Radio-Coteau Anderson Valley Savoy Pinot Noir 2019
I was initially drawn to these wines as I recognised the Savoy Vineyard name on the label. My favourite American Pinot producer, Littorai, also takes fruit from this site, so I was fascinated to make the comparison. To my pleasure, both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir really impressed me. They’re both quite hedonistic in a way, but without going too far. Great fruit concentration and reasonably generous without excessive flabbiness or fruit sweetness. Simple delicious wines to drink with plenty of complexity built in. – Ches Cook, FWC.
On a stunning hillside vineyard in the heart of Anderson Valley, Eric Sussman has worked with the Savoy Vineyard since Radio-Coteau’s genesis, beginning with Pinot Noir in 2002. A who’s-who of Sonoma’s finest source from this vineyard (Littorai and Peay included), where the Pinot Noir develops intense flavour over a growing season lengthened by the cooling maritime influence that funnels through the valley.
Radio-Coteau has been working with the same vineyard blocks (vines planted between 1991 and 1996) for almost two decades. With a complex patchwork of clonal selections, each block is organically farmed to its own specific needs. Hand-picking at night and transport to the cellar in the early morning allows for optimum handling and whole berry integrity. The fruit is fermented with 41% whole clusters, and a 16-month élevage occurs in light to medium-toasted, tightly-grained French oak (34% new). The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered and rests for a further year in bottle before release.
The 2019 unfolds with intricate layers of luxurious black cherry, warm cloves, and forest floor notes carried by well-integrated, silky tannins and a refreshingly long finish. - Producer's Notes.
“Richard Savoy planted this vineyard in the early 1990s, on pastureland at the meeting of Gowan Creek and the Navarro River, deep into northeastern Anderson Valley. Cliff Lede purchased the site in 2011 and farms it organically. A parcel with three clones—Martini, 115 and Pommard—goes into Eric Sussman’s 2019, which shows the complexity of the mixed plant material in the spice of plump rosehips, the richness of fresh figs, the lasting scent of a coastal redwood forest. Meaty and ripe, this wine has direction and a tight focus, suited to age and delicious now if you decant it for partridge or other dark meat game birds.” 95 points, Wine & Spirits Magazine