Radio Coteau Wingtine Chardonnay 2021 (6 Bottles) Sonoma Coast, California

$1,145.00 GST Included

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

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.

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About Radio-Coteau Wines

In summer of 2012, Radio-Coteau acquired an historic 42-acre Estate vineyard and ranch located on a ridgetop above the town of Occidental. Originally named Joseph Morelli & Sons before Prohibition, the Lemorel winery (as it was later known) dates back to 1892, when the first vines were planted. Situated 800 feet above sea level, the property is a diverse agroecosystem settled on prized Goldridge soil. We continue to maintain the established blocks of Syrah and old-vine Zinfandel, and recently replanted existing acreage to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

Eric’s own history with the property dates back to the early 2000s. While scouting vineyard sites for the first Radio-Coteau vintage, one interest lay in old dry-farmed Zinfandel, unique in California. He met and began a relationship with Robert Von Weidlich, the owner of the property at that time. The 2002 Radio-Coteau Von Weidlich Zinfandel was the first product of that collaboration.

“The best fertilizer is the farmer’s shadow,” is an old farming adage meaning there’s no substitute for a farmer’s own daily involvement in cultivating the land. A practice we take to heart, we employ a holistic farming platform that envisions the farm as a self-sustaining organism where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Going beyond the vine, we embrace a diverse agrarian platform, utilizing both organic and Biodynamic® farming practices to build the health of the soil and the surrounding ecosystem. In acknowledgment of our ongoing commitment to regenerative agriculture, the estate vineyard and farm has been Demeter Certified Biodynamic® since 2018.

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