’t hesitate when the opportunity arose to buy it in 2012. Practically within sniffing distance of the famed Heintz vineyard and bordering Russian River Valley, the site sits on the region’s fine, sandy Goldridge soils atop a ridge 240 metres above the town, just 13 kilometres from the coast. The proximity to the ocean and the moderating influence of rolling fogs provide cool coastal conditions and long, even ripening ideal for growing great Pinot Noir.

In a challenging year for most growers in California, Eric Sussman’s long-standing preference for early harvesting proved valuable. Sussman has always erred on the early side when it comes to picking. So, while his fruit made it safely into the winery in time to avoid adverse effects from the region’s devastating fires, many of his colleagues were not as fortunate. Handpicked and fermented with 52% whole bunches, only the free-run juice was sent to neutral, tight-grained barriques and puncheons (16% new) for 18 months’ maturation. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The Dusty Lane block lies in the certified-organic Dierke Vineyard, a hillside site on the western flank of Sebastopol planted on Goldridge soils by the affable and passionate John Dierke in 2006. Facing southeast, the site has excellent drainage and good exposure to coastal influences from the west. It is home to a “suitcase selection” of clones from northern Rhône and California and is famed for its powerful and expressive fruit. Sussman has a long-term contract with Dierke and has been working with the fruit from this site since 2008. The 1.5 acres of vines he works with are farmed according to Sussman’s specifications.

The fruit is handpicked and fermented as a combination of whole bunches, whole berries and crushed. The whole bunches contribute aromatic lift and spice, and in 2016, Sussman used 20% in the blend. Pumpovers are gentle, and as with all Radio-Coteau’s reds, only the free-run portion of the juice is used. The wine matured for 18 months in 500-litre puncheons (one-third new). The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Named after his property’s original winery, built in 1906, Radio-Coteau’s Zinfandel hails from a small block of old Zinfandel vines planted in 1946. These gnarly old gobelet vines give extremely low yields, with crops of less than a tonne per acre the norm. As any Californian grower worth their salt will tell you, Zinfandel is notoriously difficult to grow, with wildly variable ripeness within the bunches. Hence, sorting in the vineyard and winery to remove underripe and overripe berries is an essential part of the process.

Handpicked fruit was destemmed and fermented in small open-top fermenters. Vinification was gentle, and only the free-run juice was used. The wine matured in puncheons and barrels for 20 months, with a negligible portion of new oak. Sussman finds barriques and bottle-aging essential to soften the assertive nature of Zinfandel’s tannins. In contrast to the more opulent, heady Zinfandel wines from warmer zones, Radio-Coteau’s Zinfandel is cast in the coastal mould: higher in acid, bone dry and with stuffing and structure to improve for years.