14.2% alcohol. Medium dark ruby red. Very expressive red fruit aromas. Raspberry and red cherry dominate a silky palate impression. This is a rich, round, mouth filling wine that retains a good acidic backbone. Very appealing in a clear California style.
Most of the pinots I buy are more IPOB in style, Williams Selyem (along with Dehlinger, Rochioli, Pisoni/Lucia, Siduri) is more what I’d call “classic California” in style. This style remains very attractive to me. Well done wine.
I’m keeping a few of the W-S vineyard designates (Peay, Allen, Hirsch) to see how they develop with age. I’m guessing they will develop very nicely.
Nice note on one of my favorites. I enjoy the Selyem style a lot, definitely a unique “California” style. I find them to be fairly consistent through the vintages and am building a collection myself dating only to about 2010. I’m sure some on the board would disagree, but I find the SVD wines start to hit their stride about 5-6 years out, with the appellation wines good younger with more decant time.
Allen is one of my favorites, you would be rewarded with some cellar time on that one.
Just got on the W-S bandwagon last year. Picked up an 04 Ferrington and an 05 Weir at the winery last fall - opened them for Turkey Day - they were both excellent. I will be buying several bottles every year.
Eastside tends to be one of the riper in the early vintages (2008, 2009) due to the high proportion of Dijon clones from a warmer spot. With the planting of the Foss vineyard (Pommard, Mt. Eden, Swan) the flavor profile shifts a bit.
The most interesting vineyard year in and year out (IMHO) is the Hirsch. Consistently great, and a harbinger of the vintage. Of the new wines, I look for the Foss vineyard to be of great value, as the clonal mix mirrors that of the Estate across the river. It’s price point is good right now (no guarantee to the future).
Find some of the old Burt wines, you won’t be disappointed (when Allen really used to shine)! Oak is getting progressively more apparent though, especially in the more “feminine” vineyards- Allen, Precious Mt.
Thanks for the post Mike. Ive been buying from this label since the late 80s and although there was definitely a shift after Burt sold in 98, I continued to purchase a large allocation of the Pinots across the board. Your post on one I bought a few bottles of helps to anticipate what is to come.
I`m spacing on what IPOB means. Help!
Also, what does California style represent to you?
Blake IPOB - is an acronym for “In Pursuit of Balance” a trade group focused on lighter styled CA Pinot and Chardonnay (Copain, Ceritas, Littorai, Rhys, ect.). Many of these wines are sourced from the cooler Anderson Valley, true Sonoma Coast or SCM.
For me, “California styled” (many of the ones I buy are sourced from the RRV) is warmer climate, somewhat richer in body, fuller flavored and often deeper on the palate.
Its my understanding which came from Burt Williams, Jeff Managhas crafted the wines since 2010 with Bob Cabrals graces and, if anything, is more true to less hands on intervention and more vineyard expression of these wines. So, as you state, it will be interesting to see what if any perceptible changes occur.
Thanks Mike. For whatever reason, I could not come up with the acronym. Knowing Raj Paar and Jim Clendenen well, Ive been following the IPOB sessions held over the past couple of years with interest. Personally, Im a fan of cooler climate, lower alcohol, high acidity Pinots which I have an abundance of in my cellar.
I didn’t know they made a change. Good to know. I gave up on them in 2005. Burt’s were probably the greatest California pinots I have tasted but the post Burt wines were often hot and over the top. And the prices did not justify the juice IMO.
I’m in a similar boat, I gave up on WS in the mid 2000s when price went higher. The wines were always interesting, but seemed more ripe over the years.
Hi Tom
I trust you are well, the golf is great and youre drinking good stuff. Re WS, I actually stayed on and have been mostly pleased with the wines after Burt. Theres been some misgivings, but Ive learned to select some that have continued to please. I still have over 50 bottles of 97 and older and am savoring each time I open one up, some of which are with Burt which really enhances the wines even more subjectively, of course.
All is well Blake, we’ll have to play some golf and drink some wine soon. I think the price as much as anything drove me away at the time. My neighbor still buys a bunch and I don’t complain when he serves it. My biggest complaint is that the Allen vineyard didn’t really do as well after the transition to Bob and when the price kept going up, I just couldn’t justify buying it.
Tom, to keep from drifting too far, I`m with you on the Allen. I do like some of the “newer” vineyard designates from Weir, Terra de Promissio, Vista Verde, Peay, Flax, Bucher and the Estate. Some of the blends have changed and I much prefer those that Burt made and the way he made them. He had a particular focus in mind and percentage input that worked magic when the fruit individually was less than the sum of the blended whole and the % changed from vintage to vintage. Genius.
I have personally found the offerings since the putative transition, (2011 & 2012) to be deeper, more accessible, and just plain tasty and easier to drink on release. I used to skew toward the appellation blends, but now have wildly swung back to favoring the SVDs…
I was especially pleased and surprised with how tasty the 2011’s were on release, one would have never known there were any kind of challenges that year based on the skill those wines exhibited.
Since we tend to drink our Pinots young, I bought all I could, and judging by how long they are lasting in the cellar (not long, so I’m having to hide them remainder), my Pinot Posse thinks so too…
Far fewer differences between the SVD’s than years past. Hallmark of Burt’s were the differences between the sites, intrigue of the blend. Bob certainly had his touch, and certainly maintained many vineyards to type. His blends were a bit dumbed down, and not quite the pinnacle of Burt’s. Disappointed with the most current releases, showing more new oak, less uniqueness… Certainly smoother and easy to drink recently- but wasn’t really the W-S way. They used to make you think and rewarded aging immensly.
I was added to the mailing list after Burt’s era, so don’t have experience with the earlier vintages. I’ve enjoyed many of the single vineyard Pinots from the mid-2000’s but normally don’t open them until they’ve been in bottle five or more years so haven’t tried the 2011 or 2012 bottles. I was somewhat disappointed in the 2006 Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir but didn’t open it until late December 2013 so maybe it was showing some age. I will continue to order some bottles from WS each year as they have been among my favorite Cali Pinots.
Trevor, I have to think another contributing factor is that Burt was so meticulous about how the vineyards were farmed and harvested and that there was not that same degree of quality control and preciseness after the sale, especially from the early 00s on. I agree, the W-S way was fading however, Jeff Mangahas seems to have recaptured some of Burt`s strict requirements and methodology. I believe we will see a more positive influence in these next few releases now that Jeff is more on his own.
I’m intrigued to see if that truly plays out. I know the vineyards were particularly taken care of in the Bob days, especially with their excellent vineyard manager at the Estate (Chris Bowland), and their many remarkable growers. It definitely took Bob a few years to get his feet under him after the sale, but this transition should prove much better. I just hope that the tradition stays more WS, and less what we’ve seen from JM at Hartford and Dutton Goldfield.
Having worked with Bob, he is about as meticulous as it gets. He is out in the vineyards throughout the season, and has institutional knowledge of the RRV, Sonoma Coast and AV. Jeff is more of a computer and numbers guy - can’t replace Bob’s 16 years of “feel.” We’ll see how well the wines hew towards the Burt, or otherwise change.
I know you Blake have had a tremendous amount of experience with Burt and Burt’s wines (always love your notes) - and must say the Allen vineyard through the early 90’s was what convinced me that California Pinot was worth it. The 1989 Rochioli was amazing. Hirsch 1996? Delicious. Ageable wines with a story and direction - the reason I make Pinot…