SeaBed2019Sonoma Coast Estate Chardonnay
Vineyard Profile
Long before it was planted to vineyards, the area encompassing our Estate was under water, the floor of an ocean embayment that extended inland through modern-day Sebastopol. Through a series of tectonic shifts, the earth was ultimately transformed into the now iconic rolling hills of West Sonoma County. The sandy loam remnants of the ancient sea are still present in the Goldridge soil, and the Estate-grown SeaBed Chardonnay serves as a vestige of this history. Biodynamically farmed, the 2019 is our third vintage of Chardonnay from the Estate and was bottled following a unique élevage in a mix of concrete egg, tight-grain, neutral French oak barrels, and a single Stockinger Austrian oak demi-muid.
Tasting Notes
With its crisp minerality and sophisticated salinity, the 2019 SeaBed Estate Chardonnay is aptly named. Bright apple blossom, green Anjou pear, and Buddha’s hand citrus usher in a focused wet stone flintiness reminiscent of its cool, coastal roots. The texture is crisp as well, highlighted by fresh notes of sweetgrass and blossoming pea shoots, while gentle touches of star anise and well-integrated wood spice add depth. The ocean beckons throughout, as the delicate salinity and mineral spine drift along the lingering, polished finish.
Cellar Notes
- Grower:
Radio-Coteau - Appellation:
Sonoma Coast - Geographic Location:
Occidental - Varietal:
Chardonnay - Selection:
Wente, Burgundian Heirloom - Vineyard Age:
Planted in 2014 - Soil Type:
Goldridge - Harvest Date:
September 14th - Unfined
& Unfiltered
Wine Reviews
“The 2019 Chardonnay Estate SeaBed is laced with the essence of crushed rocks, graphite, dried herbs, chamomile and chalk. The SeaBed is always the most mineral and phenolic of the Radio-Coteau Chardonnays. It is all that in 2019, but with the volume turned up. Even with its large-scaled intensity and explosiveness, the 2019 retains striking transparency. It’s one of the most memorable wines I have ever tasted from Radio-Coteau.”
–Antonio Galloni