Winemaker Notes
Tasting a bit riper than the 2021 due to the heat during the 2022 harvest, but still an elegant, well-balanced wine. This wine is golden in color, aromatic in lemon-butter, vanilla bean and golden apples, with vivid acidity. Medium-bodied.
About Winery
Winemaker Stephané grew up in Meloisey, Burgundy in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. He learned from a 70-year-old winegrower in Pommard. He obtained advanced degrees in viticulture and enology from Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, and subsequently worked in Switzerland, Sonoma and New Zealand. He was attracted to American vineyards where winemakers were not bound by tradition or AOC restrictions.
The winery was designed and developed to accommodate every aspect of de Villaine's winemaking philosophy of minimal intervention. Aubert de Villaine, former Co-Director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, married Larry Hyde’s cousin, Pamela, bringing the two families together.
To Stéphane, the best winemaker is one that largely keeps his hands to himself, allowing the alchemy of nature to do what it does best. He thinks of himself as a lazy winemaker, in the best sense that the wine is made in the vineyard and the winemakers best skill is staying out of the way of the fruit’s expression in the cellar. Today, Vivier is one of the United States’ most noted practitioners of the art of Pinot Noir.
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About Winery
Domaine Vrignaud, based in Fontenay-prés-Chablis, is a 5-generation family estate now led by Guillaume Vrignaud. In 1999, Guillaume broke from the local co-op to build a private cellar, growing the estate from 12 to 28+ hectares of organic vineyards. Their renowned Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes utilizes vines planted in 1955.
2022 | W 94
Bright, sunshine energy here. Lifted citrus and white flower aromas dominate the nose. The palate vibrates with lemon, tangerine, nectarine and orange blossom flavors that linger and mingle across the finish, with a whisper of barrel spice emerging at the end.
2023 | VIVINO 4.4
Spiced notes of Meyer lemon peel along with scents of yellow apple and pear typify this wine. Hints of shiso and tarragon show the cool climate of the Drake Vineyard. Located in the far west region of the Russian River Valley, the ripening of this Chardonnay is slow and methodical, allowing for complexity to be achieved. The entry is weighty, and the wine has incredible saltiness, with a saline character that transitions to minerals on the finish. Green pear flavors accompany hints of tangerine along with a spicy Meyer lemon peel sensation.
About Winery
Like most good stories, the history of Williams Selyem owes much to serendipity. If a grower with an abundance of fruit hadn’t given Burt Williams a few tonnes of free grapes in the 1970s, Burt might never have discovered his love and flair for winemaking. And if Burt and his partner Ed Selyem had been able to afford the French Burgundies they both favoured, they might never have tried making their own pinot noir.
The two friends didn’t set out to produce wines for anyone but themselves. And they surely never imagined that their humble experiment in home winemaking would spawn a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together, Burt and Ed set a new standard for American-made pinot noir, and elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine growing regions in the world.
Now considered Russian River Valley royalty, Williams Selyem are responsible for some of the most sought-after handcrafted expressions of pinot noir across both the New World and Old.
2023 | WE 94
This clean and unoaked Chardonnay brings some tropical energy on the nose, with aromas of tart pineapple, mixed citrus and nectarine swirling. The palate is acid-driven and laser focused, with flavors of zippy lemon, fresh green herb mélange and lemon blossoms echoing across the finish
About Winery
Like most good stories, the history of Williams Selyem owes much to serendipity. If a grower with an abundance of fruit hadn’t given Burt Williams a few tonnes of free grapes in the 1970s, Burt might never have discovered his love and flair for winemaking. And if Burt and his partner Ed Selyem had been able to afford the French Burgundies they both favoured, they might never have tried making their own pinot noir.
The two friends didn’t set out to produce wines for anyone but themselves. And they surely never imagined that their humble experiment in home winemaking would spawn a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together, Burt and Ed set a new standard for American-made pinot noir, and elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine growing regions in the world.
Now considered Russian River Valley royalty, Williams Selyem are responsible for some of the most sought-after handcrafted expressions of pinot noir across both the New World and Old.
