We tasted last Oct (10/24/18) Mostly Radio-Coteau:
1. BoundaryBreaksVnyd Riesling Dry #239 FLX/NY (12.3%; www.BoundaryBreaks.com) BruceMurray&DiannaLyttle/
Hector/NY 2017
: Light gold bit hazy color; light pineapple/R/floral fairly chalky/mineral/stony slight
perfumed talc rather interesting nose; quite tart/tangy light pineapple/R fairly strong stony/chalky/
perfumed talc slightly off-dry (0.5%-0.8% r.s.) flavor; long tart/tangy light R/floral/mango/pineapple
strong mineral/chalky/perfumed talc finish; a bit quiet on the R fruit and rather strong on the mineral
character; one of the best (of only a few) FLX R I've tried; more like a Sudtirol R than anything; great
price at $14.38 (PrimaIlC)
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2. Radio-Coteau Riesling PlattVnyd/SonomaCoast (U; 12.8%; www.RadioCoteau.com) EricSussman/Sebastapol
2015
: Med.gold color; fairly strong Mosel valve oil/gout de petrol light pineapple/R/mango beautiful
complex nose; quite tart/tangy/acid light floral/R/mango totally dry strong gout de petrol/pungent
lovely/complex flavor; very long/lingering dry quite tart/tangy some pineapple/mango/R very strong
pungent/petrol/valve oil complex finish; an absolutely lovely complex expression of Calif R. $38.00
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3. Radio-Coteau Chard SavoyVnyd/AndersonVlly (U; 13.8%) 2016: Med.dark gold color; very light pencilly/
toasty/oak very fragrant flowery/melony Chard/almost R-like quite spicy beautiful nose; lightly tart
very floral/R-like/honeydew melon/Chard high-toned/bright very light pencilly/oak lovely flavor; very
long/lingering tart high-toned/R-l/floral/melony/Chard very light pencilly/Fr.oak finish; a very perfumed
almost R-like high-toned/lithe expression of Chard; beautiful Chard that should age 3-6 yrs. $60.00
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4. ArbeGarbe RRV WW SonomaCnty (14%; www.ArbeGarbeWines.com; 55% Catie'sCorner Malvasia Bianca/
30% Tanya'sVnyd Ribolla Gialla/15% Pagani Ranch old vine Tocai Friulano) StHelena 2017
: Med.light gold
color; beautiful floral/Malvasia/very spicy slight graham cracker quite aromatic nose; quite tart/tangy/bit
metallic very perfumey/Malvasia/quite spicy/floral slight mineral/chalky beautiful flavor; very long/
lingering intense floral/Malvasia/very spicy bit mineral/chalky lovely finish; much like a very good
Friuli Fruilano, bit like a Malvasia d'Istriana w/o the earthiness; maybe their best one yet at a very
fair price. $30.00
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5. Radio-Coteau Zin LemorelRdVnyd/SonomaCoast (EG; U/U; 15.0%) 2013: Very dark, near black color; very strong
blackberry/boysenberry/Zin quite dusty/OV tobaccoy bit alcoholic/fumey slight volatile some toasty/oak
rather complex nose; some tart/tangy somewhat alcoholic/hot strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/spicy some
dusty/OV light toasty/oak bit complex flavor w/ modest tangy/rough tannins; very long/lingering bit hot/
fumey/alcoholic very strong blackberry/boysenberry/spicy/Zin quite dusty/OV some toasty/oak bit complex
finish w/ some rough tannins; the alcohol is really starting to show; seems older than a 5 yr old
vonWeidlich should be, probably starting downhill. $52.00
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6. Radio-Coteau Zin LemorelRdVnyd/SonomaCoast (EG; U/U; 15.0%) 2015: Black color; beautiful ripe/blackberry/
boysenberry/Zin/very spicy/some peppery slight alcoholic rather dusty/OV complex nose; fairly tart/tangy
slight alcoholic intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy quite dusty/OV light toasty/oak complex
flavor w/ modest hard tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy/slight
peppery rather dusty/OV bit alcoholic light toasty/oak finish w/ some chewey tannins; a beautiful Zin w/
loads of blackberry Zin fruit. $54.00
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7. Radio-Coteau Syrah CherryCampVnyd/SonomaCoast (15.7%; 343 cs; U/U) 2006: Very dark color w/ no bricking;
very light TCA/corked very strong blackberry/Syrah some peppery/c-c slight volatile/fumey bit tired nose;
bit soft very slight TCA/corked bit hot/fumey strong blackberry/Syrah bit toasty/oak somewhat tired flavor
w/ light smooth tannins; long bit tired slight TCA some blackberry finish w/ light gentle tannins; doesn't
seem that the slight TCA destroyed this wine; getting a bit tired and showing somewhat older than expected.
$50.00
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8. Radio-Coteau Syrah CherryCampVnyd/SonomaCoast (14.6%; 294 cs; U/U) 2008: Very dark near black color; beautiful
c-c Syrah/black pepper strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some roasted/Rhonish/w-c complex nose; some tart/
tangy strong black pepper/c-c Syrah rather Rhonish/roasted/w-c very strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy slight
alcoholic complex flavor w/ modest smooth tannins; very long rather Rhonish/roasted/w-c quite black pepper/
c-c Syrah strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah light toasty/oak complex finish w/ some smooth/gentle tannins;
a beautiful mature c-c Syrah. $50.00
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9. Radio-Coteau Syrah TimbervineVnyd/RRV (15.4%; U/U; 370 cs) 2005: Very dark/near black color w/ some browning;
strange very metallic/acrid/burnt metal/arc welding shop funky/stinky/reductive very little fruit unattractive
nose; soft pungent/acrid/welding shop very tangy/metallic no fruit flavor w/ light tangy tannins; something
very wrong w/ this wine besides being very reductive; still smells much the same the next morning; gone south.
$48.00
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10. Radio-Coteau Syrah LasColinasVnyd/SonomaCoast (14.1%; 298 cs; U/U) 2009: Very dark/black color; strong
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/some spicy slight olive tapenade slight funky/mousey bit complex nose; lightly
tangy strong blackberry/Syrah/bit peppery/spicy bit olive tapenade slight toasty/oak pleasant/straightforward
flavor w/ light smooth tannins; med.long light toasty/oak strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah lightly tangy
finish w/ light tannins; a rather pleasant mature Syrah but nothing special. $38.00
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11. Radio-Coteau Syrah DustyLaneVnyd/SonomaCoast (OrganicGrapes; U/U; 13.4%) 2015: Very dark color; very strong
very spicy/Syrah/blackberry bit peppery light toasty/oak very attractive nose; bit soft attractive very spicy/
blackberry/Syrah/light peppery light toasty/oak flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long strong very spicy/
blackberry/Syrah light peppery bit toasty/oak finish w/ light tannins; quite an attractive Syrah but nothing
profound and pretty pricey for what it is. $64.00
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12. Radio-Coteau Syrah HarrisonGradeVnyd/SonomaCoast (EG; 13.4%; U/U) 2015: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/
Syrah/quite spicy slight c-c Syrah/black pepper light toasty/oak bit complex nose; some tart/tangy light c-c Syrah/
black pepper strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/very spicy flavor w/ light bit tangy tannins; very long some
c-c/black pepper very strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry light toasty/oak bit complex finish w/ light tannins;
quite an attractive c-c Syrah but just that and rather pricey for what it is. $68.00
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More cuzifrattle from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. SonomaCoast R: I think Hirsch was one of the first to plant R on the extreme SonomaCoast. Alas, I believe
that R block was grafted over. SavannahWright did a beautiful BohanVnyd R under her Polymath label from out
in the FtRoss area. Don't know who takes Bohan R these days. But the extreme SonomaCoast is a great region
for R and I wish there was more interest in it out thee.
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2. ArbeGarbe: Friulian for "bad weed". The wnry of Letizia Pauletto and Enrico Maria Bertoz that specializes
(mostly) in Friuli-style wines, the area from which they hail. Their WW (they also make a straight Malvasia)
sorta resembles a Tokaj Friuliano. Though predominately Malvasia, it doesn't show that simple candied/almost
muscatty character you get in Malvasia; this wine is much more nuanced, more like a good Friuli Malvasia
d'Istriana. Beautiful stuff.
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3. Radio-Coteau: The wnry of EricSussman. Former winemaker for TomDehlinger. I've pretty much followed Eric's wines
from the very start. I used to buy pretty much everything. Over the last few yrs, though, I've pretty much
narrowed my purchases down to the Syrahs and the Zin. But the wines have become rather pricey and I'll probably
buy only the Zin anymore. Eric owns the Robert vonWeidlich vnyd just NE of Occidental, from which Ridge used to
make their Occidental Zin. A very cold area to be growing Zin and difficult to ripen every yr. But it is one of
Calif's great OV Zin vnyds.
Tom