Marc Karetsky

9.2

Enjoyed with dear friends at the Blue Ridge Grill in Atlanta. This wine surprised me. It was deep and delicious with dark fruit and tobacco on the finish. Who knew Seylem made Cabs as good as their Pinots. — 25 days ago

Scott E. Becker

9.3

[Tasted on December 31, 2025 at Iggy’s in Nashville with Jay]

Dark raspberry fruit with underbrush, cola and spice. Creamy, aromatic wine. — 6 months ago

Deborah M

9.0

Always a steady good one and at this price point with age it is really nice. — 7 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Williams Selyem – Pinot Noir – 2023
Drake Estate Vineyard – Russian River Valley – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A beautifully refined and expressive Pinot Noir sourced from the renowned Drake Estate Vineyard, one of the crown jewels of the Russian River Valley. The 2023 vintage highlights Williams Selyem’s signature delicacy and precision: pure fruit, lifted aromatics, and a seamless texture that defines top-tier RRV Pinot.

Aromas & Flavors
Red cherry, raspberry, and wild strawberry accented by rose petal, orange zest, and light baking spice. Subtle forest floor, tea leaf, and vanilla whisper in the background. Elegant, layered, and aromatically captivating.

Mouthfeel
Silky, smooth, and wonderfully balanced. Medium-bodied with bright natural acidity, fine tannins, and a graceful, mouthwatering finish. A perfect interplay of delicacy and depth.

Food Pairings
Duck breast, truffle risotto, cedar-plank salmon, roasted mushrooms, or creamy cheeses like Brie or Camembert.

Verdict
A lovely masterpiece from Drake Estate Vineyard, delicate, smooth, and utterly delicious. This is quintessential Russian River Valley Pinot at its most graceful and refined. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Drake Estate Vineyard sits along the Russian River’s cooling corridor, where fog rolls in daily. This extended hang time allows for exceptional fruit purity and aromatic intensity, one reason it’s one of Williams Selyem’s most prized vineyard sources. — 7 months ago

Brian Reedy

9.4

Drinking perfectly right now. Tart pomegranate. Bright acidity. Hint of morels at the end. Lingers on the palate — a year ago

with Sarah

Scott E. Becker

9.1

[Tasted on July 18, 2024 at The Optimist in Nashville with Jay] — 2 years ago

Severn G

8.9

Nose has yellow apple peel, pear slice, straw and beach sand.

Palate has tangerine zest, ripe pear, under-ripe yellow peach, cold clementine orange with medium acidity and slightly dry finish.
A nice bottle; not sure if this wants more time, or a couple years past prime...

On the sold out (18K+ patrons) Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our guest Conductor Ken-David Masur is leading a 90th birthday celebration of John Williams. BSO soloists tonight are J. Williams Hudgins (vibraphone) & Jessica Zhou (harp), joined by Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Eric Revis (bass) and James Taylor (vocals/guitar). A truly wonderful night lay ahead, and my money is certainly on hearing at least one or two Star Wars movements this evening... — 4 years ago

Laura Short

9.1

The manager At Coopers Landing, Doug, brought this wine in and was excited about it, so we tried it! Went well with our Mediterranean salad and redfish dinner on the patio! $50 at restaurant. — a month ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have posted notes on many Williams Selyem Pinots, but only my second from their Calegari Vineyard.

I have claimed tirelessly that WS is one of the very top Ca Pinots Noir producers. However, they aren’t until they have this kind of age and older. When enjoyed young, they are good but not brilliant. Like now! It takes cellaring to get there.

I haven’t tasted any of the vintages since Domaine Faiveley bought and took over and started making them in June 2024. Although, they carried forward some of the WS staff as consultants. My hope is they won’t change the style drastically. They are a red burgundy producer and I enjoy their burgundies with the same age. So…🤞

2011 was critically acclaimed not good for Cabernets, but think they flushed out better with age than young. Pinots from 2011, for me, have never been an issue.

The nose is; dark to mid berry fruits, brambly, tree sap, grilled meats- pork, hint of smoke, moist herbs, cola & dark to red excellent florals.

The palate is ripe, lush, brambly dark fruits. There is a dark core of them surrounded by dry twig, dark chocolate & mocha powder. There is some velvety tannin profile here. Blackberries, black raspberries, black plum to pudding, black cherries, poached to slightly baked strawberries with pomegranate, blueberry hues with haunting raspberries. Shades of eucalyptus, tree sap, smoke, grilled meats, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, dark mid spices w/ some heat, anise crawling to black licorice, mid berry cola, warm, muddy, grey clay, limestone marl, volcanics, dry river stone, dry, crush rocks, dry top soil, tumble weed, dry tobacco w/ ash, soft, used leather, just a hint of lead pencil, iron pan, fresh to withering; dark, red, blue florals with violets and a touch of lavender, excellent, rainfall acidity with a well; knitted, made, balanced, nicely tensioned/structured, elegantly, perfectly polished finish that lasts ninety seconds to two-minutes landing on spice, clays and beautiful earthy minerals. — 5 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.2

[Tasted on October 25, 2025 with Tom and Kathy at their house]

Raspberry and dark cherry fruit, with black tea and mineral notes. Beautiful wine with nice acidity. — 8 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.4

[Tasted on September 13, 2025 at etc. in Nashville with Jay, and again on November 8, 2025 at Philippe Chow in Nashville with Jay]

Bright black cherry and blackberry fruit, with black tea and wood spice. — 10 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Continuing quest to taste as many 22’s as possible.

Nose shows similarities to Vincent Dauvissat. Honeysuckle-honeycomb, butterscotch, melted butter, biscuits, yellow florals.

The palate reveals good viscosity, round, long & thick. Meyer lemon, apricots, yellow peach, red & green apple, syrupy pineapple, white spice, limestone marl, grey volcanics, sea spray-saline, muddy chalk, flint, almonds, yellow & white flowers, excellent round acidity and beautiful, balanced, well polished, lush finish that lasts just over two-minutes and landing on spice & minerals.

Will merit another point or two w/ appropriate age (5 plus years) and is a better buy at $220 than the 22 Dauvissat for $20 more. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

This 14 has a bit of a story. I opened their 2005 last weekend, which was fantastic, I also opened their 2014 as an example w/ a friend to show how important aging is in Italy reds out of Tuscany & Piemonte. Also, how long it takes for the amount of new wood use Italians put to both to soften. The Italians hold them back in bottle sometimes two to three years or longer. The 05 last weekend was a 93-94. This after an hour & half decant, 90-91. In time, add one to two points.

For those who didn’t study their ass off to pass the Court of Master Sommeliers exam, the difference between Chianti & Chianti Classico is, Classico needs to come from a specific region in Chianti and needs to have an additional 10% of Sangiovese over regular Chianti.

2014 a good but not all-star vintage like 2010.

The 2014 still young. Showing dry; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, some black plum, dry cranberries & strawberry hues. Oak barrel shavings, dry; leather, cedar, & dry tobacco, limestone & sandstone power, dry twig, dry river stone, dry top soil, slight candied & withering; red, dark, purple flowers framed in violets, nice acidity and a taut structured & tensioned but balanced, elegantly polished landing on dry earth that lasts nearly 90 seconds.

It is a good pair w/ the lasagna that has a really nice dark seasoning in it. An aged Nebbiolo might have worked better. From, The Adorable French Bakery at the Santa Cruz Farmers Market. No permanent location. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Happy Valentines Day!

If you have not looked for this wine on WineSearcher.com or other, you should. Dan Standish has no American Importer. However, you can mail order off his list. Good luck with the Australian/United States import costs. Very prohibited.

Most quality Barossa wines take 15 years in bottle to show their ultimate beauty. Dan’s wines are no different. His Estate vines are 100 years old and produce 500 pounds of fruit per acre...very concentrated. Contrast that to extremely expensive & high quality Napa fruit, those Napa producers are at 2,000-2,500 pounds per acre.

We visited Standish in April 2017. We found Dan to be extremely talented & definitely marches to his own drum. He is salt of the earth and has traveled & worked in many of the world wine regions honing his craft and landing as Torbreck’s Winemaker in Barossa before starting, “The Standish Wine Company.”

As good as the 04 is tonight, it has 15 years of good life ahead...properly stored of course.

The nose is very intoxicating. It is a nice blend of purple, black & blue fruits. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, medium dark spice, black pepper, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender.

The body is full, rich, ripe, lush and creamy on the palate after a two-hour plus decant. The structure, tension, length and balance are a little short of its peak and will hold there for 5-8 years. It’s a glorious glide on the palate. The fruits are ripe & lightly baked. Mulberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, black plums, plums, blackberries, dark cherries, deeply extracted raspberries, some baked strawberries, cherry kirsch, red & black licorice to anise, dark fruit cola, black olive skin, the dark spices are heavier on the palate & bring just the right amount of heat, sweet, dark tarriness, black pepper, used, dark expresso roast grounds, charcoal, graphite, dry tobacco & underbrush, some bay leaf, alluvial soils, grey volcanic minerals/limestone, moist clay, with fresh & only slightly withering, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets & lavender. The acidity is round, flush & perfect. The long finish is a unique even balance of; lush fruits, spice, herbs and earth that persists on the palate for minutes.

Photo on the left of Sofia’s 2 dozen long stems. Love you so much!

@Oswald — 6 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2023 vintage. Medium-medium heavy body. Old-school RRV swill that eschews the sweetness that crept into the area during the Williams-Selyem heyday/culty scores of the mid-80's to mid-90's. Big tea, earth, light mud, restrained cherry and plum. Structure. Fruit. Balance. No sizzle, all steak. Blind tasting this, you'd be hella pressed to call this as being from RRV. Tastes like it's got 8-10 years of age on it already as a new release. You could sock this away for an easy 15-spot if you're that disciplined, unorganized or behind on opening other stuff. One of the best new domestic pinots tasted in the last few years. P.S...tasted the 2023 MacIntyre (the one that gets all the scores/pub) right after this. It was nice. A new school nice at 9.3. I'll take this any day that ends in "y" instead. You can have my MacIntyre allocation. 3.25.26. — 3 months ago

Craig Becraft

9.2

Still rocking at 14 black cherry cinnamon nicely tart great with roasted chicken — 7 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Williams Selyem – Chardonnay – 2023
Three Sisters Vineyard – Fort Ross-Seaview AVA – Sonoma County – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
An exceptional cool-climate Chardonnay shaped by the dramatic micro-terroir of Fort Ross-Seaview, one of California’s most striking coastal AVAs. Known primarily for world-class Pinot Noir, Williams Selyem brings the same minimalist, site-first philosophy to this Chardonnay. The result is a wine of freshness, purity, and quiet power, deeply influenced by elevation, fog, and maritime air.

Aromas & Flavors
Lemon curd, green apple, and pear skin layered with hints of chamomile, flint, sea breeze, and subtle toasted almond. The palate evolves with citrus zest, white peach, and coastal salinity, showing incredible purity.

Mouthfeel
Tension meets elegance. Medium-bodied with bright acidity, a fine mineral core, and subtle texture from restrained oak. The finish is long, lifted, and saline, quintessential Fort Ross-Seaview.

Food Pairings
Halibut, scallops, herb-roasted chicken, oyster mushrooms, or citrus-forward dishes. Its freshness and precision make it extremely versatile at the table.

Verdict
A fresh, focused, and beautifully expressive coastal Chardonnay. This bottling proves that Williams Selyem’s mastery of finesse isn’t limited to Pinot Noir, and here, the minimalist approach elevates Chardonnay into something truly memorable. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Fort Ross-Seaview is one of California’s most extreme coastal AVAs, with vineyards perched above the fog line at 900–1800 ft. The result: cold nights, intense sunlight, and natural acidity that produce some of the state’s most precise, maritime-driven Chardonnays.
— 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I coravined some of the 97 early this week and as I sipped it, it was had not to think it was the best Jones Family I’ve had. A score of 98 and I have not given a wine 98 in a very long time. But no matter where you go, there you are.

Tonight I had the 01 at the “Tasting House” and it was amazing. Their Short Ribs are amongst the best I’ve had. A deliberate wine bring knowing the wine & how well it pairs w/ short ribs.

1997 was an outstanding vintage. I think we can all agree on that. Jones Family is a TRB wine that should not fly under the radar in any vintage and I have had nearly all those good vintages since 97.

The 1997 is ethereal. The nose is pure beauty. Perfectly ripe and resolved fruits. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums & juicy strawberries. Perfect baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, sandstone/limestone, fresh tobacco, cedar to sandalwood, dark, Indian/Asian spices, camphor, black licorice, berry cola, sun tea, volcanics, tree bark w/ hints of sap, dark & red fresh flowers.

The palate is incredibly, beautiful, balanced fruit & earth. Bright cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, hovering raspberries & juicy strawberries. Perfect baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, sandstone/limestone, beautiful Indian/Asian spices w/ some plate heat, fresh tobacco, sandalwood, volcanics & dry clay, camphor, dark chocolate baking bar, black licorice, some warm caramel, berry cola, sun tea, volcanics, dark rich soil with dry leaves, tree bark w/ hints of sap, fresh & dry herbs, dark & red fresh flowers framed in lavender & liquid violets, excellent acidity with perfect; elegance, tension, balance and structured finish that last minutes landing on fresh fruit, dark spices and earth tones.

I’ve posted other bottles of 97 Jones Family that were incredible, 95-96. This one perhaps had better storage, evolution & timing. Magic. — a year ago

Severn G

9.3

Prior notes still apply, delicious bottle.

Nose has toasted brioche, grilled lemon, warm lemon creme, lemon zest, oxidized pear slice and fresh, rising bread dough. Palate has lemon pound cake, cold toast, limestone chips, dried lemon slice and (light) candied orange.
Great mid-palate, a restrained richness is all elegance, acid balance is perfect and not pulling you one way or another. At 15 years past vintage, a great example of finesse in Champagne.

+

On the Lawn at Tanglewood this evening with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our Conductors Andris Nelsons and John Williams will be leading a very engaging program of Jessie MONTGOMERY (Starburst), John WILLIAMS (Violin Concerto No. 2, world premiere featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter!), COPLAND (Quiet City) and STRAVINSKY (Suite from The Firebird, 1919 version). We're getting the luxury of enjoying Mr. Williams two nights in a row...what a great weekend of Contemporary music! — 5 years ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Social distancing at home for a Saint Patrick's Day celebration with a WS pinot!

Pop and pour. A forbidding medium garnet color. On the nose: floral, tart raspberry, orange peel, and crushed rocks. Taste: A soft, light WS wine with strawberry, slight spice, vanilla. A medium finish ending with cinnamon berries and a slight tannic kick. — 6 years ago

with Brenda