2012 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Westside Road Neighbors
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Tasting notes
Some vegetal notes on the nose, with rhubarb and redcurrant fruit. Crunchy tannin and bright acid. Shows nice development, with loads of fruit to age further. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Dark ruby. Pungent smoke- and spice-accented aromas of raspberry, cherry-cola and zesty minerals. Offers vibrant red fruit and candied rose flavors, with a touch of bitter blood orange adding focus and grip. Shows the urgency of a cooler vintage but with the depth of fruit one expects from wines made from this area. Finishes silky and long, with resonating minerality and excellent spicy persistence.
Readers will find little of the supposed early accessibility of the vintage in Williams-Selyem's 2012 Pinot Noir Westside Road Neighbors. There is good brightness in the fruit, but the tannins remain imposing at this stage. Sweet raspberries, sage, mint and cinnamon are some of the notes that are layered into the finish. Ideally the 2012 needs at least a few years to fully come together.
About the producer
Williams Selyem is an iconic Russian River Valley winery best known for its Pinot Noir. Producing restrained yet classically Californian expressions of the heartbreak grape (as well as a host of other wines), the property has gone from pioneer to one of the region’s standard-bearers.