Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Happy Heavenly Birthday Sofia! Love & Miss You Like Air! 😇 All Souls Day as well.

Williams Selyem if not her favorite producer, one of her top two.

I don’t believe I have opened a bad bottle of this producer, not even corked. I guess it’s because I wait ten yrs or longer to open. These shine later in their evolution.

Nose of; red & slightly candied florals, strawberries, dark cherries blackberries, raspberries and haunting blueberries. Lightly grilled meats, cola, sandalwood, baking spices and very soft herbaceous notes.

This in typical WS fashion shows ripe & lush; slightly sour, dark cherries, blackberries, plum, poached strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate and circling blueberries. Excellent mid, dark spices, clove, some nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, light dryish tobacco, lightly grilled, smoked meats, dry crushed rocks, limestone marl, dry river stone, underbrush, mix of some fresh but mostly dry herbs, eucalyptus/mint, fresh to withering dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets, near perfect acidity with a well balanced, nicely structured, good tensioned finish that lasts nearly two-minutes and lands on spice & dry earthiness. — 5 days ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Very light. Cherry and light still acidity. Soft and long. Maybe needs a bit more time in bottle to really shine. Surprising given the vintage — 2 years ago

with BOT, Matt and 1 other

Ken Venezio

9.1

Medium to full bodied Pinot from Sta. Rita Hills. Medium weight in the glass with notes of red berries, cinnamon, damp earth and spice. Decent length in the finish. This could use another 2-3 yrs and really shine. — 2 years ago

romo

9.3

Balanced herbs and fruit shine with bay leaf. Still a lot of power. — a month ago

Audrey Irvine

9.5

Wine Shoe Feb 2025 — 8 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Is there a better SJ on the planet? This had a shoe polish, glycerin note with a silky, elegant texture showing black cherry, raspberry, black olive, sweet & savory spices, graphite & violets. — 2 years ago

Audrey Irvine

9.3

Wine Shoe 2025 May — 5 months ago

Norman

9.4

Could have been a little cooler but the flavors shine — 6 months ago

Jenn Ingle

9.5

Wow! Delicate bubbles let the chard and Pinot noir shine through. A bit of vanilla and bright lemon and brioche. Not too dry and a lovely bright mouth feel. Fantastic! — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I get why people who generally always review this producer as just good consuming it young. This is ten years from birth, eight years in bottle and it is still not at its peak. it has ten years and perhaps more properly stored. Very good tonight but better things ahead. It takes this long and longer for WS Pinots to shine.

The palate is, juicy, ripe, rich, a bit lush; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, hues of blueberries, plum and ripe to dry strawberries with a pomegranate overlay. Then, dry earthiness, top soil, crushed rocks & powdery limestone & chalkiness, dark spices, some black pepper, dry brush, eucalyptus, tree sap, sun tea, black and red cola/licorice, drier tobacco, barrel dust to shavings, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, vanilla, touch of dry herbs-bay leaves & sage, bright red, pink, blue, purple florals framed in dark slightly withering florals, rain shower acidity, the finish is; well structured & balanced in fruit, earth & flowers, some more tension than I like but will soften & fade nicely in 3-5 years. But, wire to wire really even and stunning. Evolution & integration is good but needs 3-5 years to be its best. Coravin glass.

IMHO, one of the outstanding CA Pinot producers. Walter Hansel gives them a run for the money at their fantastic price point. — 2 years ago