Williams Selyem Winery - Healdsburg, California

VT A.

You need to be an active list member, and tastings are by appointment only. Period. End of story. We reserved a month or so in advance for a Monday slot in late April. The tasting is free, but if you cancel or change your reservation less than 48 hours before your slot, you will be charged $75 pp - this is clearly spelled out in the confirmation email.

Apparently, Mondays in mid-April is not a very popular time, because it was just the two of us for the entire time. It felt like a private tasting/tour. We were seated in the first floor tasting room which is modern and stylish, but still very comfortable for a wine tasting. When you look up, the vaulted ceiling is supposed to look like a half-barrel of wine.

Our tasting consisted of recent vintages of the Drake Chard, RRV Pinot, Anderson Valley Pinot, Olivet Lane Pinot, Beckstoffer Georges III Cab, and an off-list pour of the 2014 Precious Mountain Pinot. Fantastic tasting from start to finish that highlighted some of the many faces of WS. The tasting guide also takes you on a short tour of the winemaking facilities which is nice. When we were there, the employees were busy topping off the Pinot barrels which was interesting to watch. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to purchase some library wines which are pretty much impossible to find retail.

If you are WS nerd, look for the Best-in-Show State Fair ribbon that is on the right wall just beyond the Pinot barrel room. It’s the award that WS won for its 1985 Rochioli Vineyard Pinot and put WS on the map. You can read about it online or have the guide tell you about it. Also, as you enter the building, go to the bottle wall on the right and look at the two bottles on the bottom left. One is a 1981 Sonoma County Pinot with the very first label when WS was still called Hacienda Del Rio Winery. Due to copyright issues, the label was changed to look like the current label. The second bottle looks like the current bottles, but still uses the Hacienda Del Rio name. But there was another winery already using that name, so in 1983, the winery officially adopted the name Williams Selyem.

If you are an active list member, I would highly recommend you to visit, especially if you can go during the off-season.

Millie K.

A beautiful approach to the tasting room and then to see the property perched at the top of the drive was spectacular! We got a great history on Williams Selyem from Randy, our host for the day. He was terrific and had recommendations for other wineries to try. Of course the tasting room itself was very modern and airy. We tasted wine that is not usually on the allocation list and they were also terrific. Very much enjoyed our tasting and would love to go again some time.

Eduardo F.

The tasting experience was quiet and sophisticated. The grounds have beautiful landscaping with a grasses installation that is well-integrated with native natural features, including local oak trees and giant boulders. The tasting room is modern and spacious. My only criticism is that I would like to have tasted other wine varieties, though the wine that I did taste were quite good.

shane L.

A fantastic winery that’s selective with their wines and provide a very unique tasting experience !

Steve C.

What an experience wine tasting at Williams Selyem. The grounds were spectacular. The wine were beyond my expectations. Better yet the hospitality from Greg and Joey were what won us over. During our tasting we walked a portion of the facilities and had additional splashes of bottles that were not originally included. We all loved the sit down experience with Greg. We were not at a counter just looking for our next tasting. It was as if we were with a friend that was sharing exquisite wines on a Saturday afternoon. Just amazing!

Mark N.

Outstanding personalized tasting with Jonathan today. Extremely personable and deeply knowledgeable. Tremendous library wine options as well. Big fan of the wine and even a bigger fan having visited now. Beautiful tasting room as well.

Rebecca H.

Few words are needed, five star experience and my recent visit and tasting left me feeling like a VIP, I have told everyone I know, including other wineries.

Melanie F.

One of our first tastings post Covid and it was a delight! They only have a single table outside (under shade) for tastings so you get a truly safe and VIP experience. The tasting comes with a small charcuterie plate (cheese, meat, crackers, olives and nuts) which was just enough to keep us satisfied. Our host Peter was lovely and provided some fun tips for hikes in the surrounding area. The wines of course are exceptional.