Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2012
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Bob Cabral received more fruit than usual from David Hirsch’s far-coast vineyard in 2012, so this wine is actually more than 20 percent Hirsch. The provenance of the fruit shows through as a delicious blast of energy, the wine lasting on a wild raspberry tang that pulls savory depth behind it, a sous bois undertone that speaks to the redwoods and sandstone ridges of the Sonoma Coast: direct, pristine and uncomplicated.
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This shows the lovely balance of both the winery and the appellation, with a silky, lightly tannic mouthfeel brightened by plenty of acidity. The flavors are delicate and complex, suggesting wild raspberries, thyme, cranberries and toast.
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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.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.