2022 Williams Selyem Eastside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

The wine will arrive by early July 2024, all going to plan

15 months maturation in 61% new, 39% first year barrels.

The Eastside Road Neighbors highlights the part of the Russian River Valley that tends to make wines that are showy and exuberant. Notes of berry fruits, interlaced with highlights of red fruits, jump out of the glass. Woodsy aromas of cedar and earthiness add a compelling layer and texture. A burst of the berry fruits on the palate gives way to wood spices with a citrus freshness all the way to the expansive finish.

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.