2021 Chardonnay Savoy

This is a compelling set of wines from Radio-Coteau. Low-ish yields and weather conditions produced wines of notable depth and textural intensity. The 2021 Pinots immediately stand out for their density, darkness and power. Some of the wines are quite rich, uncharacteristically so. The Savoy and Belay come to mind as especially potent in this vintage. As is the case at many properties, the Chardonnays are especially fine in 2021, but they are also wines that need quite a bit of air to blossom.

Pinots were all harvested by mid-September, followed by Chardonnay and Syrah, more or less the norm by present-day standards. Aging is for Chardonnays, and Pinot Noirs are around 16 months. Whole clusters are in the 20-30+% range for most of the Pinots. One of the recent evolutions has been an introduction of larger format puncheons, previously used only for the Syrahs, to complement standard-size barrels in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s a choice that seems to work very well.