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 blend was sourced primarily from Lone Oak Vineyard, Bucher Vineyard and Rochioli Vineyard.
Crimson in color. 13.7% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, cloves and cola. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Elegant, charming and just flat out tasty. Black cherry, baking spices, tea and earth on the palate. The finish is long and supple. Really good showing for an appellation Pinot Noir seven years removed. As always this bodes well for the rest of the lineup. Drink over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 92 points.
Williams Selyem can periodically be found at retail, but the mailing list is highly recommended. The 2018 version of this wine was released earlier this Spring.
I wrote about Williams Selyem previously in Reflections on Two Days in Russian River Valley and The 2018 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.
Beautiful wine selection, Tom. Sounds quite tasty. I’ve finally tasted Williams Selyem wines myself and I really like their style of winemaking. Cheers!
Thanks Peter. I’ve been on the mailing list for 20 years. The wines are so consistently good.