Drinking the 2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Pinot Noir
Ahh, Williams Selyem. When it comes to Pinot Noir, Williams Selyem is royalty. It is true that, by now, Williams Selyem is more of a brand name than a reflection of the people who own and operate the winery. But owner John Dyson and executive winemaker Bob Cabral have tried hard to retain the special style that made Williams Selyem so famous in the 1980s. Since that initial burst of fame in 1985, the winery has continued to build its reputation as a Pinot Noir powerhouse. They do make other wines, though, but their Pinot Noir remains one of the biggest attractions.
I can see why, too. They make at least 437 different Pinot Noirs. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little. They made 16 different Pinot Noirs in 2004; once the Web site gets up to date, we’ll see how many 2005 releases they produced. They also made 7 different Chardonnays and Zinfandels in 2004, plus they probably made some other dessert wines, ports, and more limited bottlings that might not even make it onto the Web site. With a lineup approaching 30 different bottlings each year, these guys are serious.
When I look back at my wine tasting notes, I see that I had only tried one Williams Selyem Pinot Noir prior to last night. That was the insane 1997 Coastlands release, a wine that I found to be absolutely delicious as you would expect. At $95-$120/bottle by now, the 1997 is quite expensive on the gray market. Not quite as bad as that $500 magnum of ‘97 Rochioli Vineyard Pinot, but enough to make you think twice.
Anyway, we went to Nishino in Seattle last night with a couple of old friends from my grad school days. They’re a lot of fun, and they enjoy good wine so I decided to dig into my cellar a bit. I pulled out a bottle of 2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Pinot Noir. The guys at Nishino went crazy over the bottle, which made me smile since it was only about $30 at release (and $45-$65 by now). Not too bad at all! I guess ever since I brought in a bottle of Sea Smoke, they love to see what I’ll bring in next. Williams Selyem is also a well known name in restaurant circles; one of the waiters talked about a few other Williams Selyem wines he had poured for people over the past few years.
For dinner, I had some terrific food (as usual):
- Tara nabe - mildly smoked black cod in a broth with mushrooms and greens, served in a metal cauldron
- Moriawase - chef’s choice of sashimi, with a couple different kinds of tuna, salmon, etc.
- Fresh homemade raspberry/cranberry sorbet - incredible purity of fruit flavor
The 2004 Williams Selyem Central Coast Pinot Noir is an interesting wine. The grapes come from a vineyard fairly close to Castroville, which is known for its artichokes and its tainted spinach of late. Luckily, these grapes come from the Vista Verde Vineyard, which is a converted cattle farm. I’m certainly glad they sold off the cattle and planted Pinot Noir instead.
On to the wine, and my notes:
- Aroma: Lots of nice, ripe red cherry, wild strawberry, and raspberry, with an interesting secondary note of burnt caramel and butterscotch, sort of like a creme brulee. Very focused aroma, a little lean and supple in a good way. Hard to tell this is 14.1% alcohol.
- Flavor: Everything that was promised in the bouquet makes an appearance here, plus a streak of cranberry and a lovely, vibrant acidic undertone. Well balanced flavors but not much tannic activity. Definitely drinking well now.
- General impression: This wine is good. Darn good. It makes an initial impression that you like, and it just keeps improving from there. It looks like this wine is in perfect form now, so drink it if you’ve got it!
I want more Williams Selyem in general and more Central Coast in particular. Happily, I have a few bottles of the 2005 showing up soon; I hope they’re as good as the 2004 vintage!