Williams Selyem Hirsch Pinot Noir 2005
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David Hirsch grows some of the most compelling pinot noir on the far Sonoma coast, some of which he sells to Williams Selyem-a selection of three blocks, planted to three classic California clones: Mt. Eden, Pommard and Swan. This 2005 has a beautiful red fruit aroma, somewhere between raspberry and cranberry. It has the tautness of pinot grown three miles from the ocean and the richness of grapes grown above the fog. Still nascent, this feels sleek and built to last.
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Wine Enthusiast
s usual with a Hirsch Pinot, the wine is young and thick and jammy, even a little heavy, and needs time to develop. The wild raspberry, sour cherry, cola and Asian spices have a touch of smoky new oak, while the tannins and acids are noticeable, providing a dry architecture for the ripe fruit. Should develop over the next decade, as everything comes together into balance.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I loved the 2005 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard for its sweet red apple skin, pomegranate, cherry, raspberry, earthy, forest floor, and juicy meat-like perfume. This full-bodied, tannic Pinot requires additional bottle age, but it should prove to be uncommonly long-lived, easily lasting 12-15 years.
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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.