Radio Coteau Belay Pinot Noir 2020

Tasting Notes

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 2020 Pinot Noir Estate Belay is terrific. Deep and dark, the. 2020 shows quite a bit of intensity for the year. Black cherry, lavender, cloves, leather and incense flesh out in a broad, ample Pinot. The 2020 is quite somber and introspective, but its balance is beyond reproach. It is, quite frankly, an impressive wine for the year. 93 points. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous