Williams Selyem Olivet Lane Vineyard Chardonnay 2020
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Wilfred
Wong
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Winemaker Notes
Yellow apple and pear highlight the aromatics of this old-vine Chardonnay vineyard. Hints of lemon curd belie the fruit along with a subtle starfruit aromatic. Fresh ground nutmeg and allspice from the modest oak usage support the fruit elements and give the wine a little counterpoint to the treble of the fruit tones. The yellow apple aromas carry through to the palate and are wrapped up in nice acidity and excellent tannin structure. A powdery, mineral finish of crushed rocks accents the finish and is nicely punctuated.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Williams Selyem Olivet Lane Vineyard Chardonnay deftly combines elements of the site. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of ripe apple, dried earth, and hints of oak. Enjoy it with pan-fried halibut in a caper cream sauce. (Tasted: January 24, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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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.