Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Four day weekend. Gotta get it off to a good start. Been awhile since we had our 375ml of Ruinart.

The nose shows, ripe, slightly candied; black cherries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals.

The palate is full & touch gummy/candied. Fruits are well extracted, deep, ruby; black cherries, blackberries, strawberries, kirsch cherries, rich, summertime watermelon, touch of orange citrus family blend, pomegranate juice, hints of fruit roll up & haunting apricots. Ghostly, not quite fruit brandy or fruit liqueur character, sea fossils & spray, a little bread dough, not quite medium, white spice with hints of palate heat, grainy, grey volcanics, chalky powder, orange, spring flowers with fresh & withering, red & pink rose pedals. The acidity lively and crisp. The round, well balanced & polish finish is always consistently satisfying and lingers for minutes.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, Dom Thierry Ruinart, nicely light caves and rolling, hillside, Grand Cru Vineyard.

Not quite sure where “D” gets $83 when you can buy this all day at just under $65. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Still detoxing from Napa & Bordeaux Cabernet.

The nose reveals; dark cassis with some currants, some tarriness, hint of savory, smoked meats, black licorice to the core of anise, blackberries, black cherries, pomegranate extract, dry cranberries, some plum & blue fruits, dark fruit cola, liqueur notes, limestone minerals, some crushed rock powder, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, light vanilla, hints of sage & bay leaf, dark rich forest floor with dry leaves, dark fresh & withering flowers with a touch of bright red florals.

The body is on the fuller and richer side of Pinot. The wine is beautifully elegant across the palate. For a wine not coming from my best storage, this has held up nicely and showing far more complexity and integration than say a year ago. The structure & tension are still firm while the length and balance are approaching its high point. Dark cassis with some currants, some tarriness, hint of savory, smoked meats, black licorice to the core of anise, blackberries, black cherries, pomegranate extract, dry cranberries, some creamy black raspberries, mashed strawberries flesh, plum & blue fruits, raisins, dark fruit cola, liqueur notes, limestone minerals, some crushed rock powder, dark, long lasting spices with some heat, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, light vanilla, hints of sage & bay leaf, dark rich forest floor with dry leaves, dark fresh & withering flowers with a touch of bright red florals. The acidity is quite nice with well balanced fruit & earth finish that is persistent for minutes.

Photos of; Hope & Grace’s Stag’s Leap Vineyard, a very old vine which, I would say is 60 plus years old, Winemaker-Charles Hendricks willing to still do the heavy lifting and one of my favorite paintings that used to be in the Hope & Grace tasting room but, now is in Charles house. — 7 years ago

Elizabeth Rice

9.0

Difficult vintage which only 45 barrels were made, half of what normally is made. Luckily they picked before the massive rains. Mossy pomegranate with balanced acids. Tasting next to 2014 which was a better vintage comparatively. — 8 years ago

with Pierre

Kevin Ortzman

9.0

A potpourri of red fruit (cherries, pomegranate, raspberry) with floral notes. — 9 years ago

with Rick

Marissa A. Ross

Wine Editor, Bon Appétit

9.0

Sour patch kids and butter popcorn nose. The palate is velvety with pomegranate, a touch of chocolate and a figgy finish. Not as weird as its previous vintages, but still very enjoyable. Miss the massive funk though. — 9 years ago

Stacy Markow

9.1

Pomegranate and star anise. Alpine wine makes me happy. — 10 years ago

Mark Quezada

8.9

Tart pomegranate. Currants. Metallic — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Sweet & sour/dry cherries, cranberry, pomegranate, red licorice, cola, cinnamon, hint of vanilla. Long finish with a hint of brown baking spices at the very end. Drink now and not more than 2-3 years more. — 10 years ago

Kgfgg Caroin

10

Cherries plums and pomegranate oh my! And a dark fizzy wine too? All I can say is wow. 4th anniversary sexy drink check! — 11 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.1

Smoke, lavender, violet, juicy cranberry and pomegranate concentrate, tomato juice, fresh red cherry. High acidity, medium+ tannins, sweet baking spices. Elevated body. Medium+ intensity, and finish. 13% — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

I’ve had a a fair amount of older Williams Selyem Pinot Noirs, this one is the most different. It seems more extracted and darker than the bright; cherries, strawberries & pomegranate Pinots from them that we’ve had a run on over several years.

The noses reveals, deep, dark, ripe; currants, blackberries, black cherries with liqueur notes, baked black plum, black raspberries with hints of blue fruit. Touch of smokiness, cinnamon, clove, vanillin, black licorice, mid intensity, sweet tarriness, herbaceous notes, mint/eucalyptus character, touch of tree sap, black, rich earth, steeped fruit tea, limestone, dry rock powder, dark chocolate bar, mocha notes with fresh, withering & dry, dark, red florals and just a hint of violets.

The body is medium full. It has gorgeous mouthfeel. There are still round, softened, teethe & tarry tannins here. Tannins were in the bottle neck which, is not always traditional even in older Pinot’s. The structure, tension, length and balance are really nice with another three to five years of good drinking ahead. It’s right around its peak. Perhaps, just the other side of the bell curve. Dark, ripe; currants/cassis, blackberries, black cherries with liqueur notes, baked black plum, black raspberries, cooked rhubarb, raisins with more blue fruit showing vs. the nose. Touch of smokiness, cinnamon, clove, light nutmeg, vanillin, black licorice, mid intensity sweet tarriness, herbaceous notes, mint/eucalyptus character, touch of tree sap, black, rich earth, steeped fruit tea, limestone, dry rock powder, dark chocolate bar, mocha notes with fresh, withering & dry, dark, red florals and violets beaming on the finish. The acidity is excellent. The long finish is; ruby, ripe, elegant, gorgeous, extremely well balanced and persists on the palate with warm, dark spice.

IMHO, Williams Selyem Pinot Noirs do not score well early and really shine at 10 years plus in many vintages. They are a Sonoma Pinot pioneer and a gold standard comparison for other producers and Pinot lovers to take note.

Photos of; Williams Selyem winery, Sofia’s great handy work with flowers and one of our two raised garden boxes. 💐 🌸 🌺 🌹🌼🥀 🌽 🥒🥬 🍅

Happy Memorial Day weekend all! Hope you are grilling & enjoying some of your favorite wines. — 7 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.2

Sweet, savory & perfumed with a red berry fruits, pomegranate, earth, violets & baking spice. — 8 years ago

C. Cole

9.2

Cherries, pomegranate and minerals. A great way to end the weekend. — 8 years ago

Weston Kim

9.0

Best to let breathe for a bit. Pomegranate and paint thinner in a good way. Dryish with a slightly sour finish. Great, reasonably priced wine. — 9 years ago

LM Segal

9.2

Giusto hits another one outta the park. Sicilian take on new world Pinot Noir, made in clay amphorae buried in the ground, light, pure pomegranate and red berry. Love how the clay and the red earth come through. Very long. Seek this out, decant a bit. — 9 years ago

Mvon Higgins

9.3

Deep ruby glass with translucent ruby rim. Medium nose of anise, caramel, black cherry, plum, vanilla and tobacco. Medium full body and medium acid to the palate with dark cocoa, raspberry and pomegranate. Small tannins leads to a lingering finish of cocoa and black pepper. Very well balanced with excellent structure for a fairly valued $36.99 USD. Recommended for your special dinner when a smooth wine is needed. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The 02 Sonoma is not quite the 02 Yorkville from a couple of weeks ago but none the less a very nice wine. Cranberries, raspberries and ripping pomegranate. Almost pie filling like. A touch of baking spices, smoked meats and a chalky finish. Drinking beautifully around it's peak! — 10 years ago

D Roman

9.0

Never disappoints. Needs to open up a bit. Pomegranate for days...... — 11 years ago

Jonathan Lipsmeyer

9.5

This differs from the 07-09s in that it has an intriguing green aroma (bay leaf? Menthol? Geranium? Some strange stalky pollen?) and seems just a touch hotter at 13%, but my beloved skunky Black Forest wine is here and this is just gorgeous. Pomegranate and cranberry. Lacks just a tiny bit of heft on the finish to be truly stratospheric. — 11 years ago

Eric L.

9.3

Delicious and perfectly balanced. Lovely, pure pomegranate fruit with a hint of orange zest and vanilla. Very well made and an excellent value. — 6 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A deep ruby color with a wide brim. A huge burst of fruit on the nose consisting of raspberries, wild strawberries, and pomegranate with cedar notes bringing up the rear. This is a very deliberate Pinot. Showing a consistent profile through the vintages, it’s a really nice juxtaposition of delicate fruit and a full body with firm tannins. A bit of elegance on the palate with more nice red fruit, baking spice, toasted cedar, and lavender. This is such a nice representation of this style of Pinot, it really is quite well done. — 7 years ago

James Rowell

9.8

Pomegranate juice. Slight funk. Great for a Saturday afternoon. — 7 years ago

Marc Melser

9.0

We had this on 5/3-4/18. A real good example of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Tastes of pomegranate, orange peel, cinnamon and spice. A well balanced, medium bodied wine. — 8 years ago

Migue Gustavo

9.5

Aromas of red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and sweet tobacco.  Multi-layered flavors of red, blue and black berry fruit, plums, cherries and a hint of blood orange underpin subtle layers of exotic spice and toast.  Fine tannins and balanced acidity drive a long finish. Very Good. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Fruits are ripe and bright. Big light and dark cherries, strawberries dry cranberries, pomegranate juice. Good sharp chalkiness and volcanic minerals. — 9 years ago

Jenny Hemmer

9.0

Cranberries, pomegranate & toasted caramel. — 10 years ago

RazorHater

9.5

Amazing structure with a generous pomegranate, mineral profile. — 10 years ago

Raymond Domenico

9.3

Delicious spices with pomegranate and cherry, tobacco throughout, dynamic Pinot. — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

8.9

Fruit that seems overripe or syrupy. Bright strawberry, cranberry, rhubarb, pomegranate backed up with dark earth & chocolate, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and vanilla toasted oak. Smooth and easy to drink but a bit on the sweet side at this stage. Better in 5 years and will drink for another 5 years plus. — 11 years ago

Melissa Brown

9.0

raspberries and pomegranate. floral notes. very good. — 11 years ago