Williams Selyem Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
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This Riverside parcel was first planted in 1989 to Joe Rochioli's own heritage pinot noir selection, supplemented in 2000 with two Dijon clones. Wine maker Bob Cabral's 2011 is aromatically striking, ranging from floral lavender notes to a stem inflected cumin scent. There's a clarity at the center of the wine, the site's concentration changing focus from fruit depth to long-lasting savory and floral elements: it starts with fruit driven intensity (dark cherry and red currant), ending on an ethereal, aromatic lift - a long tail. Kaleidoscopic. Wit ha few more years of age, this would be a perfect match for grilled salmon.
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Williams Selyem Winery began as a simple dream of two friends, Ed Selyem and Burt Williams, who pursued weekend winemaking as a hobby in 1979 in a garage in Forestville, California, and made their first commercial vintage in 1981. In less than two decades, Burt and Ed created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together they set a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking in the United States, aligning Sonoma County's Russian River Valley in the firmament of the best winegrowing regions of the world. Today John and Kathe Dyson, who purchased the winery from Burt and Ed in 1998, carry on the passion for Pinot Noir winemaking without compromise. As for the wines... they just keep getting better and better.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.