How does a hobby become a passion and a passion become a legend?
Like most good stories, the history of Williams Selyem owes much to serendipity. If a grower with an abundance of fruit hadn’t given Burt Williams a few tons of free grapes in the 1970s, Burt might never have discovered his love and flair for winemaking. And if Burt and his partner Ed Selyem had been able to afford the French Burgundies they both favored, they might never have tried making their own Pinot Noir.
The two friends didn’t set out to produce wines for anyone but themselves. And they surely never imagined that their humble experiment in home winemaking would spawn a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together, Burt and Ed set a new standard for American-made Pinot Noir, and elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine growing regions in the world.
1979
Burt Williams and Ed Selyem try their hands at weekend winemaking at Burt’s house in Forestville. They start with Zinfandel grapes grown by the Martinelli family on now legendary Jackass Hill.
1981
The two friends make the leap from hobbyists to legitimate winemakers and name their new winery Hacienda del Rio.
1982
The first vintage is bottled. Burt, a veteran newspaper pressman, makes the labels using an old-school letterpress and hand-mixed inks. The label was designed by Burt’s friend Graham McIntosh of White Rabbit Press.
1984
Release of the first vintage with the iconic Williams Selyem label. The winery is now legally Williams & Selyem, LLC.
1987
The Williams Selyem Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir wins the California State Fair Sweepstakes Prize for top red wine, besting 2,136 wines from 416 wineries.
1992
Burt and Ed quit their day jobs to focus solely on the winery.
1995
Williams Selyem is served at the White House.
2009
Wine Enthusiast Magazine awards the 2007 Litton Estate PN a score of 100 points, making it the first Pinot Noir in North America to receive a perfect score from any major wine publication.
2011
Jeff Mangahas joins Williams Selyem as Winemaker, working with Bob to learn the Williams Selyem winemaking methods.
What's Next?
Jeff Mangahas and his team are committed to the same philosophy that served Burt and Ed so well: forging and maintaining relationships with the best growers, purchasing and growing only the best fruit, and coaxing the best wine out of each vintage.
Greatness in the bottle starts with greatness in the vineyard.
Every bottle of wine is born in the vineyard. That’s why we are so particular about the way we source grapes. The grapes must be exceptional, or no amount of knowledge, effort, time or craft will turn them into exceptional wine.
