David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

I tasted this at cork pull and it looked & tasted a bit brickish. Waited to decant but it still needed a hour in the decanter. 97 a great Napa vintage. Well stored bottle bought from auction.

The fruits are lush, velvety & ruby; blackberries, black plum, plum pudding, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries & blueberry hues. Dark chocolate, mocha, salted caramel, malt balls on the long decant, black licorice, there is a touch of v/a-bandaid but it’s not spoiling and dissipates some in time, dusty to slightly moist top soil, olive tapenade, herbaceous notes, soft, dark spice, half used, dry tobacco w/ ash, sandalwood, moist, grey volcanic clay, limestone, dry crushed rocks, notes of black pepper, candied, liquid, fresh & mostly withering, dark, red, purple flowers, very round acidity and a very well balanced, tensioned, nicely structured and a smartly polished, round finish that lasts two-minutes.

Second wine to pair with/ Allen Brothers Cover Ribs. — 2 days ago

Wayne Stargardt

9.4

Luscious and smooth. Sweet cherry nose. Plums, bing cherries, currants on the palette that lingers through the finish. No tannic or oaky bite. — 10 months ago

with Laura Jean and Deb

Steve S

9.0

Nice with tapas. Allen street — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

Nose has ripe plum, cut red cherry, black currant, dried blackberry, shaved milk chocolate, old pipe tobacco, moist leather, dry oak firewood, wet oak barrel with fading volatile acidity on the initial attack.

Palate has blackberry juice, over-ripe plum, dried black currant, over-ripe black cherry, wet garden soil, dried tomato with a lightly drying finish and still showing mild tannins.

A recent acquisition, provenance is good but this bottle seems lightly undeveloped on the palate still, decanted 3H.

Paired to Allen Bros. rib caps, cast iron pan oven pre-heated then 1/2 stick of non-salted butter over the stove with constant basting, 5M to a beautiful medium rare. Served alongside our garden smashed potatoes, nothing finer than the vegetables we labor.

Wine Spectator: 97 points
Top 100: 1989, Rank: 2 — 3 years ago

Krisstopher Nesbit

9.5

An amazing wine! I had the chance to sample the wine during a wine tasting at the winery. Great place, wonderful people, and all amazing wines. Notes of plumb and fig up front that blends into a bit of a jammy note, and finishes with a good dry note with hints of leather and tobacco. — 2 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.3

Gorgeous wine that tastes like a CdP white to me. Love the change of pace from typical California Chardonnay — 4 months ago

Eric

9.2

Needed a big gun to tame this dry aged beast from Allen Brothers. — 2 years ago

Cara B

9.6

Top Pinot noir - WOW and it has my name on it so it gets an extra .2 points for that ♥️ — 3 years ago

Sage Shimoda

9.2

2006 Williams Selyem Russian River Valley Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir

Our New Year's Eve wine is 2006 William Selyem Russian River Valley Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is the wine you want to age in your cellar. Elegance on the nose. Lighter in a good way. Cherry, raspberries, spice. After 17 years, the wine is in a great place. Goodbye 2023.

大晦日、2023年最後のワインは、2006年2006 William Selyem Russian River Valley Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir。これはセラーで熟成させたいワインだ。 香りはエレガント。 良い意味で軽い。 チェリー、ラズベリー、スパイス。17年の時を経てワインは素晴らしい状態。2023年よ、さようなら。

#wine #redwine #2006 #usa #americanwine #oldvintages #williamsselyem #allenvineyard
#アメリカンワイン #赤ワイン
— 4 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

There are good steak wines and then there are steak WINES! Not that this is the best wine or steak wines I’ve had. It was simply birthed for steak. Allen Brothers Strip Steak. Seasoned with coarse Garlic Salt/ Pepper and Napa Valley Rub from wholespice.com. If you haven’t had your steak this way, my highest recommendation. The fat & gristle are perfect w/ the 08 Belle-Vue. If you olive oil, heavy coarse salt & pepper your bake potato at 475 for an hour & a half, you’ll discover how great, crispy/crunchy/complex a potato shell can be. Older Bordeaux can be good on its own but with beef or lamb, it’s just a marriage made in heaven. Here’s the rub for my friends & I, we can’t find a steak better than we make. That’s what the Covid years firmed up for us. The 08 vintage was saved with late good weather. It sits somewhere between the good and very good vintages. Drinks better earlier than great to grand vintages. Slightly over achieving its young critical reviews.

The palate shows; drier dark currents-blackberries, black raspberries, black plum dark, not quite ripe cherries, raspberries edges. Dark chocolate baking bar (that’s what French oak does), lead pencil shavings, dark rich earth with dry leaves, limestone powder, dry river stone, dry tobacco, chewy leather, dark, intense spices, nutmeg, some cinnamon, vanillin, caramel hues, saline, fresh & withering, dark, purple flowers with lavender hues, nice acidity with a well structured & balanced, rounded meaty tannin, floral finish that lasts minutes. Medoc is always the place to look for nice wines with value…even better in excellent vintages. Even better in 5 years.

It has another 10 years plus of good drinking ahead properly stored. — 7 months ago