Williams Selyem Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2017
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Parker
Robert
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Musky notes combine with spiced pear in this wonderful follow-up offering from our Estate Vineyard on Westside Road. Waxy notes of starfruit add a layer of intrigue. Counterpointed to the fruit elements is a lively spearmint aromatic. Round and rich on the palate, the tannins are mouthcoating with lifted flavors of flowers, pears, and apples. Just enough acidity throughout the palate gives a refreshing sensation to the well-rounded finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard opens with touches of gunflint and smoke, fleshing out to peach, dried acacia, hay, sliced almond and mineral hints with touches of elderflower. Medium-bodied, it's rounded in the mouth with intense savory fruit layers, great floral nuance and tangy acidity, finishing long and textured. 428 cases produced.
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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.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.