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 Vintage2012 Label 1 of 49 
TypeRed
ProducerRadio-Coteau (web)
VarietyPinot Noir
DesignationLa Neblina
Vineyardn/a
CountryUSA
RegionCalifornia
SubRegionSonoma County
AppellationSonoma Coast
UPC Code(s)123456780266, 7090027143135

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2016 and 2022 (based on 13 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Radio Coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 66 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by ey1294 on 6/24/2023 & rated 91 points: - Ruby color with slow forming legs and aromas of tea, cherry and rose and has flavours of cherry and black pepper. (359 views)
 Tasted by Elpaninaro on 11/18/2021: medium red color starting to show signs of maturity, punchy cherry fruit on the nose, lovely dark spice and bramble notes as well, on the palate mature fruit with hints of leather and blueberry, cherry, good length, soft and cuddly on the midpalate with time, an attractive wine in a great place.

****, ready to go but time in hand (1236 views)
 Tasted by davudvl on 9/5/2021 & rated 89 points: Sour cherry (1188 views)
 Tasted by VlgJeff on 6/22/2021 & rated 87 points: Slo-oxed for 30 minutes, and did not open any further during the meal. The wine was a clear medium ruby in the glass. This bottle was all forest floor, cherry and earth - on both the nose, and the medium bodied palate - with the forest floor and earth elements outrunning the cherry/red fruit, as did the acidity. All of this seems to indicate advanced bottle age, some of which may be attributed to potential storage conditions prior to our buying this bottle at retail a couple of years ago. In any case, this bottle was clearly past peak. (1417 views)
 Tasted by Immigrator on 6/12/2021 & rated 91 points: Decanted via an aerating funnel and consumed over the course of 90 minutes. Medium garnet color, long legs, cherry and light plum aromas, with cherry and garrigue on the palate. Medium tannin. While not super complex, this is drinking well right now--which is a marked improvement from what I observed a few years ago when I found it tart/harsh/acidic and barely drinkable (which I have observed in several wines from this producer). Today, I'm enjoying a softened profile that drinks well on its own, and pairs nicely with herb roasted chicken. Although one can easily question the investment of seven years of cellar time for a wine at this price point, I'm glad I had the space and time to hold it as this is a nice PN at the $45 release price.

I doubt that it will continue to improve markedly, so I think you should drink now or within ~3-4 years. I sure as heck wouldn't cellar it to 2035 as CT suggests it can handle. While it may be fine and drinkable at that point, it's just not complex enough for that sort of investment in time. (1267 views)
 Tasted by Bwalter17 on 5/3/2020 & rated 91 points: This has aged nicely. Medium-light red. Very nice nose. Sour cherry and ripe berries, mint, smoke, graphite. On the palate, light and smooth, tangerine, blood orange, nectarine, slight acidity, shorter finish. Not as much berry and dark fruit as typical Cali pinot. Very approachable and a good food wine. Benefited from aeration. Just enough structure to age for a few more years. (1609 views)
 Tasted by awitz78 on 1/26/2020 & rated 92 points: Really enjoyed. Dark fruit and excellent with pasta. (1330 views)
 Tasted by pjhr on 7/31/2019 & rated 91 points: Tasty but missing some of the balance and vibrant fruit of the last bottle. (1519 views)
 Tasted by awitz78 on 4/28/2019 & rated 91 points: Lots of acidity when opened. Almost carbonated mouth feel. Bright fruit and not much finish. Agree with others can see much improvement from holding longer. (1549 views)
 Tasted by StraightnoChaser on 4/14/2019 & rated 90 points: It was at it’s peak at the 1-hour + mark.
PNP was sour plum and striking acidity. After it calmed down it was an enjoyable wine but of questionable value as it didn’t seem worthy of the 5 years I had it in the cellar (1553 views)
 Tasted by pjhr on 1/4/2019 & rated 93 points: This bottle came together beautifully! Delicious sour cherry on the nose and palate with delectable savory notes and acidity on the moderate finish. (1552 views)
 Tasted by thebonnydooner on 10/26/2018 & rated 89 points: Did not realize that I'd had this three weeks ago. It did not change much in those days. Cannot believe the CT aging window to 2035, more like 2020. This is a nice wine, but not wowing me, and do not think it has the structure to age much more. Still very pleasant, cherry, cola, sweet balanced fruit, way better than most of the cheap rate pinots out there, just getting long in the tooth and needs to be drunk up. CT says I have a 2010 and 2011 left as well, hope not!. (1436 views)
 Tasted by thebonnydooner on 10/4/2018 & rated 90 points: Dark clear cherry red. Nose is pretty primary, red and blackcherry with a hint of earth and brush/stems (green). Palate is smooth and ripe with juicy dark cherry, currant and something more bitter like red plum. Not exuberantly fruity, maybe getting to a stage where better with food. Not a wow wine at this stage. Not great QPR. (1294 views)
 Tasted by pjhr on 3/19/2018 & rated 91 points: Tasty red cherry and earth aromas with elegant sour red cherry and spice flavors with acidity on the moderate finish. (1904 views)
 Tasted by Wine_in_HD on 6/2/2017 & rated 89 points: This is my second bottle of this wine. The last I opened in 8/16. I find that the wine is about the same. Acidic with sour cranberry, a hint of barely ripe strawberry, now with some forest floor. Maybe a good wine with certain meals but not at its best alone. (2899 views)
 Tasted by Edclr on 5/28/2017 & rated 88 points: Not crazy about this wine. I have always loved the vineyard in the past. Seems to be very diluted and uninteresting. Maybe just an off bottle. (2607 views)
 Tasted by treesritter on 11/27/2016 & rated 88 points: Still too much acid. Earth tones and cut grass with a long finish. Overall not a wine I would choose to buy again- especially at about $50. (3075 views)
 Tasted by Wine_in_HD on 8/10/2016 & rated 88 points: Acidic with flavors of sour cranberry and faint traces of barely ripe strawberry. Fans of the unripe Burgundy style will probably like this wine a lot. (3320 views)
 Tasted by wineguy75 on 2/26/2016 & rated 90 points: Frail and lacked interesting and explosive fruit. Decanted for 2 hours. (3276 views)
 Tasted by ey1294 on 1/4/2016 & rated 93 points: - Ruby color with slow forming legs and aromas of bacon, cedar, raspberry, dusty and cherry. It's balanced and has flavours of cherry and tea with a medium body. Smooth texture with a long finish - Decanted two hours. Very, very young wine. Big, rich red fruit flavors. Wine can age. (2434 views)
 Tasted by SMZ on 12/18/2015 & rated 91 points: Gets better as it opens up (2504 views)
 Tasted by Redteeth on 12/16/2015: Tasted along with a Wm Selyem 2012 Bucher. The Wm Selyem had a beautiful aroma and was immediately approachable with ripe, floral fruit and a bit of sweetness. The Radio-Coteau La Neblina was a more structured wine containing more tannin and earth flavors and darker fruit. Both were very nice. I would probably prefer the Wm Selyem with lighter food and the R-C with red meat and heavier foods. (2022 views)
 Tasted by t_moderne on 11/20/2015 & rated 86 points: This was tasted in a blind-format wine tasting. There were initially 9 different pinot noirs from the 2012 vintage. Eight were California and 1 was from Oregon. The bottles were placed in a brown paper bag and labelled with the name of a singer - songwriter. This was tasted both with and without food. The notes are when the wines were not unveiled.
This was labelled Jens Lekman.

The wine seemed a bit disjointed. There was some earthy-mushroom flavors that rose above any fruit. A savory flavor profile of forest floor and herbal notes.
After the brown bag was removed, I was disappointed as I expected more from this wine. (2132 views)
 Tasted by budh on 10/10/2015 & rated 90 points: I would have identified this as a Cru Beaujolais in a blind tasting. It starts off with that carbonic maceration strawberry, bubblegum nose. Also some savory mushroom and earthy aromas. Nice texture, crisp acidity. Lots of fruit, earth, spice. Really enjoyed it, although real Cru Bojo's are much cheaper.... (1629 views)
 Tasted by SMZ on 9/22/2015 & rated 90 points: Not my favorite Radio Coteau (1734 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

Professional 'Channels'
By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2015, Issue #59, A Fine Addendum of Neo-Classical American Wines
(Radio-Coteau “La Neblina” Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley)) Login and sign up and see review text.
i-WineReview.com, Report 44: Wines of Sonoma County (9/1/2014)
(Radio Coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina Sonoma Coast) Subscribe to see review text.
By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2014, IWC Issue #174
(Radio Coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina Sonoma Coast) Subscribe to see review text.
By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma and Beyond: New Releases (Feb 2014)
(Radio-coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina Sonoma Coast) Subscribe to see review text.
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (11/22/2014)
(Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir La Neblina) Medium red color; aromatic, ripe cherry, baked raspberry nose; rich, ripe cherry, baked raspberry palate; medium-plus finish  90 points
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and i-WineReview.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

Radio-Coteau

Producer website

Pinot Noir

Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.


Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.

Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.

The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.

Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.

In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.

With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.

Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.

USA

American wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.

California

2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson

Sonoma County

Mendocino County

Sonoma Coast

* Sonoma Coast AVA (Wikipedia)
* Sonoma Coast AVA (Wine Institue)

 
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