Williams Selyem Eastside Road Neighbors

WHY WE LOVE IT

• The Pinot Noir for this blend was sourced from three unique sites along Eastside Road: Foss Vineyard, Calegari Vineyard, and Lewis MacGregor Estate Vineyard.

Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir

Elaboration: Barrel aged 14 months, 7%new, 26% 1 yr-old barrels.

Tasting Notes: Berry fruits and earthy notes combine in this deeply layered wine. Hints of lavender and dried flowers lift the aromatics while hints of citrus and vanilla brighten up its brooding nature. Soil inflected flavors along with red and black fruits mix with a sensation of citrus peel. The black tea like tannins give way to a gravelly, crushed rock finish. Pair the Eastside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir with more robust dishes to balance out the structure.

PRESS

2021 – 96 Wine Advocate | 96 James Suckling | 94 Wine Spectator | 94 Jeb Dunnuck

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

Willams Selyem Winery was founded almost by accident. In the 1970s, a grower gave a few tons of free grapes to Burt Williams. He and his friend, Ed Selyem, decided to make their own wine – a Pinot Noir.

The partners only wanted to make wine for themselves but, as fate would have it, they were very good at it. Soon, their wine developed a cult-like following among those they shared it with. Ultimately, their experiment elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine-growing regions in the world.

Once Burt and Ed decided to start a serious winery, they vowed to make handcrafted wines that would set the standard for excellence. Burt, a veteran newspaper pressman, made the first labels using an old letterpress and hand-mixed inks. Today, the philosophy at Williams Selyem is to respect the grapes. Their wine has been served at the White House and their 2007 Estate Pinot Noir was the first to score a perfect 100 in a major wine publication.