Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2014 William Selyem Eastside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir is simply beautiful. The wine shows ripe red to black fruit aromas, a pleasing lushness on the palate, and a tremendous and inviting aftertaste. Its delectable finish pairs it nicely with a lightly smoked ham. (Tasted: November 18, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Eastside Road Neighbors is redolent of red flowers, fragrant earth, oolong tea and Chinese five spice with a cranberry and Bing cherry core. Medium-bodied and elegantly crafted with a firm, fine grained tannin frame and plenty of freshness, it finishes long and minerally.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.