Again, on PnP, Holy Shit. Youthful, juicy, lots and lots of acid against the inherent sweetness. This is a great wine. With eggplant parm, garlic bread and fennel salad. Life Does Not Suck.
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Holy Shit. I always love the Westside Neighbors but this one is special. Lots of fruit and acid, with long finish. Typical cola, spice and RRV character Mellowing with age a bit l, but still at least 5 years left
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This 2007 Williams Selyem is gorgeous at this stage with blueberry pie, rhubarb, and sage. Dense and chewy. One of my favorite Williams Selyem of all time. Drink over the next ten years.
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{Bought on release, perfect fill, was stored in professional storage most of its life} PopNPour, best bottle of the 6-8 we've had over the past several months. Very attractive, relatively balanced, improved over several hours.
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{Purchased on release, professional storage, perfect fill; PopN Pour} Initial nose a bit wobbly but with 10-15 minutes of air, attractive Russian River valley fruit profile with some complexity. Good length. Don't see much room for further improvement - will probably drink my last bottles up. Maybe 91 point wine but tonight was a 90.
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Pretty delicious. Still tastes young and dominated by soft, sweet red and blue fruit. Only vague hints of more mature flavors. Charming now. I’m curious how this will age.
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Lovely wine. It offers bright raspberry, strawberry, and beetroot flavors with hints of spice. The body is on the lighter, more elegant side, which I appreciate in a pinot. This is by no means past its prime. I love the way it's drinking now and wonder if it will get more interesting with age.
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Labour Day at Domaine Derek. Pop and poured. Drank over 2 hours. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, integarted toasty oak, sweet spices, black cherry fruits. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.8%), medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet baking spices, integrated toasty oak, cola, emerging graphite earth, black cherries, black plums, dark red cherries. Long finish. Very good quality. Lots of rich complexity and layers. Still going strong. Could still evolve and develop over the next 3-4 years. A blend of several vineyards located near the winery, in the Russian River valley’s Middle Reach.
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This is excellent. Stored in my wine cellar since purchase directly from vintner. Medium body and color. Full cherry and berry fruit with vanilla and spice. A long finish. No signs of age. At a peak now, and could have lasted years longer in cellar.
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No decant. Still very vibrant with strong red fruit notes. I notice a lot of Williams Selyem turn more to forest floor after 10+ yrs but this is still more fruit forward while remaining balanced. Very good.
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I agree w/ a previous note, my bottle had probably already started its decline. This was very good & well made, just not enough of anything to make it truly outstanding. Still charming & I have no nits against it. Comes across much better than the 2010 Hartford Maclean's block that I had after it.
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Stored at 53 degrees since release. No formal notes from last night. Outstanding Selyem. Nose of bright fruit that translated to the palate. Silky smooth with beautiful fruit/spice. We 1st half of bottle with no food and it sang. Like another taster noted it tightened up bit, some tartness, after a couple of hours.
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We opened this bottle at Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa on New Years Eve Eve and shared it with a few of the staff. Definitely on the thick side of the domestic pinot spectrum, everyone was impressed with how perfectly the soft wine coated the palette and dissolved into a long, long finish. The wine is in that beautiful phase now, where it's initially sweet but moves toward a blissful sour note paired with mild acidity that makes you crave the next sip. Interestingly, as we drank this it began to tighten up just slightly, which makes me think it still has another year or two ahead, although those worried about evident primary fruit should drink now. It likely doesn't get any better.
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Velvety red and black cherry; the vanillin/oak has now receded and fits in nicely; tannins are soft and secondary and complex flavors are there. This has aged well, though no reason to hold
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This bottle was supposed to be the star of our annual Cellar Reduction. Her best days are behind her. 1 hour decant. I figured the magnum format would hold its flavor longer but it turned out that, tasted objectively, it was just another RRV Pinot. Good but not great. That being said, the bottle was emptied by our guests in no time due to its pedigree
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Probably the best Williams Selyem I've ever had. Was good when I tried it a couple of years ago, spectacular now. Smooth, refined, complex and nearly flawless.
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This was a wonderful bottle. Everything that I like in a pinot noir. Found it more appealing than the 2007 Hirsch. Richer, more cherry notes, less strawberry and pomegranate. In a great spot now.
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A generous bottle shared by Patrick. Very fruity and light on opening. Lots of fresh cherry on the palate. Took on much more weight and complexity with time in the decanter. Became more minerally and slightly more savoury. Enjoyable.
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Pop and pour and served both with food and without food over the course of about 8 hours. A bit funky nose at first but that soon dissipates. A bit light with some good acidity. Some cherry notes mixed in with an herbal/basil element. Nice but nothing outstanding.
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This was the second of my two bottles, and it was singing from the get go. Pop and pour, no sign of age. Big fruity nose, creamy blue fruits with some cranberries. On the palate, evolved over the hour. Fruity to start with, tightened the last 20 minutes and opens back up again for my last half glass. Nice finish, balancing acidity. Drinking well, but has a lot of life ahead.
Tasted over two days and it was a bit better the second day having toned down the WS RRV fruit punch flavor profile. No earth or Burgundian qualities that I am looking for in a Pinot. Quite extracted but a decent acid finish to provide some balance to this Pinot that is too overripe for my tastes.
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This Pinot presents classic RRV bright wonderful fruit. May be nearing the end of prime drinking window if you like the fruit forward style. Balanced, big and restrained at the same time
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smooth texture; very good dusty slightly tart darker cherry and plum, loam, baking spice; a bit too much oak for me, which muted the flavors a bit; more open fruit with some tertiary flavors on day 2, so will hold my last bottle to see what happens.
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13.8% alcohol. This wine is showing beautifully. Red cherry color. Intoxicating nose of red and black cherry, baking spice, and minerality. In the mouth, refined yet vibrant -- a kind of combination of exuberance and restraint. Juicy and fruit-forward in the mouth, with compelling underlying complexity and bright acidity. Juicy finish. A very refined wine that's also eminently quaffable. A real joy. And good upside ahead. A-/A
Very exciting start with raspberry and blueberry with an intriguing hint of mild Indian curry spice. Also well spiced flavors with all red fruit , very good acidity and textures helping provide length and persistence. Continued to improve over several hours. Probably still has some upside from here.
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Continues to evolve nicely. Somewhat cloudy ruby color. Cherry, clove, and vanilla aromas. Well integrated flavors of cherry, strawberry, and baking spice. Not too fruity with medium body and pleasant finish.
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made with some fruit contributing to the blend from the esteemed Litton vineyard, there were wonderful layers of ripe strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and cherry flavors with a touch of cola and baking spices along with a bit of oak; it`s medium bodied, silky smooth and steady throughout; I shall surely save a few bottles of this for later on.
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Fruit forward on the nose and throughout. Light on the acid. Enjoyable, easy drinking, a measure less complex than expected IMO. Reputation helping the score a touch, 91-ish.
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Popped and poured. This was good but not great; a bit too much oak and the fruit has faded somewhat; the 2007 North Coast Pinots have a rough edge which may need more time. Perhaps at an awkward stage.
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Nose of strawberry, cherry, clove, vanilla, and a hint of cardamom. Initial flavors of strawberry, boysenberry, cherry (but not too sour, as with some W-S wines). Occasional secondary flavors of grape jelly, vanilla, custard, and some mineral notes. Well-integrated, though not much structure overall, with a dry finish. I don't think this wine is in a closed period as some have suggested, but I will wait a year to open the next bottle, as it may show slightly better then.
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Really like this wine. Nice ruby color. Cherry, clove and vanilla aromas. Well integrated flavors of cherry, slate, and baking spice with pleasant finish. Not as fruity and big as most RRV's, but I really like the lighter style.
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Classic WS nose. Could sniff that for awhile. Mouthfeel did not have that classic RRV silkiness. Palate does have some shortcomings: I think the length was a bit off. The tannins and a bit of heat on the finish were detracting. Agree with previous poster that this is in an awkward phase now.
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Pretty ruby color. Rich nose of cherry cardboard, dark spices and vanilla. Quite suave on the palate with flavors of dark cherries, exotic spices and minerals. I usually drink these West Side Roads up shortly after release but this has benefitted from a few years in bottle and shows a lovely cut of cherry fruit and a fine mineral complexity on the finish. Nicely done.
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Unless it's now in an awkward spot this pinot isn't aging particularly well. Still delicious, but not what I usually expect from this higher level blend fro a very good vintage. Having said that it was still enjoyable with a classic russian river nose and texture, just lacking a bit in the focus and clarity I often enjoy with WS.
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A light dainty PN. Would like to see a slightly bigger more concentrated wine for this price point but still a beautiful style as are my of the WS wines. Typical strawberry raspberry cherry. Drinking nicely now but will probably have another 2 years or so before it is out of its sweet spot.
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mMore serious and complex than the 06` Flax just consumed, it was also very easy on the palate and offered more of the same red and black fruit character plus some spice and its depth filled me up with even more pleasure.
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Williams Selyem wines have a distinct quality to the nose. Full of rich lush but bright fruit, laced with a fair amount of funky shrooms, damp earth, peat moss, fresh pink flowers, and some smoky pink peppercorns. Extremely complex and well endowed while still holding a feminine tone, the palate is caressing and has a lovely silky mouth feel. Classic Selyem styling as a whole, this is the showing of an excellent vintage and quality Sonoma fruit. I cannot get enough of this juice. Highly recommend any of the wines from this stellar producer and an even more heralded vintage than those of recent.
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two bottles opened for a party with consistent notes. some sage and spice + mild ripe cherries, some darker fruits, a bit of licorice. nice showing. slurpped down by guests.
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Although I liked it, it wasn't what I expected from a RRV Pinot. Sour cherry and plum fruit with lots of acidity and tannins when first opened. Aired it out for a couple of hours and the fruit muted down quite a bit and more earthiness and minerality came through with a softness on the palate that wasn't there at first. Probably would have rated it higher as a Burgundy. Shows why blind tastes are important.
7/28/2013 Similar notes this time, but I had given it a 94 because of the balance and restraint. So just goes to show how my likes and dislikes vary over time. But I will say my original observation that it's not a typical RRV Pinot are still true. I'm just liking other styles now.
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Light garnet color. Nose of soft white pepper, strawberry. Nice velvet palate - very smooth. Red berries, pepper, with additional layers of cola, mocha, spice. Hint of oak. Medium finish.
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Smooth and refined, just enering the prime drinking window. 2007 vintage is the real deal and the quality difference between this and Williams-Selyem's lower-priced offerings is evident.
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Very well made pinot, but nothing spectacular - pretty "standard fare $55 pinot noir". Nose was red fruit, cola, a touch of vanilla and oak but not overpowering. Red fruit and baking spice on the palate, very silk-like texture, and a 30 second finish. Tannins are pretty much melted away and this is drinking well now. I don't think this gets much better with additional time. Drink with or without food.
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A very good Pinot but after 2 years in storage was expecting a little more. Medium body, cherry and raspberry with a hint of earth/minerality to it. Solid finish - but was a little muted on the fruit side. Decanted for 60 min before drinking. From this bottle I'm not expecting it to improve much more with time (maybe a point or two).
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I see that I posted a note in May 2011 that I loved this one and would wait another year to open the next bottle. Ok, so that didn't happen! I absolutely love the Westside Road Neighbors blend.
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Deep garnet red colour. Nose of sweet cherry and pomegranate with a bit of earth and some mushroom. Cherry, slight raspberry, pomegranate and minerals on the palate, with a nice mouthfeel. No cola this time whereas last bottle definitely had some. Good acid and tannin nicely balanced led to a very tasty, pretty lengthy finish. Great with food and has really progressed to an even nicer place since the last bottle.
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Hmmm. Tasted at winery in June and this did not have the same feel. It was still a very nice bottle of wine but it smelled and tasted a bit choppy. Aromas of cherry were present throughout, but the pepper and spices seemed to move in and out.
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More open than the RRV on this day. Showing a lot of class and finesse, with a pretty nose of black cherry, baking spice, and minerals. In the mouth, you can tell the wine is still quite tight yet, at the same time, it's generous, with pretty black cherry fruit, spice, earth, and mineral notes. The acidity is refined, and the balance of the wine in general is impeccable. Juicy finish. A-
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Deep garnet red colour. Nose showed some sweet red fruit, a bit of earthy, and some mushroom. Cherry, raspberry, hint of a cola and minerals on the palate, with a nice mouthfeel. Good acid and tannin nicely balanced led to a medium+ length finish. Went fantastic with our food.
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Gorgeous - highly animal & earthy for a pinot, in the same vein as a whole cluster fermented syrah. (Would not be surprised, indeed, if a percentage of this received the whole cluster treatment.) Beautiful and drinking beautifully.
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Tasted this at the winery today and it was stellar; rich Pinot noir nose, loads of berries with a whip of oak, and classic RRV velvet on the palate. Good enough that I bought a couple more bottles; given the very variable notes, this must have been going through an awkward phase or there were challenges in provenance.
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Deep red color, somewhat opague. Nice fruit on the nose with typical cherry and cola notes on the palate. Cloves and spice on the palate as well. Smooth finish.
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Lovely nose of cherry and cola but there was a bitterness to this bottle. Both my husband and I were trying to figure out what was wrong. Nice color but unusually pale meniscus. Taste of cola and frut but bitterness overroad all else. Finish was not significant except for bitterness. We have 2 other bottles of this wine. Hopefully they will be vastly better.
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Cola, nutmeg, and spice on the nose. Dark fruits and cola on the palate. Nice, long finish. Not sure this is worth $70, but it's a nice bottle of wine.
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Quite fleshy with spicy plum and cherry fruit. Thickly-textured but can't match the cut and complexity of other WS Crus. Simply not as precise but still a delicious "village" Pinot.
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An absolutely outstanding bottle of Pinot Noir. Wine was pulled from my cellar where the wine lain since purchase. Very good ullage. Did not decant. Wine was served at Range in San Francisco, so limited tableside notes include: lovely color with excellent dark red tones from the center to the meniscus; this is indicative of wonderful young Russian River Pinot Noir. Nose was outstanding with amazing elements of coca, cola, and cherry and warm notes; all very evocative of a first-rate Williams Selyem Pinot Noir. Flavors were rich and beautifully balanced with upfront warm elements of cherry, raspberry, and cola, which continued on to the middle palate. Also noted similar warm raspberry and cherry notes at finish, ending with high notes of anise and orange peel. Completely balanced with no hint of alcohol, barn yard, or over extraction. My best guess is that this wine will last for another 10 years and will be very enjoyable throughout this time period.
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Great pinot. On the nose, red berry fruits, confection, cola, spice. Palate provides multi-layers flavors of further red fruits, cola, and vanilla notes. Long finish.
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Decanted about an hour this time. Same beautiful color as the last bottle. Complex and integrated, with a hint of tobacco this time, in addition to the fruit. Paired with veal and pan seared sea bass - wonderful.
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My system (nose mouth finish) /++, One of the better WS PN that I have had from the 2007 vintage. Definitely shows some oak on nose and mouth should integrate over time. Nice ripe fruit shows bigger than listed ETOH of 13.8%.
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This wine was opened and poured. The wine showed stunning aromatics from initial pour until finished. The bouquet shows expressive floral notes combined with red cherry, spice, cola, vanilla and strawberry. The color is a medium ruby that is vibrant and youthful. The medium bodied palate shows a silky mouth-feel with outstanding balance and length. Subtle tannins make an appearance on the finish. The evolves nicely with airing and may benefit from a few more years of bottle age.
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Light, red-purple color. Subtle nose, with red fruit, cherries, a hint of vanilla. Soft, silky palate; wonderful mouthfeel. Cherries, cranberries, a hint of a bite of pepper on the palate. Nice, medium-long finish. A little later, picked up body and complexity. Terrific. Paired perfectly with my filet with a cherry glaze.
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Drank in winetasting alongside the '07 WS Ferrington. The Westside Road was lighter and had more cherry. The Ferrington had a bit more structure and depth and was preferred by most. We'll see how they are in a year or two.
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The nose had really bright cherry and cranberry fruit. Underneath were subtle hints of forest floor, pepper, and vanilla. The palate was soft and had good acidity. The cranberry was dominate with hints of cherry behind it. It finished with a very good pepper and earth mix. Very well done.
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it's young. popped & poured. translucent purple tinges to the color. lots of vanilla on the nose. palate was probably 45 mins or so behind the nose. based upon the time it took to come together, and how nicely it's drinking on day 2, next time will decant. balanced, round & fruit forward--somewhat simple at this point; not lots of layers/complexity. currently rate in range of 90-93. currently meets my expectations for young WS. based upon pedigree & performance at this point, fully expect to mature to 94-95 or so w/ some age.
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This wine was opened and poured. It showed a seamless and balanced personality on both the bouquet and palate. The aromatics show dark cherry, cola, caramel, vanilla and spice notes. The color a a medium to dark ruby that is correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows a silky texture and long finish. That tannins are subtle and contained within the silky texture of the wine. This is drinking well now; however, at this stage the wine lacks the complexity and nuance that would make this even more compelling. This should benefit from a couple of years of bottle age.
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Thursday night with Charlie, Dan and Chris (Chateau MacKay): Delicious RRV Pinot Noir with all of the characteristics I've come to love from that region. Dark cherry, pine forest and spice notes on the nose and nearly perfect balance on the palate. Great length and finishes so smooth. Will probably be fantastic in several years but so tasty now, why wait?
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Absolutely incredible. Decanted for an hour before serving. Cherry cola, vanilla, and whiffs of a bit of caramel. Strong blueberry component and finish that should be timed a la Parker.
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Intoxicating nose of caramel, vanilla, spice, cola and dark red fruit. This was an opulent wine on the palate, with waves of silky, understated fruit lasting forever on the long, long finish. This was more confection-like than fruity, and I loved that. I probably should have let this sit longer, but who knows how good this stuff will get in a few years.
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2/17/2023 - Radar & Mattie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just a wonderful wine and at this age, after tasting you would think it was a lot younger.
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1/17/2023 - kzkpt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Again, on PnP, Holy Shit. Youthful, juicy, lots and lots of acid against the inherent sweetness. This is a great wine. With eggplant parm, garlic bread and fennel salad. Life Does Not Suck.
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10/7/2022 - bgriffi1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great pinot. Perfectly balanced. Showing no signs of age
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11/23/2021 - kzkpt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Holy Shit. I always love the Westside Neighbors but this one is special. Lots of fruit and acid, with long finish. Typical cola, spice and RRV character Mellowing with age a bit l, but still at least 5 years left
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3/7/2021 - jgreco Likes this wine: 96 Points
This 2007 Williams Selyem is gorgeous at this stage with blueberry pie, rhubarb, and sage. Dense and chewy. One of my favorite Williams Selyem of all time. Drink over the next ten years.
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4/20/2020 - Musigny1955 Likes this wine: 91 Points
{Bought on release, perfect fill, was stored in professional storage most of its life} PopNPour, best bottle of the 6-8 we've had over the past several months. Very attractive, relatively balanced, improved over several hours.
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2/9/2020 - Musigny1955 Likes this wine: 90 Points
{Purchased on release, professional storage, perfect fill; PopN Pour} Initial nose a bit wobbly but with 10-15 minutes of air, attractive Russian River valley fruit profile with some complexity. Good length. Don't see much room for further improvement - will probably drink my last bottles up. Maybe 91 point wine but tonight was a 90.
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5/26/2019 - dlduchon wrote: 86 Points
From magnum. Holding up, but has that RRV cola syrupy profile that is not my preference.
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1/9/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pretty delicious. Still tastes young and dominated by soft, sweet red and blue fruit. Only vague hints of more mature flavors. Charming now. I’m curious how this will age.
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8/22/2018 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely wine. It offers bright raspberry, strawberry, and beetroot flavors with hints of spice. The body is on the lighter, more elegant side, which I appreciate in a pinot. This is by no means past its prime. I love the way it's drinking now and wonder if it will get more interesting with age.
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5/1/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Labour Day at Domaine Derek. Pop and poured. Drank over 2 hours.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of earth, integarted toasty oak, sweet spices, black cherry fruits. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.8%), medium+ tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet baking spices, integrated toasty oak, cola, emerging graphite earth, black cherries, black plums, dark red cherries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Lots of rich complexity and layers. Still going strong. Could still evolve and develop over the next 3-4 years.
A blend of several vineyards located near the winery, in the Russian River valley’s Middle Reach.
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12/30/2017 - davidb18 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is excellent. Stored in my wine cellar since purchase directly from vintner. Medium body and color. Full cherry and berry fruit with vanilla and spice. A long finish. No signs of age. At a peak now, and could have lasted years longer in cellar.
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11/11/2017 - BuckeyeWineGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
No decant. Still very vibrant with strong red fruit notes. I notice a lot of Williams Selyem turn more to forest floor after 10+ yrs but this is still more fruit forward while remaining balanced. Very good.
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11/10/2017 - gresch Likes this wine: 90 Points
I agree w/ a previous note, my bottle had probably already started its decline.
This was very good & well made, just not enough of anything to make it truly outstanding. Still charming & I have no nits against it. Comes across much better than the 2010 Hartford Maclean's block that I had after it.
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6/25/2017 - dfcrutcher Likes this wine: 89 Points
Complex, but losing its fruit and depth. Drink now.
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4/16/2017 - David B wrote: 92 Points
Stored at 53 degrees since release. No formal notes from last night. Outstanding Selyem. Nose of bright fruit that translated to the palate. Silky smooth with beautiful fruit/spice. We 1st half of bottle with no food and it sang. Like another taster noted it tightened up bit, some tartness, after a couple of hours.
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1/28/2017 - bruce61 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was a truly great bottle of wine. Medium color, bright cherry fruit with some layers of raspberry; a touch of spice on the end.
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12/31/2016 - JBee wrote: 92 Points
We opened this bottle at Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa on New Years Eve Eve and shared it with a few of the staff. Definitely on the thick side of the domestic pinot spectrum, everyone was impressed with how perfectly the soft wine coated the palette and dissolved into a long, long finish. The wine is in that beautiful phase now, where it's initially sweet but moves toward a blissful sour note paired with mild acidity that makes you crave the next sip. Interestingly, as we drank this it began to tighten up just slightly, which makes me think it still has another year or two ahead, although those worried about evident primary fruit should drink now. It likely doesn't get any better.
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12/28/2016 - wabi47 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Velvety red and black cherry; the vanillin/oak has now receded and fits in nicely; tannins are soft and secondary and complex flavors are there. This has aged well, though no reason to hold
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8/14/2016 - Falco203 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing. Drink now with mildly spiced meats.
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8/14/2016 - Falco203 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nothing like drinking good wine with friends. Solid 93 on this one. Silky beginning, middle and end.
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4/24/2016 - StraightnoChaser Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle was supposed to be the star of our annual Cellar Reduction. Her best days are behind her. 1 hour decant. I figured the magnum format would hold its flavor longer but it turned out that, tasted objectively, it was just another RRV Pinot. Good but not great. That being said, the bottle was emptied by our guests in no time due to its pedigree
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4/14/2016 - lebo9968@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright cherry and red berries. Pleasant mouthfeel. Nothing special.
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1/2/2016 - erichohim wrote:
this wine is fruity , cherry . but i feel not much of other taste except fruitiness .
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12/25/2015 - Redrum Likes this wine: 95 Points
Probably the best Williams Selyem I've ever had. Was good when I tried it a couple of years ago, spectacular now. Smooth, refined, complex and nearly flawless.
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9/21/2015 - grapist Likes this wine: 92 Points
Complete package. No flaws, well balanced, well made.
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8/7/2015 - kenthargis wrote: 95 Points
This was a wonderful bottle. Everything that I like in a pinot noir. Found it more appealing than the 2007 Hirsch. Richer, more cherry notes, less strawberry and pomegranate. In a great spot now.
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8/6/2015 - PC73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
A generous bottle shared by Patrick.
Very fruity and light on opening. Lots of fresh cherry on the palate. Took on much more weight and complexity with time in the decanter. Became more minerally and slightly more savoury.
Enjoyable.
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8/1/2015 - t_moderne wrote: 87 Points
Pop and pour and served both with food and without food over the course of about 8 hours.
A bit funky nose at first but that soon dissipates.
A bit light with some good acidity. Some cherry notes mixed in with an herbal/basil element.
Nice but nothing outstanding.
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3/8/2015 - blaine Likes this wine: 91 Points
This was the second of my two bottles, and it was singing from the get go. Pop and pour, no sign of age. Big fruity nose, creamy blue fruits with some cranberries. On the palate, evolved over the hour. Fruity to start with, tightened the last 20 minutes and opens back up again for my last half glass. Nice finish, balancing acidity. Drinking well, but has a lot of life ahead.
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3/3/2015 - kgh wrote: 93 Points
Vibrant, fresh red fruit and cherry profile, mixed with mineral and wood notes. Medium color and body, with lasting finish. Excellent.
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1/2/2015 - dlduchon wrote: 84 Points
Tasted over two days and it was a bit better the second day having toned down the WS RRV fruit punch flavor profile. No earth or Burgundian qualities that I am looking for in a Pinot. Quite extracted but a decent acid finish to provide some balance to this Pinot that is too overripe for my tastes.
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10/18/2014 - brucerob wrote: 93 Points
This Pinot presents classic RRV bright wonderful fruit. May be nearing the end of prime drinking window if you like the fruit forward style. Balanced, big and restrained at the same time
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4/24/2014 - bemeyer wrote: 90 Points
great balance with mild fruits. save last bottle atleast a year to see if it evolves further
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2/13/2014 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points
smooth texture; very good dusty slightly tart darker cherry and plum, loam, baking spice; a bit too much oak for me, which muted the flavors a bit; more open fruit with some tertiary flavors on day 2, so will hold my last bottle to see what happens.
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12/30/2013 - gutt22 Likes this wine:
13.8% alcohol. This wine is showing beautifully. Red cherry color. Intoxicating nose of red and black cherry, baking spice, and minerality. In the mouth, refined yet vibrant -- a kind of combination of exuberance and restraint. Juicy and fruit-forward in the mouth, with compelling underlying complexity and bright acidity. Juicy finish. A very refined wine that's also eminently quaffable. A real joy. And good upside ahead. A-/A
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11/20/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Very exciting start with raspberry and blueberry with an intriguing hint of mild Indian curry spice. Also well spiced flavors with all red fruit , very good acidity and textures helping provide length and persistence. Continued to improve over several hours. Probably still has some upside from here.
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10/24/2013 - davidspieker wrote: 91 Points
Continues to evolve nicely. Somewhat cloudy ruby color. Cherry, clove, and vanilla aromas. Well integrated flavors of cherry, strawberry, and baking spice. Not too fruity with medium body and pleasant finish.
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7/3/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 96 Points
made with some fruit contributing to the blend from the esteemed Litton vineyard, there were wonderful layers of ripe strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and cherry flavors with a touch of cola and baking spices along with a bit of oak; it`s medium bodied, silky smooth and steady throughout; I shall surely save a few bottles of this for later on.
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5/26/2013 - WineHawkeye wrote: 91 Points
Fruit forward on the nose and throughout. Light on the acid. Enjoyable, easy drinking, a measure less complex than expected IMO. Reputation helping the score a touch, 91-ish.
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5/14/2013 - rosenst1 wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. This was good but not great; a bit too much oak and the fruit has faded somewhat; the 2007 North Coast Pinots have a rough edge which may need more time. Perhaps at an awkward stage.
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4/30/2013 - jazzop wrote: 91 Points
Nose of strawberry, cherry, clove, vanilla, and a hint of cardamom. Initial flavors of strawberry, boysenberry, cherry (but not too sour, as with some W-S wines). Occasional secondary flavors of grape jelly, vanilla, custard, and some mineral notes. Well-integrated, though not much structure overall, with a dry finish. I don't think this wine is in a closed period as some have suggested, but I will wait a year to open the next bottle, as it may show slightly better then.
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3/29/2013 - davidspieker wrote: 91 Points
Really like this wine. Nice ruby color. Cherry, clove and vanilla aromas. Well integrated flavors of cherry, slate, and baking spice with pleasant finish. Not as fruity and big as most RRV's, but I really like the lighter style.
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3/21/2013 - arthrovine wrote: 90 Points
Classic WS nose. Could sniff that for awhile. Mouthfeel did not have that classic RRV silkiness. Palate does have some shortcomings: I think the length was a bit off. The tannins and a bit of heat on the finish were detracting. Agree with previous poster that this is in an awkward phase now.
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2/11/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pretty ruby color. Rich nose of cherry cardboard, dark spices and vanilla. Quite suave on the palate with flavors of dark cherries, exotic spices and minerals. I usually drink these West Side Roads up shortly after release but this has benefitted from a few years in bottle and shows a lovely cut of cherry fruit and a fine mineral complexity on the finish. Nicely done.
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2/2/2013 - zheem Likes this wine:
Unless it's now in an awkward spot this pinot isn't aging particularly well. Still delicious, but not what I usually expect from this higher level blend fro a very good vintage. Having said that it was still enjoyable with a classic russian river nose and texture, just lacking a bit in the focus and clarity I often enjoy with WS.
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1/20/2013 - Naso wrote: 90 Points
A light dainty PN. Would like to see a slightly bigger more concentrated wine for this price point but still a beautiful style as are my of the WS wines. Typical strawberry raspberry cherry. Drinking nicely now but will probably have another 2 years or so before it is out of its sweet spot.
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12/31/2012 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 94 Points
mMore serious and complex than the 06` Flax just consumed, it was also very easy on the palate and offered more of the same red and black fruit character plus some spice and its depth filled me up with even more pleasure.
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8/31/2012 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Consistent notes
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8/28/2012 - PVJC wrote:
Very nice bottle and drinking well. Not as exceptional as I was hoping it might be, but still very good.
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8/24/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Williams Selyem wines have a distinct quality to the nose. Full of rich lush but bright fruit, laced with a fair amount of funky shrooms, damp earth, peat moss, fresh pink flowers, and some smoky pink peppercorns. Extremely complex and well endowed while still holding a feminine tone, the palate is caressing and has a lovely silky mouth feel. Classic Selyem styling as a whole, this is the showing of an excellent vintage and quality Sonoma fruit. I cannot get enough of this juice. Highly recommend any of the wines from this stellar producer and an even more heralded vintage than those of recent.
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7/15/2012 - jasonkle wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well right now
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7/3/2012 - silton wrote: 91 Points
A fine Pinot but shy compared to most of its competition at this point. Hold.
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6/21/2012 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
two bottles opened for a party with consistent notes. some sage and spice + mild ripe cherries, some darker fruits, a bit of licorice. nice showing. slurpped down by guests.
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5/1/2012 - underwds wrote: 88 Points
Although I liked it, it wasn't what I expected from a RRV Pinot. Sour cherry and plum fruit with lots of acidity and tannins when first opened. Aired it out for a couple of hours and the fruit muted down quite a bit and more earthiness and minerality came through with a softness on the palate that wasn't there at first. Probably would have rated it higher as a Burgundy. Shows why blind tastes are important.
7/28/2013 Similar notes this time, but I had given it a 94 because of the balance and restraint. So just goes to show how my likes and dislikes vary over time. But I will say my original observation that it's not a typical RRV Pinot are still true. I'm just liking other styles now.
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4/17/2012 - DonWinspear wrote: 92 Points
Light garnet color. Nose of soft white pepper, strawberry. Nice velvet palate - very smooth. Red berries, pepper, with additional layers of cola, mocha, spice. Hint of oak. Medium finish.
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4/8/2012 - Redrum wrote: 93 Points
Smooth and refined, just enering the prime drinking window. 2007 vintage is the real deal and the quality difference between this and Williams-Selyem's lower-priced offerings is evident.
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1/1/2012 - RyanJames wrote: 91 Points
Very well made pinot, but nothing spectacular - pretty "standard fare $55 pinot noir". Nose was red fruit, cola, a touch of vanilla and oak but not overpowering. Red fruit and baking spice on the palate, very silk-like texture, and a 30 second finish. Tannins are pretty much melted away and this is drinking well now. I don't think this gets much better with additional time. Drink with or without food.
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12/24/2011 - haldolugr wrote: 87 Points
Consistent with previe note. Sour cherry dominated this bottle.
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11/26/2011 - haldolugr wrote: 87 Points
A very good Pinot but after 2 years in storage was expecting a little more. Medium body, cherry and raspberry with a hint of earth/minerality to it. Solid finish - but was a little muted on the fruit side. Decanted for 60 min before drinking. From this bottle I'm not expecting it to improve much more with time (maybe a point or two).
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9/6/2011 - DD&MM wrote:
I see that I posted a note in May 2011 that I loved this one and would wait another year to open the next bottle. Ok, so that didn't happen! I absolutely love the Westside Road Neighbors blend.
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9/6/2011 - rxlaw95 wrote: 93 Points
Drank with dad. Wonderful cola and berries on the nose and dancing in the mouth. Great finish.
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9/5/2011 - kultcha wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet red colour. Nose of sweet cherry and pomegranate with a bit of earth and some mushroom. Cherry, slight raspberry, pomegranate and minerals on the palate, with a nice mouthfeel. No cola this time whereas last bottle definitely had some. Good acid and tannin nicely balanced led to a very tasty, pretty lengthy finish. Great with food and has really progressed to an even nicer place since the last bottle.
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8/25/2011 - SonofEd73 wrote: 87 Points
Hmmm. Tasted at winery in June and this did not have the same feel. It was still a very nice bottle of wine but it smelled and tasted a bit choppy. Aromas of cherry were present throughout, but the pepper and spices seemed to move in and out.
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8/19/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
More open than the RRV on this day. Showing a lot of class and finesse, with a pretty nose of black cherry, baking spice, and minerals. In the mouth, you can tell the wine is still quite tight yet, at the same time, it's generous, with pretty black cherry fruit, spice, earth, and mineral notes. The acidity is refined, and the balance of the wine in general is impeccable. Juicy finish. A-
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8/5/2011 - Annie1 wrote: 91 Points
Much better than last bottle. Full earthy nose and lovely cherries and cola on palate. Quite smooth with a long finish.
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7/10/2011 - kultcha wrote: 92 Points
Deep garnet red colour. Nose showed some sweet red fruit, a bit of earthy, and some mushroom. Cherry, raspberry, hint of a cola and minerals on the palate, with a nice mouthfeel. Good acid and tannin nicely balanced led to a medium+ length finish. Went fantastic with our food.
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6/8/2011 - Michael K. Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous - highly animal & earthy for a pinot, in the same vein as a whole cluster fermented syrah. (Would not be surprised, indeed, if a percentage of this received the whole cluster treatment.) Beautiful and drinking beautifully.
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5/30/2011 - DD&MM wrote:
Fantastic but glad I have one more bottle that I'll try in a year or so.
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5/13/2011 - rosenst1 wrote: 93 Points
Tasted this at the winery today and it was stellar; rich Pinot noir nose, loads of berries with a whip of oak,
and classic RRV velvet on the palate. Good enough that I bought a couple more bottles; given the very
variable notes, this must have been going through an awkward phase or there were challenges in provenance.
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5/2/2011 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with previous bottle.
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4/18/2011 - mreinhard74@gmail.com wrote: 86 Points
Fruit and cola. Firm tannins for a pinot but a thin and disappointing finish. Expect better from WS, especially in such a banner year.
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4/17/2011 - KeithSurg wrote: 92 Points
Deep red color, somewhat opague. Nice fruit on the nose with typical cherry and cola notes on the palate. Cloves and spice on the palate as well. Smooth finish.
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3/29/2011 - Annie1 wrote: 83 Points
Lovely nose of cherry and cola but there was a bitterness to this bottle. Both my husband and I were trying to figure out what was wrong. Nice color but unusually pale meniscus. Taste of cola and frut but bitterness overroad all else. Finish was not significant except for bitterness. We have 2 other bottles of this wine. Hopefully they will be vastly better.
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3/12/2011 - kkleg wrote: 92 Points
Cola, nutmeg, and spice on the nose. Dark fruits and cola on the palate. Nice, long finish. Not sure this is worth $70, but it's a nice bottle of wine.
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12/24/2010 - difran wrote: 91 Points
Dry finish, light, fruity
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11/26/2010 - dream wrote: 88 Points
Quite fleshy with spicy plum and cherry fruit. Thickly-textured but can't match the cut and complexity of other WS Crus. Simply not as precise but still a delicious "village" Pinot.
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10/10/2010 - jasonkle wrote: 90 Points
Nice. Good fruit. Thin consistency. Finish not memorable. Nice pinot . . .
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9/19/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another fine showing for this wine.
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9/6/2010 - John Dunlap wrote: 95 Points
An absolutely outstanding bottle of Pinot Noir. Wine was pulled from my cellar where the wine lain since purchase. Very good ullage. Did not decant. Wine was served at Range in San Francisco, so limited tableside notes include: lovely color with excellent dark red tones from the center to the meniscus; this is indicative of wonderful young Russian River Pinot Noir. Nose was outstanding with amazing elements of coca, cola, and cherry and warm notes; all very evocative of a first-rate Williams Selyem Pinot Noir. Flavors were rich and beautifully balanced with upfront warm elements of cherry, raspberry, and cola, which continued on to the middle palate. Also noted similar warm raspberry and cherry notes at finish, ending with high notes of anise and orange peel. Completely balanced with no hint of alcohol, barn yard, or over extraction. My best guess is that this wine will last for another 10 years and will be very enjoyable throughout this time period.
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7/24/2010 - ezsobre wrote: 94 Points
Great pinot. On the nose, red berry fruits, confection, cola, spice. Palate provides multi-layers flavors of further red fruits, cola, and vanilla notes. Long finish.
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7/24/2010 - rhit wrote:
Pretty much like the last bottle. (Great.)
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7/4/2010 - Tony Poli wrote: 95 Points
Decanted about an hour this time. Same beautiful color as the last bottle. Complex and integrated, with a hint of tobacco this time, in addition to the fruit. Paired with veal and pan seared sea bass - wonderful.
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6/5/2010 - Mister45 wrote: 94 Points
Amazing! Needs bottle time.
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5/22/2010 - xtrmjoe wrote: 91 Points
My system (nose mouth finish) /++, One of the better WS PN that I have had from the 2007 vintage. Definitely shows some oak on nose and mouth should integrate over time. Nice ripe fruit shows bigger than listed ETOH of 13.8%.
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3/26/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine was opened and poured. The wine showed stunning aromatics from initial pour until finished. The bouquet shows expressive floral notes combined with red cherry, spice, cola, vanilla and strawberry. The color is a medium ruby that is vibrant and youthful. The medium bodied palate shows a silky mouth-feel with outstanding balance and length. Subtle tannins make an appearance on the finish. The evolves nicely with airing and may benefit from a few more years of bottle age.
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3/23/2010 - jmakeh wrote: 94 Points
Cola and berry aroma on opening. Decanted shortly before dinner. Silky mouth feel, cherry taste and amazing long vanilla finish.
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3/5/2010 - Tony Poli wrote: 94 Points
Light, red-purple color. Subtle nose, with red fruit, cherries, a hint of vanilla. Soft, silky palate; wonderful mouthfeel. Cherries, cranberries, a hint of a bite of pepper on the palate. Nice, medium-long finish. A little later, picked up body and complexity. Terrific. Paired perfectly with my filet with a cherry glaze.
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2/28/2010 - wilsp wrote: 91 Points
Drank in winetasting alongside the '07 WS Ferrington. The Westside Road was lighter and had more cherry. The Ferrington had a bit more structure and depth and was preferred by most. We'll see how they are in a year or two.
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2/21/2010 - Fishboy wrote: 90 Points
Medium ruby color with cherry, cola, strawberry and vanilla notes.
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2/3/2010 - mmurry wrote: 93 Points
The nose had really bright cherry and cranberry fruit. Underneath were subtle hints of forest floor, pepper, and vanilla. The palate was soft and had good acidity. The cranberry was dominate with hints of cherry behind it. It finished with a very good pepper and earth mix. Very well done.
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1/21/2010 - redderthanred wrote:
A little closed down at this point but very good...no formal notes, we just enjoyed this one.
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12/31/2009 - sehill wrote: 90 Points
Similar to a previously tasted bottle; however, this bottle showed more restraint and went through periods of being closed and unyielding.
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12/13/2009 - brianngibson wrote: 92 Points
Bright cherry, cranberry and strawberry fruit. Silky on the palate.
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11/26/2009 - randalleron wrote:
it's young. popped & poured. translucent purple tinges to the color. lots of vanilla on the nose. palate was probably 45 mins or so behind the nose. based upon the time it took to come together, and how nicely it's drinking on day 2, next time will decant. balanced, round & fruit forward--somewhat simple at this point; not lots of layers/complexity. currently rate in range of 90-93. currently meets my expectations for young WS. based upon pedigree & performance at this point, fully expect to mature to 94-95 or so w/ some age.
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11/18/2009 - bmdaniel wrote: 92 Points
Clean, clear flavor - nice tart fruit on the finish. Very enjoyable pinot.
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10/31/2009 - sehill wrote: 92 Points
This wine was opened and poured. It showed a seamless and balanced personality on both the bouquet and palate. The aromatics show dark cherry, cola, caramel, vanilla and spice notes. The color a a medium to dark ruby that is correct for the wines age. The medium bodied palate shows a silky texture and long finish. That tannins are subtle and contained within the silky texture of the wine. This is drinking well now; however, at this stage the wine lacks the complexity and nuance that would make this even more compelling. This should benefit from a couple of years of bottle age.
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10/8/2009 - Rob MacKay wrote: 93 Points
Thursday night with Charlie, Dan and Chris (Chateau MacKay): Delicious RRV Pinot Noir with all of the characteristics I've come to love from that region. Dark cherry, pine forest and spice notes on the nose and nearly perfect balance on the palate. Great length and finishes so smooth. Will probably be fantastic in several years but so tasty now, why wait?
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9/4/2009 - riffcold wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely incredible. Decanted for an hour before serving. Cherry cola, vanilla, and whiffs of a bit of caramel. Strong blueberry component and finish that should be timed a la Parker.
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7/25/2009 - rhit wrote: 94 Points
Intoxicating nose of caramel, vanilla, spice, cola and dark red fruit. This was an opulent wine on the palate, with waves of silky, understated fruit lasting forever on the long, long finish. This was more confection-like than fruity, and I loved that. I probably should have let this sit longer, but who knows how good this stuff will get in a few years.
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5/4/2009 - joraesque wrote: 91 Points
Needs lots of air (1-12 hours)! Recommend holding till at least 2011. 90-92.
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5/2/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 87 Points
beautiful floral nose; nice red cherry with too much vanillin right now; can easily get better
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