AW94. Beautiful violet nose on pnp - good length, some slight variation in bottle having sourced from different collections, but excellent overall. This was a fantastic vintage, more impressive than 2010 and still time left to enjoy many more in this wonderful drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still drinking well. Amazing for this 13yo RRV Pinot. Fruit, acid, and tannins are seamlessly integrated. Medium body. Short to medium finish. Will buy again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still in good shape but no point in waiting. Cola and dark red fruit, but a bit astringent and out of balance. Probably would have been better with an hour or two decant beforehand. Still enjoyable but not a star.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Didn’t have this in CT but found it in the cellar and thought I better pop it immediately. No worries though. This is perfectly sound still. Great cork. Good color. Black fruits, cola, forest floor. Drinking well but this is now for near term consumption.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just a beautiful wine. This is delicious. It has delicious fruit, great stricture and a nice finish. My husband found more leather on the back end than wanted but I disagree. This has aged wonderfully. I think this wine has peaked. But it will stay here for a few years. It’s delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Good wine drank over 2 nights. Good color and nose and palate indeed have cola flavors. This is good though, great fruit, body and finish. Yummy!this will go with number of menus. It can stand up, won't get better so drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stewed cherry, cola, crushed rock and white spice. A medium-long finish and welcomed layers. I love the flavor and nuance combination. Drink now - 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was my fault for not drinking earlier. Still a nice wine, but past its prime. Notes of cherry, but more dark and less fresh. Drink if you have it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
14.1% alcohol. Drinking very well right now. Red-black cherry color. Fragrant nose of black cherry, baking spice, rich earth, and minerals. In the mouth, fairly plush but also precise, with black cherry, baking spice, and earth notes expanding on the palate. A bright brush of acidity and a moderate finish. Very nice. Has the bones to last another 3-5 years for sure, but it's in an excellent spot right now. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Have to agree with some of the other posts here. Might have waited too long at the fair on this one. It's good, but not at all what a $50 bottle of wine should be. Actually has next to no complexity to go along with a decent amount of fruit. Tasted blindfold, I would guess $15 max for the bottle price. This is the single most disappointing Williams Selyem I've ever tasted and I've been on their mailing list for 10+ years. And yes, it was stored very properly in a 55 degree, temperature controlled environment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Disappointing. Not sure if its past its prime or it ever was that great to begin with. The '08s RRVs were much stronger and held up very well with time and air. This was acidic and a bit sour from the get go.
Day 2, this still had a lot of 'pop' to it. Felt stronger. 89/90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very simple wine perhaps pasts its prime. Drink up or better yet use it to make a nice sauce. These wine apparently have no longevity. Purchased upon release and held in a cold cellar. Yuck.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is horse stable, cedar, orange zest and cherry. The downside is the lack of Pinot Noir characteristics on nose The upside is the delicious "tamed" red fruits mid-profile and a wine that finishes with distinctive smokiness atop crisp sour cherry. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pop n poured and followed over 2 hours. Served @ a wedding
Aromas were a bit muted as compared with the Sonoma county. Even the corked Sonoma Coast had more aromatics. The wine seemed a bit disjointed and clumsy on the attack and finished with some heat. Perhaps it would have been better the next day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was singing on day 2. Juicy red fruit and floral notes on the nose. Palate is sweet and tart with raspberries, bright cherry, and background notes of wet stone and roses. Seems to be holding up well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Served with Duck Breast, alongside 2007 François Baur Alsace Pinot Noir Sang du Dragon. Both were chilled. This WS was richer and weightier than the Alsace, with dark cherry and depth. The Baur was more targeted, slightly fresher and brighter. The two other diners (Rick and Randie) enjoyed the 2009 Williams-Seleyem RRV, while i prefered the Baur. Both were excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
14.1% abv. On nose and palate, a rich dark cherry liqueur. I also find a mild spice note and a hint of smoke. Seems identifiable as middle reach of Russian River Valley. Full-bodied with a long finish. Quite delicious. While this might pair well with rabbit or roast fowl with a fruit sauce, especially a cherry sauce, I had it with veal scallopini.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A bit more restrained than our last bottle. The fruit doesn't dominate as much, and the finish seem a bit rough out of the bottle. It is smoothing out with air, however, and is wonder with the grilled salmon that Rosalie has prepared. Nice complexity, lots going on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
14.1% alcohol. Full red cherry color. Pretty nose of red cherry, subtle baking spice, and minerality. In the mouth, precise and linear, with slightly rustic tartness accompanying the cherry fruit. Explodes with acidity and spice notes as it tumbles into the finish. Lovely right now, but this wine easily will coast for another 5+ years. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
P 'n p; best after the bottle's been open an hour or two. Smells like cool black and red fruits, touches of cola, black tea and smoke, and some spicy, toasty oak. Similar on the palate, but more black fruit driven. Has a touch of sweetness, but balanced by some nice fresh acidity. Good length, with lingering black cherry, black tea and spice. The oak is noticeable and is a bit much for my taste, but doesn't seem completely out of place, and the wine comes across as fairly cohesive, and tasty.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Followed a Dujac Morey St. Denis. Cherries, cherries, cherries!! Much more playful than the more serious Burgundy. But a solid wine in its own right. The palate had a much more complex feel than the nose led us to expect, and it stood up to the meal (roast turkey, squash, Brussels sprouts). Glad I have another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perhaps an off bottle. Nose of sweet, burnt rubber. I found very little of the fruit others found, albeit a hint of cola. Certainly not the best WS has to offer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Three years since my first bottle. It's come together nicely. Rich cherries and strawberries. Cola is subtler. I agree with the comment that this needs air for the best experience. Decant 2 hrs. Drink by 2018
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Started out well chilled, and too sweet. As it warmed, the acids showed up and sweetness diminished. Then a nose and palate of cherry, raspberry, and a little cola: still a bit sweet. As it opened up over 30 more minutes, the cola notes started to show more. VG, but a bit overpriced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Williams Seylem releases a plethora of different label wines each year. It is always fulfilling to taste them side by side to see the subtle nuanced differences between each wine. Even the most inexperienced palate can appreciate each label for its individuality. Oh, who am I kidding? All Williams Selyem taste the same.
I opened this bottle tonight for two reasons. The first is that I didn't want to wait any longer, and the other is that I'm celebrating some very exciting news. According to my latest Tarot card reading, I'll be the new lead singer of The Dixie Chicks in 2017. If anybody knows all the words to "Goodbye Earl," please forward them to me tout de suite. I'm bad with memorization and really want to hit the ground running with this new gig.
I carried this bottle with a chicken breast stuffed with shallots, goat cheese and thyme. Then, I made a sauce with tawny port and figs and put that on my chicken. Figs, y'all, they don't just come in Newton form. Did you know they're also a fruit? It's true.
By the way, here are three things overheard today while buying the figs at Whole Foods:
1) The cakes here are so good; they're made with free range eggs.
2) Excuse me. What kind of cheese are you sampling today?
3) That cupcake dog is the most adorable thing ever. And so is that cupcake pig.
Incidentally, Cupcake Pig is what the other Dixie Chicks and I are going to call Natalie Maines when I'm the new lead singer. Seriously, though, she's very talented. The three of us wish Cupcake Pig all the best.
Now, onto the wine: I would have been rewarded with another year or two of patience. The acid was stronger than expected, which is a good sign, as I like acid in my reds, just as with my whites. But with all that strawberry, cherry, rhubarb and sassafras, I would have liked the acid to settle down into some interesting spicy notes. Still, an excellent wine. Drink it. Drink it. Open a bottle and drink it.
The best example of this wine I have had yet; maybe the best of the 2009 Williams Selyems I have tasted so far. Blooms straight out of the bottle with a dense, fruity nose of raspberries, cherries, baking spice and cola. An unmistakably Williams-Selyem nose, though it is way more forceful and potent than the last several bottles I have tried. The palate echoes the juicy nose, with an hour of decanting starting to reveal an additional layer of slightly peppery, herbaceous, and subtly stony flavors. This wine has solid mass without being overly corpulent or mawkish. The acidity on the finish is well-integrated enough that it doesn't get in the way of enjoying this currently; it is also strong enough that the wine should continue to evolve for another five years or so. I've been frustrated wth the bottle-to-bottle inconsistency from this vintner, but this achieves the level of quality on which their reputation is based. Fantastic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very interesting wine that evolved over an hour in the glass. Did a very vigorous decant to release trapped CO2 (effervescence). Before the decant, it initially smelled great but tasted very hot, jammy and prickly. Medium ruby color. Nose started off as raspberry, blackberry, baking spice. After some air time, some floral, earth, minerality, barnyard. On the palate, primary taste is tart black cherry. Also earth, minerality, jammy blackberry. Medium+ body; high acidity, medium tannin, long finish of lingering tart cherry, chewy tannin. I started off thinking this was a bit jammy, tart and fruity for my taste. But I wound up really enjoying it because of the complexity and finish. It does need a decant and air time, though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Already rated appropriately at 92. This one is good. My third bottle. Solid and drinking well now. Not sure what this one will do. Not as fruity as my last note last year implied. But still super interesting and long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Subtle hints of cinnamon, baker's chocolate, and orange peel quickly burned off in a plume of high alcohol, leaving mostly bing & black cherry flavors behind. Middling tannins and acidity don't forecast much longevity for this wine. I'm sure there's so much more here to be enjoyed if the EtOH level were just 0.5% lower.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much better than previous bottles. Decanted for about 1/2 hour. Riipe cherries and some earth on nose. Delicious cherries on palate. Sharpness of previous bottles has subsided. (Which I probably opened too soon). Soft in my mouth with a sweet medium finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
nice nose of dark cherry and rose musk; medium body; mixed tart black cherry, currant and musk; good mineral and adequate acidity; young in a good way, and more complex than at prior tastings; worked well with a summer salad, and i went back for seconds on both.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Initial aromas of smoke and a hint of sulfer? It reminded me of the smell after you fired a cap gun as a kid. With a little swirling the wine opened up and that blew off. Some black cherry, faint vanilla and cola. Some spice. This was my only bottle but if I had more, I'd wait another year before opening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied. More juicy and concentrated than the '06 (and with a little more oomph on the nose), this needed at least one hour in the decanter to soften and open up. Representative of the '09 vintage yet still not overly concentrated, thus following the Williams Selyem style. Will be great with pork. Still a little out of balance; give it another 1-2 years. 88-90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep opaque garnet colour. Nose of dark cherry, cola, earth, some oak and forest/mint notes. Palate shows dark cherry, cola, baking spice and some earth and oak. Decent acidity and finish (med-).
On initial opening this was a little big and disjointed with a good amount of upfront fruit and obvious oak, even a little heat. With a few hours of hour it has returned to a more balanced place. This is very different from my previous bottle 6 months ago which was pretty linear and one dimensional but very well balanced. Expect this has a lot of evolution ahead yet and would be better to my palate in another 1.5-2 years time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very enjoyable, popped and poured with dinner. Maybe 10-15 minutes vigorous glass swishing. Very good. Cherry/cola flavors throughout, nice small red fruit. My wife got it right, I think, when she described the wine as good enough for you to notice it was an above-average wine, but not so in-your-face that it distracted you from the meal. Certainly a cut above, I think the price is ~$60, which I think would be excellent QPR. You spend more, you get more, you feel good. I'd imagine this would benefit from another 2-3 years of bottle aging, but that's personal preference.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Classic RRV sweet red fruits on the nose; medium weight on the palate echoing the nose - a bit of a surprise this doesn't have more density given the quality of the vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for about 30min consumed over about 1 hour. Heavy mineral and tobacco on the nose. Cherry and Blueberry with fairly heavy tannins and a medium long finish. Started out with good flavor if not a bit hot. With time the alcohol disappeared but so did the complexity of the wine. A fairly neutral wine that is good with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby with hints of garnet and darkish for a Pinot. Deep color and translucent. Initial aromas are fragrant and are floral, tea, and cherry notes. After a bit of opening an olive and some clove notes emerged. The taste's were cherry, raspberry, and light spicy hints and the olive came through a bit as well. I also got a little red licorice note too on the taste. This wine is light to medium bodied, with fine, silky tannins, that finishes long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very good RRV wine. Opened 2 hours before pouring. Seemed a little thin and tart at first with lots of cherry on palate. I've had better but this was still very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of red berries, sasafrass, cola. The palate is elegant and well balanced. The finish is so soft and delicious. Only fault I can find is after being open for 3+ hours, the palate lost much of its fruit flavor. My first W-S Pinot and I am impressed. Will stay on this list for as long as they'll let me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light body with nose of delicate berries. Opened 2+hours before pouring. Seemed rather simple at first with a sharpness along withfruit and cola on palate. Actually quite enjoyable and became more interesting and lovely as evening progressed. Happy to have more bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Thanksgiving 2011: Got just a sip of it upon opening it, and otherwise, missed out on any longer appreciation at the dinner table because my companions drained the bottle - being the first bottle finished off in a mult-bottle lineup suggests that it was a big crowdpleaser. But, based on my sip, it seemed like a tradtional RRV WS - very fruit forward for WS, but much more polished and restrained than what you'll get from the typical RRV producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fruit forward without the nausea inducing bouquet I find in most pinots; it was drinkable for a pinot hater like myself. Brought to share with the family on Thanksgiving. Others liked it, in an 85-88 point kind of way. Considering its $46 price tag, it was a terrible value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened, decanted, and poured back into the bottle. Enjoyed over 4 hours with food. This has a lovely fresh berry and cream nose. Light and elegant with good fruit and a citrus note lifting the wine up to a fresh and vibrant finish. Shows some cola notes on the finish. Nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
medium cherry color, nose with some fruit and also a vegetal note, medium body, good balance of acid and tannin, flavors of cola and cherry, pleasing finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium bodied visually with straightforward mild strawberry aromas. The flavor profile is a bit disjoint. Tart and muddled. Wish it had a little classic Pinot Noir markings. A bit of an off-putting aftertaste. Medium acidity.
Rather disappointing for $46. Tastes like a $25 wine to me. For the money, I'm not impressed with this wine nor the 09 Sonoma Coast Pinot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I clearly enjoyed this a lot more than others here. I'm a long time WS list member and have to say, this RRV is a fantastic effort. Richness, balance and complexity. Tremendous depth and structure. Amazing spice and fruit. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cherry & pomegranate fruit. Good pinot color. Quite a bit of oak at this point, but pretty good acid on the finish let it match well with our grilled pork. Had to crack one of these open before they go to the back of the cellar and this one, at least, holds promise.
10/25/2013 Upped my rating of this by a couple of points over what I rated it 2 years ago. Cherry fruit, and a little cranberry. Still nice and acidic, and beautiful red color. Nice mouthfeel--not the least bit of velvet, but neither is it thin. Touch of barnyard right on the end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened and poured, this wine showed well giving notes of black cherry and cola on the bouquet. The color is a dark ruby that is correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows good balance and depth but lacks the nuance to make this a more compelling wine. This may benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/12/2024 - aultrawines Likes this wine: 94 Points
AW94. Beautiful violet nose on pnp - good length, some slight variation in bottle having sourced from different collections, but excellent overall. This was a fantastic vintage, more impressive than 2010 and still time left to enjoy many more in this wonderful drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2022 - davudvl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still drinking well. Amazing for this 13yo RRV Pinot. Fruit, acid, and tannins are seamlessly integrated. Medium body. Short to medium finish. Will buy again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2022 - davudvl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank for New Years. PnP. Incorrect stemware. Still drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/23/2021 - mdgberg Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still in good shape but no point in waiting. Cola and dark red fruit, but a bit astringent and out of balance. Probably would have been better with an hour or two decant beforehand. Still enjoyable but not a star.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/18/2021 - SYR wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful fruit and balance. Impressive
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/2/2020 - winecountryracer Likes this wine:
Amazing even after sitting this long!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2020 - bhouk wrote:
Didn’t have this in CT but found it in the cellar and thought I better pop it immediately. No worries though. This is perfectly sound still. Great cork. Good color. Black fruits, cola, forest floor. Drinking well but this is now for near term consumption.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2020 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
After dinner drink. Very good wine, good color, fruit, body and length. Still going strong.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2018 - psusfca Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just a beautiful wine. This is delicious. It has delicious fruit, great stricture and a nice finish. My husband found more leather on the back end than wanted but I disagree. This has aged wonderfully. I think this wine has peaked. But it will stay here for a few years. It’s delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 92 Points
See previous note. Even more flesh than last time. It is in the perfect stride at the current moment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2017 - JS199 wrote: 91 Points
Much better than the last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2017 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
Good wine drank over 2 nights. Good color and nose and palate indeed have cola flavors. This is good though, great fruit, body and finish. Yummy!this will go with number of menus. It can stand up, won't get better so drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 91 Points
Stewed cherry, cola, crushed rock and white spice. A medium-long finish and welcomed layers. I love the flavor and nuance combination. Drink now - 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2017 - kenthargis wrote: 85 Points
This was my fault for not drinking earlier. Still a nice wine, but past its prime. Notes of cherry, but more dark and less fresh. Drink if you have it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2016 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
14.1% alcohol. Drinking very well right now. Red-black cherry color. Fragrant nose of black cherry, baking spice, rich earth, and minerals. In the mouth, fairly plush but also precise, with black cherry, baking spice, and earth notes expanding on the palate. A bright brush of acidity and a moderate finish. Very nice. Has the bones to last another 3-5 years for sure, but it's in an excellent spot right now. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2016 - PJHaveron Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank over two nights and held up well. A bit on the downside of its life cycle but still very nice drinking.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2016 - kenthargis wrote: 89 Points
Time to drink up. A little past its prime, but still lovely fruits, medium bodied. Nice cherry notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2016 - brujazz wrote: 75 Points
Have to agree with some of the other posts here. Might have waited too long at the fair on this one. It's good, but not at all what a $50 bottle of wine should be. Actually has next to no complexity to go along with a decent amount of fruit. Tasted blindfold, I would guess $15 max for the bottle price. This is the single most disappointing Williams Selyem I've ever tasted and I've been on their mailing list for 10+ years. And yes, it was stored very properly in a 55 degree, temperature controlled environment.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2016 - JS199 wrote: 89 Points
Disappointing. Not sure if its past its prime or it ever was that great to begin with. The '08s RRVs were much stronger and held up very well with time and air. This was acidic and a bit sour from the get go.
Day 2, this still had a lot of 'pop' to it. Felt stronger. 89/90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2016 - dlduchon wrote: 70 Points
A very simple wine perhaps pasts its prime. Drink up or better yet use it to make a nice sauce. These wine apparently have no longevity. Purchased upon release and held in a cold cellar. Yuck.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2016 - Tudz Drkl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose is horse stable, cedar, orange zest and cherry. The downside is the lack of Pinot Noir characteristics on nose The upside is the delicious "tamed" red fruits mid-profile and a wine that finishes with distinctive smokiness atop crisp sour cherry. Delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2016 - LinkEvans wrote: 88 Points
Past its prime. Needed an hour; ok thereafter.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2015 - nkredich wrote: 87 Points
Meh. Drink soon. Starting to pull apart.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/21/2015 - arthrovine wrote: 86 Points
Pop n poured and followed over 2 hours. Served @ a wedding
Aromas were a bit muted as compared with the Sonoma county. Even the corked Sonoma Coast had more aromatics. The wine seemed a bit disjointed and clumsy on the attack and finished with some heat. Perhaps it would have been better the next day.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2015 - signotim Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was singing on day 2. Juicy red fruit and floral notes on the nose. Palate is sweet and tart with raspberries, bright cherry, and background notes of wet stone and roses. Seems to be holding up well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2015 - Don and Pam wrote:
"legs" in this sense, is life of the wine. I'd say it is ending it's life soon.
The finish is not as good as it used to be.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2015 - Don and Pam Likes this wine: 91 Points
still has legs. Sadly not many more left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
7/18/2015 - gwkozar wrote: 91 Points
Served with Duck Breast, alongside 2007 François Baur Alsace Pinot Noir Sang du Dragon. Both were chilled. This WS was richer and weightier than the Alsace, with dark cherry and depth. The Baur was more targeted, slightly fresher and brighter. The two other diners (Rick and Randie) enjoyed the 2009 Williams-Seleyem RRV, while i prefered the Baur. Both were excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/10/2015 - wondersofwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
14.1% abv. On nose and palate, a rich dark cherry liqueur. I also find a mild spice note and a hint of smoke. Seems identifiable as middle reach of Russian River Valley. Full-bodied with a long finish. Quite delicious. While this might pair well with rabbit or roast fowl with a fruit sauce, especially a cherry sauce, I had it with veal scallopini.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2015 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 93 Points
A bit more restrained than our last bottle. The fruit doesn't dominate as much, and the finish seem a bit rough out of the bottle. It is smoothing out with air, however, and is wonder with the grilled salmon that Rosalie has prepared. Nice complexity, lots going on.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2015 - kcp Likes this wine: 91 Points
This bottle's a classic RRV pinot. Refreshing with life left to it. (Better than my last bottle.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/13/2015 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
14.1% alcohol. Full red cherry color. Pretty nose of red cherry, subtle baking spice, and minerality. In the mouth, precise and linear, with slightly rustic tartness accompanying the cherry fruit. Explodes with acidity and spice notes as it tumbles into the finish. Lovely right now, but this wine easily will coast for another 5+ years. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2015 - Beerzebub wrote:
P 'n p; best after the bottle's been open an hour or two. Smells like cool black and red fruits, touches of cola, black tea and smoke, and some spicy, toasty oak. Similar on the palate, but more black fruit driven. Has a touch of sweetness, but balanced by some nice fresh acidity. Good length, with lingering black cherry, black tea and spice. The oak is noticeable and is a bit much for my taste, but doesn't seem completely out of place, and the wine comes across as fairly cohesive, and tasty.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2014 - WineDoctors wrote: 91 Points
cranberry cherries, clear, high acid, long finish, ethereal tannins. nice thanksgiving quaff
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2014 - kleinahoe Likes this wine: 88 Points
Not a lot of oomph.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/18/2014 - lzach wrote:
pleasant
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2014 - bemeyer wrote: 90 Points
Nice mix berries, medium body, finisis a a bit tart
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2014 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 94 Points
Followed a Dujac Morey St. Denis. Cherries, cherries, cherries!! Much more playful than the more serious Burgundy. But a solid wine in its own right. The palate had a much more complex feel than the nose led us to expect, and it stood up to the meal (roast turkey, squash, Brussels sprouts). Glad I have another.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2014 - TheWineDon wrote: 86 Points
Perhaps an off bottle. Nose of sweet, burnt rubber. I found very little of the fruit others found, albeit a hint of cola. Certainly not the best WS has to offer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2014 - plitton wrote: 92 Points
Three years since my first bottle. It's come together nicely. Rich cherries and strawberries. Cola is subtler. I agree with the comment that this needs air for the best experience. Decant 2 hrs. Drink by 2018
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2014 - mda7 wrote: 91 Points
terrific
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2014 - dtirsell Likes this wine: 90 Points
smoke/over oak gone, smoothed out from last bottle, bright blueberry, flowery nose.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2014 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 91 Points
I agree-has improved from a year ago!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2014 - redsonly wrote: 91 Points
Wow, this has improved in last 12 months. This is what I expect from WS.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/13/2014 - RWCA Likes this wine: 90 Points
What you come to expect from a WS Pinot. Cherry, strawberry, cola. Key is to open them early and let them breath. Excellent drinking right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2014 - mgorney wrote: 92 Points
Should have given it a good decant. Without it started a bit dusty, without a big nose. But within 30 minutes blossomed into an excellent pinot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2014 - suburbanfrog Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great nose and lots of dark and red fruit flavors. Nothing shy about this pinot. Very well balanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/25/2014 - SMZ wrote: 90 Points
Still drinking well, but losing some of its vibrancy. I would drink now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2014 - milcopa wrote: 91 Points
Burgundian in profile. Cola, blackberries, thin with soft tannin. I like this style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2014 - CR_SF Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Surprisingly bad. Very sweet, with notes of cola and root beer and not much else.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2014 - gwkozar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Started out well chilled, and too sweet. As it warmed, the acids showed up and sweetness diminished. Then a nose and palate of cherry, raspberry, and a little cola: still a bit sweet. As it opened up over 30 more minutes, the cola notes started to show more. VG, but a bit overpriced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2013 - sandwich Likes this wine: 91 Points
Williams Seylem releases a plethora of different label wines each year. It is always fulfilling to taste them side by side to see the subtle nuanced differences between each wine. Even the most inexperienced palate can appreciate each label for its individuality. Oh, who am I kidding? All Williams Selyem taste the same.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/8/2013 - mjnickel wrote: 90 Points
I opened this bottle tonight for two reasons. The first is that I didn't want to wait any longer, and the other is that I'm celebrating some very exciting news. According to my latest Tarot card reading, I'll be the new lead singer of The Dixie Chicks in 2017. If anybody knows all the words to "Goodbye Earl," please forward them to me tout de suite. I'm bad with memorization and really want to hit the ground running with this new gig.
I carried this bottle with a chicken breast stuffed with shallots, goat cheese and thyme. Then, I made a sauce with tawny port and figs and put that on my chicken. Figs, y'all, they don't just come in Newton form. Did you know they're also a fruit? It's true.
By the way, here are three things overheard today while buying the figs at Whole Foods:
1) The cakes here are so good; they're made with free range eggs.
2) Excuse me. What kind of cheese are you sampling today?
3) That cupcake dog is the most adorable thing ever. And so is that cupcake pig.
Incidentally, Cupcake Pig is what the other Dixie Chicks and I are going to call Natalie Maines when I'm the new lead singer. Seriously, though, she's very talented. The three of us wish Cupcake Pig all the best.
Now, onto the wine: I would have been rewarded with another year or two of patience. The acid was stronger than expected, which is a good sign, as I like acid in my reds, just as with my whites. But with all that strawberry, cherry, rhubarb and sassafras, I would have liked the acid to settle down into some interesting spicy notes. Still, an excellent wine. Drink it. Drink it. Open a bottle and drink it.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4)
8/10/2013 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 93 Points
The best example of this wine I have had yet; maybe the best of the 2009 Williams Selyems I have tasted so far. Blooms straight out of the bottle with a dense, fruity nose of raspberries, cherries, baking spice and cola. An unmistakably Williams-Selyem nose, though it is way more forceful and potent than the last several bottles I have tried. The palate echoes the juicy nose, with an hour of decanting starting to reveal an additional layer of slightly peppery, herbaceous, and subtly stony flavors. This wine has solid mass without being overly corpulent or mawkish. The acidity on the finish is well-integrated enough that it doesn't get in the way of enjoying this currently; it is also strong enough that the wine should continue to evolve for another five years or so. I've been frustrated wth the bottle-to-bottle inconsistency from this vintner, but this achieves the level of quality on which their reputation is based. Fantastic.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2013 - budh wrote: 91 Points
Very interesting wine that evolved over an hour in the glass. Did a very vigorous decant to release trapped CO2 (effervescence). Before the decant, it initially smelled great but tasted very hot, jammy and prickly. Medium ruby color. Nose started off as raspberry, blackberry, baking spice. After some air time, some floral, earth, minerality, barnyard. On the palate, primary taste is tart black cherry. Also earth, minerality, jammy blackberry. Medium+ body; high acidity, medium tannin, long finish of lingering tart cherry, chewy tannin. I started off thinking this was a bit jammy, tart and fruity for my taste. But I wound up really enjoying it because of the complexity and finish. It does need a decant and air time, though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2013 - rxlaw95 wrote:
Already rated appropriately at 92. This one is good. My third bottle. Solid and drinking well now. Not sure what this one will do. Not as fruity as my last note last year implied. But still super interesting and long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2013 - desler Likes this wine: 90 Points
rich fruit and well balanced
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2013 - jazzop Likes this wine: 89 Points
Subtle hints of cinnamon, baker's chocolate, and orange peel quickly burned off in a plume of high alcohol, leaving mostly bing & black cherry flavors behind. Middling tannins and acidity don't forecast much longevity for this wine. I'm sure there's so much more here to be enjoyed if the EtOH level were just 0.5% lower.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2013 - gmglass Likes this wine: 91 Points
Perfect wine to start an evening of wine drinking off with. Subtle, yet complex and always aromatic and smooth.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2013 - gmglass Likes this wine: 91 Points
WS never lets you down!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2013 - Annie1 wrote: 90 Points
Much better than previous bottles. Decanted for about 1/2 hour. Riipe cherries and some earth on nose. Delicious cherries on palate. Sharpness of previous bottles has subsided. (Which I probably opened too soon). Soft in my mouth with a sweet medium finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/20/2013 - mwellington wrote: 90 Points
Vrey nice wine, but really still too young to judge. Needs at least another year or two before it enters its window. Maybe more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2013 - SMZ wrote: 94 Points
Phenomenal wine. Beautiful nose. Deep, lush and flavorful. So much better than a year ago when I first tasted this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/17/2012 - wabi47 wrote: 91 Points
nice nose of dark cherry and rose musk; medium body; mixed tart black cherry, currant and musk; good mineral and adequate acidity; young in a good way, and more complex than at prior tastings; worked well with a summer salad, and i went back for seconds on both.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/26/2012 - Outplaying wrote:
Popped and poured. Initial aromas of smoke and a hint of sulfer? It reminded me of the smell after you fired a cap gun as a kid. With a little swirling the wine opened up and that blew off. Some black cherry, faint vanilla and cola. Some spice. This was my only bottle but if I had more, I'd wait another year before opening.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2012 - nectar14 wrote: 90 Points
Pleasant cherry and cranberry, medium pitched. Juicy but well delineated. Drink over next 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2012 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Medium bodied. More juicy and concentrated than the '06 (and with a little more oomph on the nose), this needed at least one hour in the decanter to soften and open up. Representative of the '09 vintage yet still not overly concentrated, thus following the Williams Selyem style. Will be great with pork. Still a little out of balance; give it another 1-2 years. 88-90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2012 - A6Rover wrote: 89 Points
Very enjoyable, nothing off, but not truly exceptional.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/17/2012 - WineHawkeye wrote: 90 Points
Haldolugr has it exactly right in his/her 8/3/2012 review. 89-91. Happy I have more but glad I picked them up for only $45.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2012 - haldolugr wrote: 89 Points
Red berry and cherry flavored, medium body, easy to drink and in much better balance than previous bottle. Simple but elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/1/2012 - rxlaw95 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent light and fruity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/30/2012 - kultcha wrote: 87 Points
Deep opaque garnet colour. Nose of dark cherry, cola, earth, some oak and forest/mint notes. Palate shows dark cherry, cola, baking spice and some earth and oak. Decent acidity and finish (med-).
On initial opening this was a little big and disjointed with a good amount of upfront fruit and obvious oak, even a little heat. With a few hours of hour it has returned to a more balanced place. This is very different from my previous bottle 6 months ago which was pretty linear and one dimensional but very well balanced. Expect this has a lot of evolution ahead yet and would be better to my palate in another 1.5-2 years time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2012 - YQUEM90 wrote:
Very enjoyable, popped and poured with dinner. Maybe 10-15 minutes vigorous glass swishing.
Very good. Cherry/cola flavors throughout, nice small red fruit. My wife got it right, I think, when she described the wine as good enough for you to notice it was an above-average wine, but not so in-your-face that it distracted you from the meal. Certainly a cut above, I think the price is ~$60, which I think would be excellent QPR. You spend more, you get more, you feel good. I'd imagine this would benefit from another 2-3 years of bottle aging, but that's personal preference.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2012 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent pinot noir consistent with previous note.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2012 - jtinto wrote: 90 Points
Medium body. Black cherry with some red fruit. Nicely balanced. Long finish. Drank over two days. 90+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2012 - rosenst1 wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Classic RRV sweet red fruits on the nose; medium weight on the palate echoing the nose - a bit of a surprise this doesn't have more density given the quality of the vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2012 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points
clean forest nose (dont get the floral notes this time); cherry, rhubarb, tea and slate; still a bit primary
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/24/2012 - Backdoctor wrote: 92 Points
a great pinot noir. Black cherries, plum, solid wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2012 - RLP805 wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for about 30min consumed over about 1 hour. Heavy mineral and tobacco on the nose. Cherry and Blueberry with fairly heavy tannins and a medium long finish. Started out with good flavor if not a bit hot. With time the alcohol disappeared but so did the complexity of the wine. A fairly neutral wine that is good with food.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2012 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby with hints of garnet and darkish for a Pinot. Deep color and translucent. Initial aromas are fragrant and are floral, tea, and cherry notes. After a bit of opening an olive and some clove notes emerged. The taste's were cherry, raspberry, and light spicy hints and the olive came through a bit as well. I also got a little red licorice note too on the taste. This wine is light to medium bodied, with fine, silky tannins, that finishes long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2012 - Annie1 wrote: 87 Points
Very good RRV wine. Opened 2 hours before pouring. Seemed a little thin and tart at first with lots of cherry on palate. I've had better but this was still very enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2012 - sehill wrote: 88 Points
Another solid showing for this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2012 - SMZ wrote: 90 Points
Medium body; nice bouquet; feels like it needs more time; but I love all WS wines, so it's hard to get too picky
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2012 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose of red berries, sasafrass, cola. The palate is elegant and well balanced. The finish is so soft and delicious. Only fault I can find is after being open for 3+ hours, the palate lost much of its fruit flavor. My first W-S Pinot and I am impressed. Will stay on this list for as long as they'll let me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2012 - Annie1 wrote: 87 Points
Light body with nose of delicate berries. Opened 2+hours before pouring. Seemed rather simple at first with a sharpness along withfruit and cola on palate. Actually quite enjoyable and became more interesting and lovely as evening progressed. Happy to have more bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/30/2011 - williamswhine wrote: 90 Points
Nice medium-bodied Pinot. Chery/strawberry nose, nice balance and finish. Easy drinking. Perhaps a little pricey for the final effort.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/21/2011 - pgb67 wrote:
Thanksgiving 2011: Got just a sip of it upon opening it, and otherwise, missed out on any longer appreciation at the dinner table because my companions drained the bottle - being the first bottle finished off in a mult-bottle lineup suggests that it was a big crowdpleaser. But, based on my sip, it seemed like a tradtional RRV WS - very fruit forward for WS, but much more polished and restrained than what you'll get from the typical RRV producer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2011 - williamswhine wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied pinot. Dark ruby color, nice cherry-strawberry taste, short-medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2011 - Drankthewholebottle wrote:
Fruit forward without the nausea inducing bouquet I find in most pinots; it was drinkable for a pinot hater like myself. Brought to share with the family on Thanksgiving. Others liked it, in an 85-88 point kind of way. Considering its $46 price tag, it was a terrible value.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/24/2011 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Opened, decanted, and poured back into the bottle. Enjoyed over 4 hours with food. This has a lovely fresh berry and cream nose. Light and elegant with good fruit and a citrus note lifting the wine up to a fresh and vibrant finish. Shows some cola notes on the finish. Nice wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2011 - haldolugr wrote: 87 Points
Medium body - decent fruit - the cherry flavors dominate but are a little sour at times which is why it scored an 87.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/7/2011 - mike1234 wrote: 88 Points
medium cherry color, nose with some fruit and also a vegetal note, medium body, good balance of acid and tannin, flavors of cola and cherry, pleasing finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2011 - RobertDwyer wrote: 86 Points
Medium bodied visually with straightforward mild strawberry aromas. The flavor profile is a bit disjoint. Tart and muddled. Wish it had a little classic Pinot Noir markings. A bit of an off-putting aftertaste. Medium acidity.
Rather disappointing for $46. Tastes like a $25 wine to me. For the money, I'm not impressed with this wine nor the 09 Sonoma Coast Pinot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/21/2011 - Tomas C wrote: 93 Points
Fruit bomb. Like a cherry jolly rancher.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2011 - BradboBaggins Likes this wine:
Good stuff
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2011 - wpainter wrote: 90 Points
The bones are there; two more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2011 - WineTime10 wrote: 90 Points
Bright cherry and cola with a luscious mouth feel. Popped it a little premature, but it went perfectly with dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2011 - t4drman Likes this wine: 90 Points
A light, delicious pinot. Aromatics are light and the palate displays soft berry flavors. A real crowd pleaser.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2011 - sehill wrote: 89 Points
Another very good to almost outstanding showing for this wine. This may improve with another year or two of bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2011 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote: 94 Points
I clearly enjoyed this a lot more than others here. I'm a long time WS list member and have to say, this RRV is a fantastic effort. Richness, balance and complexity. Tremendous depth and structure. Amazing spice and fruit. Outstanding.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/13/2011 - plitton wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Drank with grilled trout . Some cherry and cola. Very nice RRV pinot that should develop some complexity in 2012/2013.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/5/2011 - underwds wrote: 89 Points
Cherry & pomegranate fruit. Good pinot color. Quite a bit of oak at this point, but pretty good acid on the finish let it match well with our grilled pork. Had to crack one of these open before they go to the back of the cellar and this one, at least, holds promise.
10/25/2013 Upped my rating of this by a couple of points over what I rated it 2 years ago. Cherry fruit, and a little cranberry. Still nice and acidic, and beautiful red color. Nice mouthfeel--not the least bit of velvet, but neither is it thin. Touch of barnyard right on the end.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2011 - rxlaw95 wrote: 90 Points
This is early but a good and promising showing. Very tightly wound but agree with predominating pomegranate comment. Good exemplar RRV Pinot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2011 - sehill wrote: 88 Points
Opened and poured, this wine showed well giving notes of black cherry and cola on the bouquet. The color is a dark ruby that is correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows good balance and depth but lacks the nuance to make this a more compelling wine. This may benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2011 - KeithSurg wrote: 89 Points
Bright pinot color with tangy, fresh fruit flavors and a touch of oak. Smooth, very easy to drink, short finish. Nice and simple.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2011 - Bjross1414 wrote: 89 Points
Overwhelming taste of pomegranate, similar to POM juice more than seeds.
Had some acidity and was very easy to drink. Not going to blow anyone's socks off, but it was tasty.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment