Community Tasting Notes (37) Avg Score: 91.3 points

  • Beautiful clear red and purple toned color, and a hesitant nose that has red fruit, potpourri, and perfume. This has a light to medium body and a silky, elegant texture. You get tastes of strawberry and tart red plum, popsicle stick, and a subtle herbal note that evoked parsley. This was a pleasant but not profound wine. Straightforward. It has some perfume on the finish, as well.

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  • Dark cherry, rose petal, and plum on the nose of this transluscent, dark orange-red wine. The palate is dark red fruit, all the way. Plum, dark cherry, and cola feature in this Williams Selyem bottling, which came off richer in the fruit department and less complex than other '97 WS bottlings I've had. By comparison to the Hirsch, this lacked spice, and it lacks the subtle stemminess of the Rochioli. Lovely, straightforward, and medium bodied, this was supple, soft, juicy.

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  • Still surprisingly dark, but I guess not that surprising for the RRV. Loads of cherry on the nose and mouth. Fortunately, no cola on this one. Can actually go longer. Nothing Burgundian about this wine, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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  • Very dark in colour still and also quite backward on the nose: dark fruit, licquorice, spices, smoke, notes of prunes after some time in the glass. Very intense and generous on the palate. The high alcohol is showing a little, very dense and ripe. Good acidity, soft tannins, very good length. 91-93

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  • 1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM OLIVET LANE VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- I loved that another WS Pinot of Burt`s making was brought and this one showed well also; Olivet Lane has a brambly sort of wild character to it and this replicated such; the nose was pure red fruit and the taste was of a spicy strawberry and cranberry with the fruit being upfront and prominent; it was elegant, light in weight and a pleasant treat.

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  • 1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM OLIVET LANE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- opened and poured into Riedel Burgundy stems; the colour was an unadulterated dark red; I got atypical spicy red raspberry and red cherry in the nose which continued on in the taste with cinnamon, strawberry, and red plum coming in; Olivet usually has a brambly, wild blackberry character that was missing in this bottle; it had good mouthfeel and a sustained finish; delightful and still so young and viable.

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  • The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.
    It smells like black pepper, game, blackberry and black currant (cassis).

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  • Boy this wine was a surprise of the year. Had at a pre-2007 Pinot event dinner. I would swear this wine would have been corked; however, it really turned on the charm. On opening the wine was musty and somewhat flat; however, after 1.5 hours the bouquet really opened up. Strong earth/floral tones to the nose.. very romantic sensations of fruit. Even after almost 20 years this wine showed depth to the tongue and had a wonderful finish.

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  • 1997 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir, Olivet Lane

    Decanted for ½ an hour prior to tasting, served from magnum. My score: 91

    This is typically one of the darkest versions of pinot, I didn’t expect any bright flavors of Burgundy, but I did expect this wine to hold up for 16 years and it didn’t disappoint. The color was still a dark plum, as with the Dunn there was no bricking. The tannins are pretty much at the end of days and this wine, although displaying elegance with black plum and ripe strawberry, rose, kirsch and maybe a bit of caramel. Mostly reserved but rich. Definitely a drink now wine; it’s peak was probably 5 years ago when I last had it; it was youthful, bright and delicious – I thought it would last a decade. I’m really glad all of you had a chance to taste this wine now (because it won’t last another 5 years). This win is like meeting an sophisticated older woman who has all the charm and elegance gained by years of refinement, you can only imagine what she was like in her youth!

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  • corked

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  • This wine definitely bucks the norm for Burt Williams wines at 14.9% alc. It is almost Amarone-like in its dark, concentrated fruit characteristics. Started to sing 3 hours after opening, still med plus tannins (esp. for a Pinot). Definitely a fun wine to drink, but not typical of what I was expecting. Olivet Lane does tend to be dark and brooding and this was no different.

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  • Beautiful color with no bricking. Vibrant bouquet dominated by black cherry. Alcohol mostly in check even though it is at 14.9%. Good balance, body and texture. Nice dark cherry flavors but fade very quickly as this wine has practically no finish -- its only shortcoming. Surprisingly good at 13 years, just needed a better finish.

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  • Opened not decanted. Similar note to last bottle with clarity at the edge. Floral and strong spice notes on the nose and palate. After about 15 minutes the alcohol started to become noticeable and I thought it was shot as the finish was so dry, but after about 30 minutes, it settled down and smoothed out to be a great drinker. Lots of citrus and soft summer fruit notes. Holding up well. Good to Very Good. Served with pork sugo pappardelle at Wood Tavern, Oakland.

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  • unlike my other 97s which i purchased @ jensen's in palm desert, this bottle was clearly in poor condition, and undrinkable.

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  • Jeff Nowak's Tasting Of Wines That Really Blow Part II: This Time It's Personal: Deep garnet color. Earthy cherry nose. Heavily oxidized. Undrinkable.

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  • Shocking that this is 14.9% alcohol. For the most part, it doesn't seem like it. Still a youthful wine, with a vigorous red cherry color. On the nose, black and red cherry fruit, along with baking spice and minerals. In the mouth, you can sense the ripeness in the palate presence. It is lush and round, with an almost jammy quality to the fruit. The complexity is still quite primary, and the acidity gives a nice punch of refreshment and keeps the wine from being flabby. On the finish, however, the flavors fade a bit too quickly and a flabby note comes in a bit from the alcohol. B+

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  • Popped and poured from Magnum. This is the first wine that I have had from Williams Selyem, and, by chance, the first pinot I have had from magnum. At the pop, the 14.9% ABV was a bit forward, and it had a bit of a grape or dark cherry cough syrup flavor to it, but still was quite tasty. As the air really got into it, the alcohol became non-existent and what was left is likely one of the best pinots that I have ever had. Surprisingly vibrant dark berry flavors throughout with a sweet spiciness out of the long finish. It has a smooth mouthfeel, but there is also a fair bit of acid still hanging around. I would be really curious to see if this would have held up as well in a 750, but it was perfect in this bottle, on this day. I really couldn't have asked for more, and since I purchased this at a fundraiser, the fact that it showed so well was just a bonus.

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  • Popped and poured from magnum. This was absolutely delicious, still holding lots of bright fruit with some earth tones. Alcohol (14.9%) is very nicely managed and the wine itself is quite well balanced. Tannins are well resolved. It was hard to really find any flaws in this wine. Truly a treat of a Pinot Noir and makes me wish I could hold my similar bottles long enough to enjoy them at this age.

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  • Still pretty good, although not my favorite bottle of this that I have had. Cloudy, medium bodied, and with pretty ripe fruit. Not going downhill, but no reason to wait.

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  • from magnum. red, rich, nicely integrated tannin, yet still youthful. delicious.

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  • Sadly my Williams Selyem stash is dwindling and it was time to say goodbye to my last 97. I opened a little early so I could get a peak at and decide if it could use some air. The color was showing age but still vibrant. My first sniff had me worried as it seemed sherried. With some swirling it sorted out and became compelling. Showing some sherried elements along with a little beef broth but primarily still showing red fruits. On the palate, the wine did very well with the food. Nicely sweet fruit and medium acid. At first the finish was off but later it straightened out although never set itself apart. It is rare that a Burt Williams wine seems long in the tooth to me but I think this wine’s best days may be behind it. Still a nice wine.

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  • Slightly better than the last one, but not that much. Basically all that's left are some muted cherry and cola flavors, with almost no aromatics to speak of. It has declined into a simple, pleasant drink, but this wine used to be so much more than that. It's like saying goodbye to a treasured old friend, a bittersweet parting made no easier by the fact that you knew it had to happen someday. This wine was probably my very first introduction to what great wine was all about, how exciting and interesting it could be. I'm just happy that one of the three bottles I've had recently was close to what it once was. Once again, I'd love another crack at this in magnums, but c'est la vie. Thanks for the memories, and for showing me the way.

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  • The nose explodes with violets and crushed mineral. On the palate, there is deep, dark raspberry along with a hint of sweet tobacco, with no hint of heaviness. Juicy acidity gives the wine a bright quality and the finish lasts 20 seconds. This wine showcases more mineral than herbal notes and seems at peak. This is easily one of the best California Pinots I have had, with its powerful fruit harnessed into a restrained, elegant package.

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  • Not too much going on in this bottle at all, a great example of bottle variation I suppose. Just some simple muted cherry flavors along with some pretty harsh acidity. This is the first bottle of this wine that I've ever had which seemed tired and over-the-hill. It's enough to make one get deeply philosophical, as in "nothing last forever but the earth and sky" or something equally banal. Several hours after opening, this bottle staged a noble little rally, gaining just a measure of extra depth and interest right at the end. Even so, I think that the final verdict with this wine has to be "drink 'em if ya got 'em", for its best days are in the past. Now comes the time when you wish that you would have been smart enough to buy magnums, although this wine was hard enough to get even in 750s.

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  • Great to encounter this all-time favorite again, my wine for the New Millennium first consumed on 12/31/99, for the first time in almost eight years. I was a little apprehensive after reading of a Prince of Pinot tasting where the older WS wines supposedly weren't holding up all that well. I recalled a racy, delicious wine with unbelievable fruit and spice. Fortunately, the wine was, once again, dazzling and delightful! Gorgeouos aromatics right as the cork was pulled - notes of cranberry and, yes, olives. The color was the beautiful incadescent ruby-cherry that so characterized the WS wines of old, but would probably be regarded as being "too light to be commercially viable" nowadays. As before, the wine featured a seductive aromatic profile of succulent cherries along with complex notes of many different spices. The first sip was a silky-smooth stream of cherry liqueur followed by, once again, pronounced notes of olive. Intriguing smoky creamy vanilla notes gave way to a palate-coating finish that literally resonated the taste in one's mouth for minutes on end between sips. Though I think the wine is slightly past its lofty peak (my previous score was 94), it remains a remarkable bottle of wine, and well-stored examples should be delightful for 2-3 more years. More proof that great wine doesn't have to be overripe, over-extracted and over-oaked.

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  • At Quattro. Superb, and a better showing than the last bottle. Bright red fruit and soaring aromatics led to a lush and round, yet still light footed mouthfeel. Faded a bit after an hour or so in the glass, but otherwise not showing its age. Nonetheless, drinking so well now, there is not much reason to wait.

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  • At Quattro. The slightly protruding cork had me a bit worried about this one, but if it suffered some heat, it was still showing nicely. I am definitely anxious to try a "pristine" bottle.
    Side by side with the '97 WS Riverblock. Initially this showed more focused minerality, and some noted hints of green that blew off. Where the Riverblock held steady or declined through the evening, this continued to improve and gain complexity. A great, and young, showing for a 10 year old CA pinot and a testament to the ageability of W-S.

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  • Good, not great. Appearance still youthful. Somewhat muted nose. Nice and smooth on the palate, typical WS profile. Closed down and tightened up a bit on the palate near the end of the bottle. Alcohol was not a problem.

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  • Opened not decanted. Some clarity at the edge; served chilled to reduce some of the heat; strong nose of spice with touches of ecualyptus and charcoal on the nose; cedar, menthol with lots of moist and dried fruit on the palate with a zangy,dry finish. At it's peak right now. Good.

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  • Cherry pie. Sweet palate with hints of oak and good tannins. This is sure to age another 5 years.

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  • Pre-1998 US Pinot Tasting (My home - Chicago IL): Tasted blind. Ripe and lush red and black cherry aromas, somewhat more subdued and balanced on palate. Good length, spice-driven finish. At its peak.

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  • A bit disappointing. Not enough fruit to stand up to the alcohol. Drink up.

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  • Pre-98 Cali Pinot Group #3, My #2 - Deep purple red. Big purple fruit aroma with briar and spice notes. Big ripe jammy black fruit. 5/06

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  • Wineflock - Russian River Valley Pinot 92-98 (Dennis'): Full red color. forward aroma of spicy black cherry. Slightly tight full spicy black cherry fruit. Nice.

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  • Pale red/pink color. Nice forward aromas of fruit and spice. Nice balanced with rich fruit on the palate. Drinking perfectly. 6/05

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  • Big Pinot Tasting: Soft, round, and packed with nice cherry fruit. Framed with lovely RRV spice. Good extraction, but not overdone. Lovely.

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  • NYC Group does Pinots (NYC): Wow! Ripe and spicy. Rich, thick wine. wonderful mouthfeel that totally coats the palate. this is really fine wine. What a long finish. Super wine.

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