2010 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard
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Tasting notes
(14.1% alcohol): Good full red; the deepest color yet. Inviting perfume of black cherry, dark chocolate and dried flowers. Intense, sappy wine with a distinct youthful firmness to its flavors of dark fruits and licorice. Finishes very long and gripping, with an element of redder fruits providing lift. The tannins are ripe but the wine nonetheless conveys a slightly aggressive youthfulness, suggesting that it still needs time to express itself. From a cool season, but still picked in August before a heat spike at the beginning of September and late rains. This may be passing through a sullen stage; I suspect it will eventually merit an even higher rating.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby-red. Heady scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, incense and rose, along with subtle notes of white pepper and five-spice powder. Sweet, spicy and expansive, offering powerful red and dark berry compote flavors and an exotic floral pastille quality. Clings impressively on the endless, mineral-accented finish, leaving spices and flowers behind.
About the producer
Williams Selyem is an iconic Russian River Valley winery best known for its Pinot Noir. Producing restrained yet classically Californian expressions of the heartbreak grape (as well as a host of other wines), the property has gone from pioneer to one of the region’s standard-bearers.