RESERVE WINES
WILLIAMSON RESERVE COLLECTION
Old World Discipline. California Character.
Bordeaux gave us the principles. Our Napa and Sonoma vineyards gave us the wine.
WHERE THE IDEA BEGAN
Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend
Bordeaux has spent centuries exploring what happens when grape variety, soil, climate and human judgment are brought together in the same bottle.
On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon generally provides structure, depth and the patience to age. On the Right Bank, Merlot and Cabernet Franc more often lead, bringing fragrance, generosity and supple texture.
The varieties may be familiar. The art lies in deciding which should lead, which should support and how the finished wine should develop at the table and in the cellar.
The grapes provide the possibilities. Blending gives the wine its voice.
THE 1855 CLASSIFICATION
Five Estates at the Summit
For the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Emperor Napoleon III asked Bordeaux’s wine trade to identify its most prestigious estates.
The wines were ranked in five levels known as Growths, or Crus. At the summit stood the Premiers Crus—the First Growths.
Four estates received that distinction in 1855. Château Mouton Rothschild was elevated from Second Growth to First Growth in 1973, completing the group recognized today.
THE FIVE FIRST GROWTHS
- Château Lafite Rothschild
- Château Latour
- Château Margaux
- Château Haut-Brion
- Château Mouton Rothschild
These estates refined more than famous names. Over generations, they developed distinct philosophies of blending—different ways of balancing structure, fragrance, texture, complexity and length.
That was the part that interested us.
THE WILLIAMSON INTERPRETATION
We Brought the Lessons Home
During our visits to France, conversations with friends in the wine trade gave us the opportunity to study the blending philosophies behind the great classified estates across many vintages.
We were never interested in copying Bordeaux. California is not France, and good wine should never pretend to come from somewhere else.
We wanted to understand the thinking: how Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec could work together to create structure, fragrance, texture and length.
We brought those lessons home and applied them to decades of experience with exceptional fruit from our Napa and Sonoma vineyards.
The Old World supplied the discipline.
Northern California supplied the wine.
THE RESERVE COLLECTION
Seven Beautiful Wines
Five Left Bank expressions. Two Right Bank expressions. All unmistakably California.
LEFT BANK INSPIRED
Structure, Depth and Fragrance
Our Left Bank expressions explore Cabernet Sauvignon's structure, depth and finesse - each revealing different interpretation of Bordeaux tradition through California fruit.
RIGHT BANK INSPIRED
Generosity, Texture and Grace
The Right Bank expressions explore the fragrance, generous fruit and supple texture that a perfect combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc can bring together in a composed, age-worthy wine.
Different traditions. Different personalities. The same purpose: serious wine made to bring pleasure to the table.
Williamson Wines is not affiliated with the French estates named above. Our Reserve wines are independent California wines created as an homage to the blending traditions that inspired them.
WHERE THE COLLECTION BEGAN
The Confidence to Begin
The exceptional 2014 vintage gave us the fruit—and the confidence—to establish the original Reserve collection.
We selected our finest barrels and created wines guided by the Cabernet-led traditions of Bordeaux’s Left Bank and the Merlot-led character of the Right Bank.
These were never intended to be California copies of French originals. Bordeaux provided the framework, but the vineyards determined the result.
Ripe fruit, generous texture and the natural concentration of Northern California sit beside the structure, balance and quiet opulence associated with properly aged Bordeaux.
WINE BELONGS AT THE TABLE
Reserve Wine Meets the Right Food
Structure becomes more graceful beside food. Aromas open. Tannins settle into the dish. Flavors that seemed separate begin speaking to one another.
That is why we present our Reserve wines with food. Each dish is chosen to reveal something more in the wine—and something more in the food beside it.
Serious wine deserves attention. It should never require ceremony for ceremony’s sake. A good table, a thoughtfully prepared plate and people worth lingering with will do nicely.
WORTHY OF THE VINEYARD
Our Philosophy Is Straightforward
Begin with remarkable vineyards. Farm them carefully. Harvest by hand. Select without compromise. Allow the wine the time it needs and interfere as little as possible.
We make every vintage to be worthy of the Northern California land that produced it—structured enough for the cellar, generous enough for dinner and always unmistakably Williamson.
TASTE THE RESERVE COLLECTION
Experience the Wines at the Table
Join us at Yoakim Bridge Estate and discover how the blending traditions of Bordeaux take on a distinctly California character through our Napa and Sonoma vineyards.
Reserve wines, chef-prepared food and the time to enjoy both. That is where the collection makes the most sense.