The Wine Spies Say:

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Radog Wines.

Mission Codename: Running with the Big Dogs

Operative: Agent Molly Rose

Objective: Investigate reports that Dan Tudor of Tudor Wines is the mastermind behind Radog Wines. If Radog’s Pinot Noir attains even a similar level of quality as Tudor Pinot Noir, secure a stash for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Radog Wines

Wine Subject: 2006 Radog Monterey County Pinot Noir

Winemaker: Dan Tudor

Backgrounder:

By now you know that Monterey County is famous for producing the finest Pinot Noir. Today, our newest Wine Spies freelance Agent, Molly Rose makes a stunning discovery – and learns that Pinot Master and playboy winemaker, Dan Tudor, is the man behind the curtain at Radog Wines. Read Molly Rose’s mission report below.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Sparkling clear ruby red with perfect clarity and sparkling clear edges with widely-spaced and long, thin legs

Smell – A rush of hot raspberry followed by aromatic earth, leather, gunpowder, leather and pomegranate, with cranberry, black cherry and subtly smoky oak

Feel – Great feel; Cool, light and wet, this wine has a delicate feel at first and then the wines soft tannins grip the top of the mouth, the center of tongue and the inside of the lips

Taste – Earthy black cherry and candy apple with cranberry and oaky plum with a mineral follow-on that adds a little ooomph to the taste

Finish – Long, sweet-to-tart and gently drying with all over mouth flavors that taper slowly

Conclusion – Dan Tudor shows his softer and more playful side with this Pinot Noir. Where Dan’s $60 Pinot is a bold and unabashed boss of a wine, this Radog Pinot Noir is more light, round and fun. Is this wine half the wine at half the price? No; Rather, what you get here is a super-quality Pinot imbued with the skills and character of the winemaker. This wine is refined, delicious and completely approachable. In fact, I would recommend this wine to Pinot newbies or those that think that Pinot Noir can be too austere or overbearing.

Mission Report:

”Woof!” I mean, Hiya!

Mini Agent Molly Rose here. I’m the newest Wine Spies agent, recruited right off the street by Agent Red. At least that what he’d tell you. Truth be told, it was I that recruited him, but that’s a mission report for another day. The business at hand is today’s fine offering from Radog Wines…

Okay, I lied. I’ll get to the mission debrief in a sec. First, let me clear the air about something here; Just because a wine label has a cutesie-wootsie little doggie on it, does not automatically make it a good wine. Au contraire, my two-legged reader, au contraire. Don’t get me wrong, a dog on the label – or at the winery for that matter – is a good thing to be sure. Its just that its the winemaker that makes the magic.

Okay, the mission:

Recently, after an extended surveillance with Agent Red, I finally got some much needed R & R (Rover Recreation). Red arranged to meet up with Agent White and his canine Agent, Spy Dog, the original Wine Spies wine sleuthing pooch. I enjoy these get-togethers as it gives us furry agents a chance to exchange valuable intel.

While at the park Agent Red was handed a brown paper bag which, judging by the size and shape, could only be a wine bottle inside. I rushed over and before he could even open the bag I smelled it; Bull Terrier, female, solid build, about 40 lbs… and the telltale accompanying smell of a wine-dog, grapes.

I tried to give Agent Red a little background but, as usual, he was a little thick. Red may have a great palate for wine and great taste in dogs, but sometimes he exasperates me. I ran over to Spy Dog who curtly concurred with my assessment and then went back to chasing squirrels. Sheesh! Some dogs and their pastimes. I wanted to find this new dog and my fellow agents were all oblivious.

My lucky break came when a careless dog “owner” left the gate open. I sprinted and made it out without being spotted by my crew. Following my nose, I ran across the field and spotted her. I barked my wine-dog greeting and she came bounding up to me. After we exchanged credentials, we turned to face each other and chatted until our humans caught up with us (honestly, this new GPS collar can be a nuisance at times!).

Wine-dog Evie, it tuned out, had a human named Dan Tudor. This particular human, a winemaker, is also the owner and proprietor of Tudor Wines, a winery famous for producing elegant and classy California Pinot Noir. His Second label, Radog, is his canine-inspired secondary label, under which he produces stunning Pinot Noir, a pair of Rosé wines, and a couple of whites. A quick smell-nalysis of the Pinot later in the day tells me that while Dan sells his Tudor Pinot for $60+ per bottle, this lower-priced Pinot Noir is nothing to growl at. On the contrary, this is a Pinot Noir to wag ones tail over!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the world famous Santa Lucia Highlands can be seen in this satellite photo.