Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, USA

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The 2009 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard wafts from the glass with dried flowers, spices and sweet red fruit. There is a fragile, forward quality to the Allen that suggests the wine is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. I tasted a dizzying array of Pinot Noirs from Williams Selyem and winemaker Bob Cabral. Yields were down in 2009 because of bunch-stem necrosis, a condition that can occur because of weather/humidity extremes or mineral imbalances. Otherwise, it was a pretty regular vintage with an even set and a harvest that took place beginning in early September.Tel. (707) 433-6425

From another famous vineyard, the 2008 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard is light ruby, with stemmy, earthy, spicy notes that are autumnal and vegetative. Lean, austere, and lacking generosity, this wine seems underwhelming for Williams-Selyem. With thirteen separate Pinot Noirs, Williams-Selyem has something for just about everybody. Eight of these Pinot Noirs hail from relatively well-known sites in the Russian River and three come from the Sonoma Coast, while the two outliers are the Weir Vineyard from Yorkville Highlands and the Ferrington Vineyard from the Anderson Valley. Three well-regarded vineyards of the Sonoma Coast comprise part of this impressive Pinot Noir portfolio from Williams-Selyem. With eight Russian River bottlings, the two with the largest availability are the Eastside Road Neighbors and Westside Road Neighbors, which are blends from different fruit sources. The most underrated wines in the entire portfolio are the Zinfandels that come from winemaker Bob Cabrol.Tel. (707) 433-6425; Fax (707) 433-6546

The medium dark ruby-hued 2007 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard exhibits an attractive forest floor/flora character interwoven with sweet black cherry fruit aromas, hints of pomegranates and raspberries, tart acids, and medium to full body. This attractive, still youthful Pinot will be even better in 2-3 years, and should last for a decade or more. The single vineyard Pinot Noirs are made from a wide range of California vineyards, primarily in the north, with Russian River and Sonoma Coast dominating, but there is also an Anderson Valley site (Ferrington), San Benito site (Vista Verde), and Yorkville Highlands (Weir). The Chardonnays are nearly as powerful as the Zinfandels in terms of alcohol strength, ranging from 14.5% to 14.8%.Tel. (707) 433-6425; Fax (707) 433-6546

From the well-known Allen Vineyard, the 2006 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard is deep ruby in color, with a sweet nose of pomegranate, raspberry, and cherry, some spicy herbs, and some damp earth and underbrush, the wine has good acidity, medium to full body, and should age for 5-7 years. With over a dozen Pinot Noirs, one would think that winemaker Bob Cabral would be perennially stressed out having to deal with so many different vineyards. However, except for the blend of Russian River and Westside Road Neighbors, they are all legitimate vineyards, and I can fully comprehend why they would want to keep them separate. As I have said before, there is a clear “house” style, with wines tending to have a slightly higher acid profile, lower pHs. But there is no doubting that these are well-made wines which are, for the most part, age-worthy Pinot Noirs which, with some patience, reward cellaring. In 2006, a challenging vintage in the Russian River area (less so on the Sonoma Coast), the 2006 vintage has turned out well at Williams-Selyem. Of course, 2007 is a more fragrant, purer vintage from an integrity perspective, so those wines will be a no-brainer. I will comment on all the single vineyards, but as I write them, I must offer a word of advice: don’t dare ignore the brilliant Zinfandels and Chardonnays that Cabral turns out. They are not as renowned as the single-vineyard Pinots, but they are top-flight wines. A Pinot Noir that really depends on vintage for success is from the San Benito Valley south of San Francisco, home to the old Almaden winery.Tel. (707) 433-6425; Fax (707) 433-6546

The medium-bodied 2005 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard exhibits plenty of tart strawberry and cranberry fruit intermixed with notions of rose petals, wet stones, and high acidity. It should drink well for 5-10 years. Tel. (707) 433-6425; Fax (707) 433-6546