Often, I get the inclination to open up a great wine and last night was one of those occasions. Leaning toward the more elegant, balanced and lighter fruit profile and weight, I picked this bottle and got what I was looking for.
1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM ALLEN VINEYARD PINOT NOIR- 13.8% abv; pulling the cork was not easy, but accomplished using a Durand and I wondered if the wine was good as the ullage was low shoulder and the cork splintered a bit with fine sawdust like particles; the nose on the cork and the bottle was devoid of any issues; when pouring a small taste, the color was a very pale red/ pink which is much lighter than usual; the taste put a smile on my face as it had all I was expecting; with aromatics of red cherry and a touch of spice, the taste had cinnamon, spice red raspberry and red cherry; in perfect balance, it was soooo good; the wine got better in the glass and by the time the bottle was empty, my wife and I had a smile on our faces and I texted Burt.
Mr. Williams agreed to continue after the winery sale, and Bob Cabral, the new winemaker, says he made the 1998 vintage ‘‘under Burt’s direction.’’ That wine – only 4,200 cases, owing to sparse fruit production – rests in oak barrels, awaiting release next year. So far, it seems promising.
But the two men came from different generations and different cultures. Mr. Williams, 57, is self-taught, for example, and Mr. Cabral taught winemaking at Santa Rosa Junior College. People who worked with them both say that they didn’t mesh very well.
So for this year’s vintage, Mr. Cabral, a heavyset, unassuming 37-year-old, is more or less on his own. Mr. Williams ‘‘has kind of backed out,’’ Mr. Cabral said, spending most of his time on his fishing boat in Santa Barbara. Mr. Selyem spends summers in Alaska, winters in Hawaii.
As Eric has already answered your questions, Ill add a couple of things. Even though Burt sold in early 98 and agreed to consult, he felt uneasy changing anyone else`s style and basically acted as a go between with the growers he had so effectively established relationships with. His command of the vineyard was unique for him and the growers and not as exactly followed after the sale.
1997 is his last vintage that he takes credit for, but it was in barrel and Bob finished the wines. I have had many of these wines and they are all stupendous. He and Bob simply had different styles and as far as I know, they did not have issues personally. Burt just was through when he was through and begged out silently.
To add, my experience of the Cabral wines is that it took him a few years to dial in. Agreed his style was never quite Burts, although I suspect the winemaking was pretty similar (the picking decisions may have been quite different). My experience is 1998-2002 is quite patchy although there are some good wines. 2003 on, Cabral seemed to be much better dialed in (albeit in a riper style than Williams) and most of the wines from that vintage on are very good wines (even if they don’t hit the pre 1997 heights). It’s worth paying particular attention to the top vineyard sites.
I completely agree. I continued to buy WS and still do. After having some funky bottlers of Allen from 98-00, I inquired about what was happening with them and got a very nice response from Bob. Although it did not answer the question, he was very cordial. Later on, I met him and recognised Bob as being a good person doing the best he could in really a no win situation. I have had many good wines he`s make up until the time he stepped aside.
Noah, Burt is a close friend who I have known for many decades. He has a part time home in Santa Barbara and we spend a fair amount of time together. We have done some charity events together featuring him and his wines from both of our cellars. One of my favourite things in life is to share a bottle of his wine with him as he graciously does with me. Yes, I text him when he`s not win town.
One more comment about the relationship of Burt and Bob Cabral. Burt is probably the most open and sharing winemaker Ive ever known. He is willing and capable of giving any and all of the pearls of wisdom he gained as a winemaker and vineyard manager. Ive witnessed numerous occasions where others have asked for his opinion and he has given much more than they asked. And I talking about folks who are highly successful and respected in the wine community on the local, state, national and international level. He never hesitated to provide advice for Bob or any of the people involved in WS after the sale, but it took them to ask for the information first.
