Radog Wines
By Kerry Winslow
Dan Todor’s Radog label is a great way to explore the Monterey wine region, as it offers wonderful wines at a great price, everything from his famous Pinot Noir to Syrah all the way to Dry Riesling and Gewurztraminer, all of which give lots of pleasure and reflect a fine sense of Terroir!
Since 2000 Tudor has been receiving critical acclaim for his fantastic hand crafted Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County, many vintages way over 90 points and more recently he has been sourcing further afield to find quality grapes for his second label Radog Wines. These Central Coast wines have been big hits with bistros and restaurants on coast and savvy wine buyers looking for a good price to quality ratio.
2007 Radog Dry Riesling Monterey County.
This wine is fruity but still dry and tangy making it great with all kinds of foods from chicken and pork to Asian fare. Bright apples, hints of dusty citrus and apricot lead the way in this fun and crisp lighter style wine.
($20 Est.) 87 Points, grapelive
2007 Radog Dry Gewurztraminer Monterey County.
This Gewurztraminer is fuller than the Radog Riesling and has a burst of spicy sweet fruit, but again is mostly dry in style. This is great for Indian and hotter foods, plus it is great with cheeses and honey ham. A nice stone fruit and lychee palate goes down smooth, but has good zest and tangy acidity.
($20 Est.) 88 Points, grapelive
2007 Radog Syrah Monterey County.
The Radog Syrah is dry and dusty with blueberry, raspberry and mocha notes along with hints of game, earth and leather. It opens up nicely and the tannins soften quickly leaving a savory spicy kick to the sweet red cherry and bitter chocolate on the finish. This middle weight Syrah would go great with BBQ or grilled meats.
86 Points, grapelive
2007 Radog Pinot Noir Monterey County.
The polished and lush Radog Pinot is more like the more limited Tudor selections with rich cherry and plum fruits that go great with the creamy silk like texture. While more ready and fruity than his other wines this a good everyday wine and one Dan Tudor can be proud of as it is clean and easy to enjoy with pure Pinot character.
90 Points, grapelive