Winery Overview
Location
• Source grapes from its 22 acres of biodynamic vineyards in Occidental in western Sonoma County, as well as from growers in the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley regions, including two certified organic vineyards (one of which is also biodynamic)
• The winery is located in an industrial building in Sebastopol
Best known for
• Celebrated, artisanal producer making small lots of superb wines; its main focus is on Pinot Noir and Syrah
• Makes 7 wines from certified or in transition vines ($64-75, 90-96 pts.)
• Proprietor Eric Sussman founded the winery in 2002, working in a minimal intervention winemaking style from the start; he began by purchasing grapes from choice sites
• Before launching Radio-Coteau, he worked in Burgundy at Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard and Domaine Jacques Prieur in Meursault
• Sussman acquired an estate vineyard on a farm in Occidental in 2016, releasing his first estate wines in 2019
• A section of the Occidental estate is a six acre block of Zinfandel planted in 1942; historian believe the Lemorel site (named Morelli) was originally planted as early as 1892
• The label has an adoring following among the wine cognoscenti
• As David White, of the Terroirist, put it, the wines are "fresh, elegant and pure and have a powerful sense of place"; wine expert Karen McNeil, author of The Wine Bible, calls Radio-Coteau "one of the best Pinot producers in California"
• Its Terra Neuma Pinot Noir was also singled out by Slow Wine Guide 2019 as a "Great Wine"; it also received a Snail designation from Slow Wine, the international organization's top honor for regenerative agriculture and wine quality
• In 2019, Radio-Coteau was selected as a Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery for the third time
Biodynamic vineyard case production
1,000 (out of 3,500 total)
Certified
• Vineyards (estate), biodynamic, 2018, Demeter USA
• Winery, biodynamic, 2008, Demeter USA
• Dierke Vineyard, organic, 2005, CCOF
• Terra Neuma, organic, 2008, CCOF; biodynamic, 2008, Demeter USA
Wines
ESTATE WINES
Certified Biodynamic Grapes
• Chardonnay-Estate-Sea Bed
• Pinot Noir-Estate
• Red Blend-Board and Batten
• Zinfandel-Lemorel
MORE WINES
Certified "Biodynamic Wine"
• Pinot Noir-Terra Neuma
Certified Organic Grapes
• Pinot Noir-Dierke Vineyard
• Syrah-Dusty Lane
Note: Future vintages of estate wines will be made at the Biodynamic Wine sstandard.
