Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The Pinot Noir for this blend was sourced from neighboring vineyards along Westside Road: Allen, Bacigalupi, Bucher, Flax, Rochioli Riverblock, and our Williams Selyem Estate.
- A very complex wine owing to the diversity of vineyards sourced for the Westside Road Neighbors.
Varietal Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Elaboration: Barrel aged 15 months, 63% new, 37% 1 yr-old barrels.
Tasting Notes: This Pinot Noir is aromatically alluring with cool fruit character and spice undertones. Notes of citrus, sassafras, and cedar shavings are layered into this very complex wine owing to the diversity of vineyards sourced for the Westside Road Neighbors. Plush and round at the entry, the wine gives way to red fruits and citrus peel in the mid-palate and finishes with the signature refined tannin structure and mineral sensation. Stunningly complex, this wine will develop nicely over time but is irresistible today.
PRESS
2021 – 97 Wine Advocate | 94 James Suckling | 91 Wine Spectator
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.