The emergence of Williams Selyem as California's Pinot Noir leader is an improbable success story. Founders Burt Williams and Ed Selyem started making wine under the Hacienda del Rio Winery label in a garage in Fulton. Their first wine was a 1981 Zinfandel, but by 1982 they had begun their quest for great Pinot Noir. By the late 1980s, Williams had retired as a typesetter and Selyem had left his job as a wine retailer, and they devoted themselves full-time to winemaking. In 1997, John Dyson bought the winery with plans of planting a 20-acre Russian River vineyard and gradually expanded production. Burt Williams indicated that he would continue to make wine into 2000, after which Bob Cabral, formerly of Alderbrook and Hartford Court, took over as Executive winemaker.

Quality across the board is exceptionally high, with a first decade that included many exciting wines, most notably the Pinot Noirs. There are no secrets to Williams Selyem's success: they seek low yield, fully ripened grapes from superb vineyard sources.

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See other similar producers: Kosta Browne Winery, Siduri, Kistler Vineyards