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The well-known Burgundy domaine Faiveley takes over the Californian cult winery Williams Selyem, which is known for its Pinot Noirs from Sonoma.
Williams Selyem was founded in 1979 by Burt Williams and Ed Selyem and began as a garage winery. In 1997, John Dyson bought it and had a modern winery building constructed. Its success, particularly with high-priced and rare Pinot Noirs, soon earned it the reputation of a Californian cult winery.
Domaine Faiveley acquired a minority stake in 2020 and has now taken over the majority of the shares from the Dyson family. Erwan Faiveley, who is the seventh generation of the family to run the domaine, says: "We won't change a thing. We have a great team, a great location and I love the style of the wines." His father François and John Dyson have become friends over the years. They realised that their wines were made in a similar style. John Dyson will therefore remain managing director for at least three years, and cellar master Jeff Mangahas and all current employees will retain their positions.
Faiveley, founded in 1825 by Pierre Faiveley, is one of the most recognised names in Burgundy with 331 hectares of vineyards, including 30 hectares of Grand Cru and 67 hectares of Premier Cru plots. Since acquiring a stake in Williams Selyem, its production has risen to a total of 360,000 bottles, including 288,000 bottles of Pinot Noir in 24 different bottlings from around 55 hectares in the Russian River Valley. The purchase price was not disclosed.
(al / Source: Wine spectator)