Since Burt Williams passed last December and my stash of his wines is starting to dwindle, I`ve been checking out wines made by some of the people who worked under him during the time he crafted legendary wines from 1983-1997 under the Williams Selyem label.
Over the years, Burt has mentioned some to me and I’ve met a few of them. The one I know well and am closest to is his daughter Margi, Brogan Cellars. Burt`s son Fred, Seven Lions, passed before I had a chance to get to know him.
Im familiar with and love the wines from Fred and Margi and have some although they are becoming more difficult to replace as Fred passed in 03
and Margi has cut way back and has made very few wines of late.
So, I`m on the hunt and I started making a list and buying some wines to see if there are some winners in the group. This included:
WesMar {pronounced “Wes-Mare”} Winery in Russian River Valley which is owned by Denise Mary Selyem, the daughter of Ed Selyem and both her and her husband Kirk Wesley Hubbard worked at Williams Selyem for several years before Burt sold in 1998. I recently tasted 2:
2007 WesMar SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- 14.2% abv; this is primarily a blend of Hellenthal and Balletto vineyards; it had an intense, fruity nose featuring black cherries, black raspberries, a hint of spice and sandalwood; it had rich and spicy black cherry delivered in a silky smooth texture; for being 13 years old, it’s got many more years to go before reaching its apogee; very good now and has the stuffings to be even better.
2012 WesMar SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- 14.0% abv; light reddish purple hue; it had nice oak spiced cherry aromas and floral bouquet; the mouthfeel was super soft with a pleasing mix of cherry and cranberry flavors accented with spice and cola; this was very good and with significant structure and exuding high energy, it promises to give continued treasures in the years to come.
Cobb Wines founded by Ross and Stephen Cobb and their parents David and Diane who own Coastlands Vineyard which Burt made some stellar Pinots from both as a VD and in blends labeled Sonoma County and Sonoma Coast. Ross spent some time with Burt and later on became a viticulturist and enologist for Williams Selyem a couple of years after Burt sold in 1998. I met Ross briefly when Burt and I were having a late breakfast in Anderson Valley near Burt`s Morning Dew Ranch property. Out of earshot, he commented that he was very fond of Ross and that he was making great wines. I made a mental note. Last week, I opened:
2007 COBB RICE-SPIVAK VINEYARD SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- made from Dijon and Swan clones from this 6 acre vineyard; the color was light red cherry as was the first hit from the nose and what was most prevalent in the early taste profile; with time, more accents of cinnamon and spice appeared as well as a hit of raspberry and strawberry, but the red cherry notes held the course; as it changed with time, so did the mouthfeel with a smooth texture resulting; I like it, but will hold off on acquiring more until I explore other Cobb releases I just bought; this was $65.
Woodenhead Vintners co-creatd by Nikolai Stetz and Zina Bower. Nick is the winemaker and according to his bio, “after an early in life exposure to making wine, he eventually started making home wines in earnest since 1986 and worked for 17 years of crush for the famous “two guys in a garage cult winery” that put Russian River Valley Pinot on the map. Working for Burt Williams as an assistant winemaker confirmed his life’s passion for wine.”
I met Nick and Zina on a few occasions when I visited Anderson Valley while staying with Burt and on one occasion, they came over after we had tasted their wines at the Pinot Noir Festival. I just bought 5 and this is the first one to be opened:
2012 WOODENHEAD VINTNERS HUMBOLDT COUNTY PINOT NOIR- all of the fruit for this wine is sourced from the Fruitland Ridge Vineyard planted by Dennis and Becky Kreutel; with a pure burgundy color, this, as with so many wines, changed significantly over time and landed in a good place after a very good start; initially, the nose had dried blueberry and dried black raspberry which also was found in the taste profile along with a touch of spice; within 20 minutes, it now has more blueberry, red and black raspberry and spice; and then in the next phase comes more distinct red raspberry fading into black cherry with just a touch of sweetness; during this whole metamorphosis, the mouthfeel remained soft and smooth; the fruit became more pronounced and there is a nice steady streak of ripe fruit throughout, yet this is not a fruit bomb as the wine is nicely balanced; I like it and at $46 at the winery, I’m in.
So far, I`m impressed with the quality of the wines from these 3 producers and after I taste a few more releases from different vineyards and vintages for which I’ll post additional notes, I’ll draw some conclusions about future purchases. Right now, I’d say the Woodenhead is the most elegant, the Cobb is the most balanced and complex and the WesMar is somewhere in between. This is fun.
Cheers,
Blake