Williams Selyem Winery began when Ed Selyem and Burt Williams started making wine as a hobby in 1979 in Forestville, California. Their first commercial release was in 1981, and in less than two decades they created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Setting a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking, they put Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley at the forefront of the best Pinot Noir regions in the world.
Today, John and Kathe Dyson, who purchased the winery from Burt and Ed in 1998, work with winemaker Jeff Mangahas to carry on the passion for Pinot Noir without compromise. Other varieties bottled at Williams Selyem include Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Chenin Blanc.
The Pinot Noir for this wine was sourced from Vista Verde Vineyard, located a couple miles south-east of Hollister, California, near the small town of Tres Pinos in San Benito County.
Crimson in color. 13.8% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, cloves, earth and cherry cola. Medium body with medium acidity. Light and elegant. Cherries, baking spices, mushrooms and pomegranate on the palate. Medium length on the finish. An appellation wine showing well at 8 years of age. So much to like here as the least expensive wine in the Williams Selyem lineup. Drink over the next several years.
My rating: 91 points.
Williams Selyem can periodically be found at retail, but the mailing list is highly recommended.
I wrote about Williams Selyem previously in Reflections on Two Days in Russian River Valley and The 2017 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.