Similar notes to last year but just a touch better overall perhaps in terms of everything being well integrated and the sweetness being toned down a bit. Classic cherry, cola fruit, maybe rise hips and a little cinnamon. Starting to show some secondary characteristics too. Last bottle unfortunately.
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Drinking well and a bit sweet with nice fruit left and the classic cherry cola/Dr. Pepper overtone. Medium finish. Doesn’t seem in decline but likely doesn’t get much better from here either.
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Dinner at home, Mill Valley, CA. Bottle purchased on release. From 750ml.
I bought a number of WS wines back in the mid to late 2000's, when I was on the mailing list after an early visit to Healdsburg from NY. The bottles I'd opened in the past couple of years, largely from 2006, hadn't appealed to me as much, which I attributed to changing personal tastes. This was, however, an eye opener, and reminded me why I revisit wines and producers even when I think I've moved on. Beautiful and engagingly perfumed nose of dark red cherry compote and asian spices, with tinge of dark soil minerality. Long finish, complicated with strong floral notes and a judicious touch of RR cola. A pleasure to drink and contemplate.
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This is solid and still tastes relatively young. The nose has lots of sweet red fruits, spice and a hint of wood. The palate is ripe and rich, yet has good acidity and balance. A classic representation of the RRV.
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Starting to show secondary character. Deep purple color, nice earthy nose. Silky mouthfeel with flavor depth. Still not delicate, but much improved with 10 years of maturity.
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decanted for 30 minutes. served cool. cherry, raspberry, notes of cola, developing secondary flavors. not sweet at all as i tend to pickup from recent WSs. fruit is starting to blend in and not be too bright and overwhelm other flavors.
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(From 9.0L) Really fruit forward and primal still. In this format I feel I could have gone another 10 years for this to develop truly nuanced notes Really beautiful layers of lavender and deep cherry with just a baby hint of sweet not damp earth at the edges. Quite spectacular. Only 2 bottles of this made in this format and I envy the holder of the other one.
Inky purple color, the bottom of the cork looks like it came out of a Syrah bottle. I rarely remark about color because it is irrelevant to flavor, but this one was noteworthy and unusual for a W-S pinot.
Nose: earth, mushrooms, clove, dense black fruit, and something like a cocktail of pastis and birch beer.
Flavor: blackberry cobbler (the fruit, the crust, and the vanilla ice cream in one bite); hints of plum, butterscotch, pepper, and cola. If you told me this was 10% Syrah, I wouldn't dispute it.
Structure: Surprisingly noticeable minerality, smooth & integrated tannins, a little thin near the back end, with a Burgundian dry finish. Did I mention Chambertin? Alcohol and acid are unremarkable background components.
Tasting Conditions: P&P, cellar temp, no food.
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Big nose of dark cherry, forest floor and spice; full wild berry and dark cherry, clean forest floor, garrigue; good mid palate; maturing nicely with some tertiary flavors, yet still has plenty of life; I have worried about too much oak on earlier bottles of the WS 07s, but this is well balanced.
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lighter color. Nice nose but still a hint of fruit punch which is a flaw in my view for a Pinot. Better flavor profile than WS's usual RRV hot style too ripe and extracted Pinot. Short finish, but a balanced one.
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Popped and poured. Medium ruby; complex nose of forest floor, herbs, and sandalwood. On the palate this was quite smoky initially and this then changed to an herb scented red fruit taste (strawberry), with an intense finish which had well integrated tannins. Seems more Sonoma Coast than RRV, although the structure is also consistent with the vintage. This will go for 3-5 years and may get better, although it drinks very well now.
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I'm so sorry to see this wine go. Only because I have no more! This is what top of the line Sonoma Pinot is all about. Perfectly aged, with a complexity from bouquet through finish, of pepper, cinnamon, dried fruit and cherries. Plus, just a wonder accompaniment to a spicy version of Paella!
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Decanted for 30 minutes. Have after 2007 Beringer Private Reserve Chard (VVG, oaky), 1986 bordeaux, 1994 Cooper Creek Gold (a dessert Chard). Served Pinot too warm. Starts out simple, but finishes very well. First thing i noticed was full bodied (for a pinot), some sour cherry and citrus background, slightly sweet, cola starts ad midpalate and shows at finish. Really shows that WSelyem pinot's need 5+ years at least in the bottle for the sweetness to be integrated. Lucky that I have another one to drink in 2 years.
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I cannot say enough about Williams Selyem Pinot. It hits my wheelhouse time after time. From their AVA's to the best single vineyards, they deliver. Light pink flavors. Some grapefruit, super sassafras, blood orange, watermelon even. Some really nice sexy and flamboyant aromas. White pepper, pink flowers and tell tale caramel and molasses notes. The palate is rich and well layered with great length on the mid palate before the finish hits you with some acid back bone. This wine should age really well. Showing as well as any other WS Pinot I''ve tasted. The 2007 vintage of WS is killer. I understand this winery may have hit its hay day back when, but I still think they deliver if you're into rich and bright fruit driven Sonoma Pinot Noir.
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A knockout wine. Just stunning in it's focus. Intense concentration of red fruit, cola, and some spices. Was a beautiful pairing with turkey. Wish I had more/
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Popped and poured; medium red. Sour cherries on the nose with some oak poking through on the finish. After a few minutes on the palate this shows good richness with cherry and blackberry with a touch of apple adding crispness; very good but not outstanding. Later there is more acidity/tannins on the finish with rhubarb and spice; still probably needs some time to smooth out.
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This showed very well. Was not decanted but instead enjoyed right from bottle to glass over about a 2 hr period, which left the bottle empty. Nice bright cherry fruit, a cola note and some new oak rounding the edges. As it sat, it picked up some nice acidity and remained nicely balanced with no heat to distract the flavor. Really enjoyed this bottle.
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Pure cherry earthy pinot-y nose. Impressive body, got concerned by vanilla and oak on the first sip but that rapidly passed. Good food-pairing acidity, but not nearly too sharp to sip and contemplate. Long finish of cherry and spice and everything nice. These guys just make good pinots.
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Hard to rate this wine. A pretty good example of sweet, fruity "modern" Cali Pinot. I just don't love the style. To me, pretty generic ripe sweet wine - could have been any number of similar Cali wines. Tasty though.
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Intense classic pinot nose; strawberry, cherry, red fruits; clove/spice; some cola. On the palate there was cherry, raspberry and red fruits with some vanilla. Silky, medium bodied and fairly intense. Very nice.
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Full bodied and luscious.... deep red color and wonderful nose. I brought this bottle to a restaurant to share with some friends and they loved it. Williams Selyem rarely fails to please.
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Quite fresh with lovely, tangy rasberry/cherry fruit. Excellent grip and cut. Sappy and spicy on the finish. Nice wine and I place this vineyard 6th or 7th on the list of WS Crus.
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Nose of cherry syrup. Cola, spice, dark fruit on the palate. Long finish. Clearly stood out and showed its pedigree at a blind tasting of California Pinots I recently hosted.
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7/7/2022 - Sperls Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar notes to last year but just a touch better overall perhaps in terms of everything being well integrated and the sweetness being toned down a bit. Classic cherry, cola fruit, maybe rise hips and a little cinnamon. Starting to show some secondary characteristics too. Last bottle unfortunately.
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7/15/2021 - Sperls wrote: 91 Points
Drinking well and a bit sweet with nice fruit left and the classic cherry cola/Dr. Pepper overtone. Medium finish. Doesn’t seem in decline but likely doesn’t get much better from here either.
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2/6/2021 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 91 Points
Method: blind; 64 degrees; Grassl Liberte glass
Look: pale ruby; fast, thin legs
Nose: Cola, cherry, bit of pepper and herbs and oak, cinnamon red hots
Palate: black cherry, cola, eel/fish sauce; medium+ finish of herbs, pepper; dry; medium body; medium- tannin; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Simple, but very tasty wine with decent body and pretty good concentration. It all comes together to make for a great experience.
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1/18/2021 - davudvl Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very nice.
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4/6/2019 - Outplaying wrote:
Nice nose with intense red berries. Soft and silky with accents of earth and tree bark. A crowd pleaser.
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1/1/2019 - wineoracle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at a party and didn't take notes but had a beautiful floral nose with scents of strawberries and cherries.
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11/9/2018 - Ben F Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dinner at home, Mill Valley, CA. Bottle purchased on release. From 750ml.
I bought a number of WS wines back in the mid to late 2000's, when I was on the mailing list after an early visit to Healdsburg from NY. The bottles I'd opened in the past couple of years, largely from 2006, hadn't appealed to me as much, which I attributed to changing personal tastes. This was, however, an eye opener, and reminded me why I revisit wines and producers even when I think I've moved on. Beautiful and engagingly perfumed nose of dark red cherry compote and asian spices, with tinge of dark soil minerality. Long finish, complicated with strong floral notes and a judicious touch of RR cola. A pleasure to drink and contemplate.
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8/15/2018 - jnewman77 wrote:
This is solid and still tastes relatively young. The nose has lots of sweet red fruits, spice and a hint of wood. The palate is ripe and rich, yet has good acidity and balance. A classic representation of the RRV.
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1/13/2018 - BGK810 wrote: 92 Points
Strawberry, raspberry, red fruits. Medium length finish. Very tasty.
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6/16/2017 - Texas Jerky Likes this wine: 91 Points
Starting to show secondary character. Deep purple color, nice earthy nose. Silky mouthfeel with flavor depth. Still not delicate, but much improved with 10 years of maturity.
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4/30/2017 - Cellar Baron wrote: 94 Points
94 Day 1 (best-tasting pinot I've had in a while and perhaps my best WS ever. Decided to save some for two days later. Bad call.
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4/21/2017 - arp46 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank at the Palm and it was delicious with a fabulous nose and notes of raspberries, strawberries and a wonderfully smooth finish.
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2/17/2017 - gwkozar wrote: 91 Points
decanted for 30 minutes. served cool. cherry, raspberry, notes of cola, developing secondary flavors. not sweet at all as i tend to pickup from recent WSs. fruit is starting to blend in and not be too bright and overwhelm other flavors.
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5/31/2016 - Trent Walker Likes this wine: 93 Points
(From 9.0L) Really fruit forward and primal still. In this format I feel I could have gone another 10 years for this to develop truly nuanced notes Really beautiful layers of lavender and deep cherry with just a baby hint of sweet not damp earth at the edges. Quite spectacular. Only 2 bottles of this made in this format and I envy the holder of the other one.
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8/30/2015 - jazzop wrote: 95 Points
Totally evocative of a Gevrey-Chambertin.
Inky purple color, the bottom of the cork looks like it came out of a Syrah bottle. I rarely remark about color because it is irrelevant to flavor, but this one was noteworthy and unusual for a W-S pinot.
Nose: earth, mushrooms, clove, dense black fruit, and something like a cocktail of pastis and birch beer.
Flavor: blackberry cobbler (the fruit, the crust, and the vanilla ice cream in one bite); hints of plum, butterscotch, pepper, and cola. If you told me this was 10% Syrah, I wouldn't dispute it.
Structure: Surprisingly noticeable minerality, smooth & integrated tannins, a little thin near the back end, with a Burgundian dry finish. Did I mention Chambertin? Alcohol and acid are unremarkable background components.
Tasting Conditions: P&P, cellar temp, no food.
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8/13/2015 - wabi47 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big nose of dark cherry, forest floor and spice; full wild berry and dark cherry, clean forest floor, garrigue; good mid palate; maturing nicely with some tertiary flavors, yet still has plenty of life; I have worried about too much oak on earlier bottles of the WS 07s, but this is well balanced.
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7/25/2015 - atilathehun wrote: 90 Points
eh...yeah, just eh
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3/15/2015 - JS199 wrote: 91 Points
Good but not great. Considering the vintage and the vineyard, this was a disappointment. It came across as hollow compared to other Flax WSs I've had.
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1/20/2015 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 88 Points
lighter color. Nice nose but still a hint of fruit punch which is a flaw in my view for a Pinot. Better flavor profile than WS's usual RRV hot style too ripe and extracted Pinot. Short finish, but a balanced one.
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11/28/2014 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Smooth, complex mix of sweet cherries, raspberries and smoke. Good to go right now from a magnum but will last a few more years.
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6/15/2014 - garetjax_kison wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured on Fathers Day prepping dinner. An enjoyable WS Pinot.
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4/27/2014 - BailliSacks wrote:
Simpler and less interesting than the Ferrington. Darker, sweeter, with less on the finish. Moxie on the nose.
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2/17/2014 - rosenst1 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Medium ruby; complex nose of forest floor, herbs, and sandalwood. On the palate this was quite smoky initially and this then changed to an herb scented red fruit taste (strawberry), with an intense finish which had well integrated tannins. Seems more Sonoma Coast than RRV, although the structure is also consistent with the vintage. This will go for 3-5 years and may get better, although it drinks very well now.
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1/2/2014 - TheFoodieTraveler Likes this wine: 91 Points
well balanced, nice earth and rich cherry
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11/23/2013 - brujazz wrote: 94 Points
I'm so sorry to see this wine go. Only because I have no more! This is what top of the line Sonoma Pinot is all about. Perfectly aged, with a complexity from bouquet through finish, of pepper, cinnamon, dried fruit and cherries. Plus, just a wonder accompaniment to a spicy version of Paella!
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10/23/2013 - kleinahoe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Has aged nicely.
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9/25/2013 - rhialto wrote: 93 Points
Robust. Smell of old leather, mineral, black cherry. Smooth tannins. Taste of black pepper. Robust, wonderful pinot.
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8/3/2013 - Higreen wrote: 92 Points
Crisp and Burgundian style. REd fruits, yet still a smooth palate.
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4/27/2013 - gwkozar Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 30 minutes. Have after 2007 Beringer Private Reserve Chard (VVG, oaky), 1986 bordeaux, 1994 Cooper Creek Gold (a dessert Chard). Served Pinot too warm. Starts out simple, but finishes very well. First thing i noticed was full bodied (for a pinot), some sour cherry and citrus background, slightly sweet, cola starts ad midpalate and shows at finish. Really shows that WSelyem pinot's need 5+ years at least in the bottle for the sweetness to be integrated. Lucky that I have another one to drink in 2 years.
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12/9/2012 - GMGnyc wrote: 93 Points
This wine rocks. Glorious plush california pinot notes with finesse and restraint. beautiful wine.
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12/7/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 94 Points
I cannot say enough about Williams Selyem Pinot. It hits my wheelhouse time after time. From their AVA's to the best single vineyards, they deliver.
Light pink flavors. Some grapefruit, super sassafras, blood orange, watermelon even. Some really nice sexy and flamboyant aromas. White pepper, pink flowers and tell tale caramel and molasses notes.
The palate is rich and well layered with great length on the mid palate before the finish hits you with some acid back bone. This wine should age really well. Showing as well as any other WS Pinot I''ve tasted.
The 2007 vintage of WS is killer. I understand this winery may have hit its hay day back when, but I still think they deliver if you're into rich and bright fruit driven Sonoma Pinot Noir.
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11/22/2012 - mkmast wrote: 94 Points
A knockout wine. Just stunning in it's focus. Intense concentration of red fruit, cola, and some spices. Was a beautiful pairing with turkey. Wish I had more/
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6/30/2012 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured; medium red. Sour cherries on the nose with some oak poking through on the finish. After a few minutes on the palate this shows good richness with cherry and blackberry with a touch of apple adding crispness; very good but not outstanding. Later there is more acidity/tannins on the finish with rhubarb and spice; still probably needs some time to smooth out.
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6/19/2012 - dream wrote: 88 Points
This is quite tasty and showing well with lovely cherry spice flavors with a hint of minerals. The fruit is just a little sweet for my taste.
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3/25/2012 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This showed very well. Was not decanted but instead enjoyed right from bottle to glass over about a 2 hr period, which left the bottle empty. Nice bright cherry fruit, a cola note and some new oak rounding the edges. As it sat, it picked up some nice acidity and remained nicely balanced with no heat to distract the flavor. Really enjoyed this bottle.
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1/26/2012 - NowickiJA wrote: 92 Points
Pure cherry earthy pinot-y nose. Impressive body, got concerned by vanilla and oak on the first sip but that rapidly passed. Good food-pairing acidity, but not nearly too sharp to sip and contemplate. Long finish of cherry and spice and everything nice. These guys just make good pinots.
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12/26/2011 - KeithSurg wrote: 91 Points
Slight etheral nose. Light to medium bodied with muted cherry and strawberry flavors.
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11/19/2011 - kleinahoe wrote: 91 Points
Thin, nicely constructed, mineral finish
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9/9/2011 - herberto wrote: 89 Points
Hard to rate this wine. A pretty good example of sweet, fruity "modern" Cali Pinot. I just don't love the style. To me, pretty generic ripe sweet wine - could have been any number of similar Cali wines. Tasty though.
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9/3/2011 - BSZach1 wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding as soon as the cork was out and only got better. Cherry cola and little dark spices. I'm hooked.
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8/13/2011 - Backdoctor wrote: 92 Points
A super Selyem Pinot. Full bodied, well balanced.
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4/30/2011 - haldolugr wrote: 90 Points
A elegant pinot - takes some time to open up - but delicious when it does- tangy raspberry with cola and spice - smooth and silky finish.
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4/24/2011 - mkmast wrote: 93 Points
Really refined. Cherry cola and red raspberry flavors predominate. About an hour on the decant. Very long finish.
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3/27/2011 - Scharin wrote: 93 Points
Strawberry, cola, and light cherry on the nose. Palate allspice with red currant. Nice balance: good acidity and light tannins.
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3/2/2011 - Outplaying wrote:
Intense classic pinot nose; strawberry, cherry, red fruits; clove/spice; some cola. On the palate there was cherry, raspberry and red fruits with some vanilla. Silky, medium bodied and fairly intense. Very nice.
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12/26/2010 - haldolugr wrote: 93 Points
Silky and medium bodied - raspberry, with a hint of spice and oak - a fantastic and elegant Pinot.
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12/20/2010 - SMZ wrote: 92 Points
Full bodied and luscious.... deep red color and wonderful nose. I brought this bottle to a restaurant to share with some friends and they loved it. Williams Selyem rarely fails to please.
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11/26/2010 - dream wrote: 90 Points
Quite fresh with lovely, tangy rasberry/cherry fruit. Excellent grip and cut. Sappy and spicy on the finish. Nice wine and I place this vineyard 6th or 7th on the list of WS Crus.
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8/15/2010 - kkleg wrote: 94 Points
Nose of cherry syrup. Cola, spice, dark fruit on the palate. Long finish. Clearly stood out and showed its pedigree at a blind tasting of California Pinots I recently hosted.
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7/15/2010 - bgriffi1 wrote: 92 Points
Really enjoyed this - lots of fruit with a proper balance of acid. Nice cherries and plums on the palate.
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5/8/2010 - jts_brown Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yum.
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