This got buried in another thread, and since it’s a one-off, don’t want any fans of Will’s wine to miss out.
Here’s the release email:
Hitting the send button on this offer brings back memories of the first one of these I wrote almost ten years ago. ‘Will anyone read this?’, ‘Will anyone care that these folks have a wine?’, etc. But the same thing is true now as it was then – the wine is really good.
Pinot? That’s right, I made a Pinot. Before we dive in, allow me to briefly tell you how we got here. In the old days, pre-pandemic, I was approached about starting a new label focused on Pinot Noir. I’ve helped make a million of these on my day job (Rivers-Marie), so I said ‘Sure, on one condition – it can’t be a good site, it has to be great’ (Saying no to making wine is really hard btw). It took literal years of asking around, making connections to finally land this fruit. I wish I had the words to describe the remote physical beauty of this site, but when your neighbors include Hirsch & Wayfarer, I was already sold. Unfortunately, the project wasn’t meant to be but it did produce one beautiful wine to beg the question what could have been.
The last few odd numbered vintages (19/21/23) in Sonoma have been incredible. Take the purity of fruit from 2019 combined with the precision and depth of 2021 and you have the 23’s. A long, cool growing season that let the vineyard do the work. The best kind, if you ask me.
2023 William & Mary Wine Company Pinot Noir, McDougall Ranch
100% Pinot Noir (French Oak, 2/7 barrels new (Remond)), 14 months elevage
151 cs produced
14.1% alcohol
$75/btl
The aromatics pop from the second this sees air. A powerful bouquet of red fruit (strawberry/raspberry/rhubarb) jumps from the glass. The midpalate grabs the approximately 15% whole cluster and builds around that textural core with strawberry, rhubarb and a hint of orange peel. The transition from mid to finish is seamless, no drop off here with a mouth filling persistent finish that really drives. The interplay between vintage and vineyard is something I look forward to watching over the coming years as you can see them both so clearly in this wine.
If you aren’t afraid of a little youthful awkwardness (this was bottled in December), give it some air and watch the show. If you prefer a little more refinement, time will be wonderful to this bottling.