Radio-Coteau

Radio-Coteau takes its name from a French colloquialism Eric Sussman picked up while working a 1996 vintage in Burgundy: "word of mouth," or more literally, "broadcasting from the hillside." Born in New York and trained in agriculture at Cornell, Sussman spent several years in Washington's Yakima Valley before two formative vintages in France: 1995 at Baron Philippe de Rothschild in Pauillac and 1996 in Burgundy. He returned to California, collaborated at Bonny Doon, then spent four years as associate winemaker at Dehlinger in Sebastopol before founding Radio-Coteau in 2002 in partnership with Bill and Joan Smith of W.H. Smith Wines. The first vintages were sourced from leased blocks across western Sonoma County and Anderson Valley; the brand quickly earned cult status for cool-climate wines of unusual purity and energy.

The estate today is a 42-acre biodynamically farmed property on Goldridge soils just above Occidental, ten miles from the Pacific. The vineyards are surrounded by fruit orchards, heritage apple trees, vegetable gardens, and a small herd of goats, chickens, and bees: a working biodynamic farm where cover crops, animal manure, and pollinator habitat reduce the need for outside inputs. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and a small old-vine Zinfandel make up the lineup; single-vineyard bottlings include La Neblina and Estate Pinot Noir, Wingtine and Savoy Chardonnay, and Cherry Camp and Las Colinas Syrah. Sussman ferments with native yeasts, uses minimal new oak, and bottles unfined and unfiltered with very low sulfur. The wines are sold primarily through the mailing list with limited restaurant and retail allocation; the estate is not open for public tastings, but the website maintains a current allocation list.