Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Ruby color, with pronounced aromas of red fruits, floral, earthy cedar herbs and complex spice. On the palate concentrated flavors of blackberry, plum and cherry with citrus, tea, herbs, vanilla oak soft tannins on well balanced structure. Full body, rich long finish, ending with fruit, vanilla, floral and oaky spice tones. Very Nice! Will age a while, but nice now! — 3 days ago

Chris Blanchard

9.1

Always a crowd pleaser. — 11 days ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.2

Quite a good bottle of this — 3 months ago

Craig Becraft

9.1

Still sublime vibrant, and enjoyable after 15 years — 4 months ago

Chris Blanchard

9.1

2023 vintage - it opened brighter than expected with bold ripe flavors and more fruit forward than expected. It was a nice surprise. After 30 minutes the flavors balanced a bit and tasted less bright and fruity and more balanced. The wife and I enjoyed the bottle. — 6 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.7

Williams Selyem – Zinfandel – 2022
Saitone Estate Vineyard – Russian River Valley – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A thrilling outlier in the Williams Selyem portfolio, an estate known for Pinot Noir yet capable of crafting a Zinfandel of remarkable finesse and depth. Sourced from the historic Saitone Estate Vineyard, one of the Russian River Valley’s most distinctive old-vine sites, this 2022 Zinfandel delivers profound character, balance, and site expression. Easily among my top Sonoma Zins ever tasted.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackberry, ripe plum, and wild raspberry woven with notes of cracked pepper, violet, licorice, and warm sage. Subtle layers of cocoa, cedar, and dried herbs add depth without overpowering the purity of the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Full yet refined. Silky tannins, bright RRV acidity, and graceful structure carry the wine with elegance rather than weight. The finish is long, spicy, and beautifully composed, power meets finesse.

Food Pairings
Grilled lamb, BBQ ribs, wood-fired pizza, roasted pork shoulder, or aged Manchego.

Verdict
A distinctive and profound expression of Zinfandel. Williams Selyem elevates the variety with the same precision and restraint applied to their Pinot Noirs. Lovely, polished, and absolutely memorable, this sits firmly among the best Zins in Sonoma. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Saitone Vineyard is home to some of the oldest vines in the Russian River Valley, planted over a century ago. These old, dry-farmed vines produce low yields of intensely flavored fruit, contributing to the depth and finesse that make this bottling so exceptional. — 8 months ago

Maggie Harrison

9.6

dried red cherries and berries, sweet fresh wood- red floral, woodsy. vineyard is near Rredwoods. integrates long tannins. moderate tannins. — 16 hours ago

Maggie Harrison

9.2

lifted nose. hint of candied cherry, pine forest, warm, round, sultry. acid moderate high — 16 hours ago

Steve Mitchell

9.3

The 2023 is a ruby red, full bodied Pinot with a smooth silky finish. Paired with a salad and grilled salmon. — 2 months ago

RustyR

9.1

Open home — 4 months ago

Mark Rosse

9.3

Glass staining deposits. An hour decant. Quite lovely — 5 months ago

Steve Mitchell

9.4

Well this was nice. Paired well with crab and shrimp risotto and a salad. — 7 months ago

Brian S

9.0

Dried flowers, red currant, cranberry, cherry, minerals — 8 months ago

Maggie Harrison

9.0

bright lifted red fruited nose. ripe red cherry on palate, medium bodied. moderate acid. medium tannins — 16 hours ago

Maggie Harrison

9.2

lifted. hunt or red floral- lavendar? medium tannins. high acid. fuller mid palate than Sonoma Coast. — 16 hours ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

To much of a fruit bomb good wine just not for me. — a month ago

Steve Mitchell

9.3

Paired with a seafood risotto and a salad. Nice nose, velvety on the palate and smooth finish. — 3 months ago

Steve Mitchell

9.4

I get it why cellaring the WS wines much longer will result in a more complex wine. We buy their wines every year but have not been able to cellar them for 10 years + and we enjoy them now.
Paired perfectly well with grilled salmon and a salad. — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

So Williams Selyem Pinots should be treated is the same fashion as good burgundy, with age. It will always be somewhat sweeter than red burgundy but nonetheless very good.

This shows w/ an array of mid berry fruits accompanied by some darker fruits. Strawberries, cherries, pomegranate, cranberries, raspberries, hint of rhubarb, blackberries and haunting blueberries. Mid berry cola, red licorice, fruit tea, eucalyptus, pine tar notes, pine tree bark, dark, rich soils/earth, dry herbs, mid, dark spice, dry crushed rocks, dry limestone powder, black pepper notes, dry river stone, dry fall leaves, bright florals that are; red, blue, purple with a mix of red & pink roses, late spring waterfall acidity with extreme balance, tension, structure with elegance & smart polish for days and long sets on tree bark/sap & spice.

Still ascending. — 8 months ago

Brian S

9.4

Delicious!!! — 8 months ago