Mr. Williams eventually teamed up with Ed Selyem, a friend who worked as the accountant and wine buyer for a local store.

WSJ: How Burt Williams Became Pinot's Patron Saint | On Wine by Jay McInerney

Devotees of the Williams Selyem cult went into mourning when Burt and Ed sold their baby to former New York Deputy Mayor John Dyson in 1998.

WSJ: How Burt Williams Became Pinot's Patron Saint | On Wine by Jay McInerney

Each different vineyard yielded wines with very distinct personalities, a fact illustrated most dramatically by three spectacular single-vineyard 1997s the final vintage of Burt's Williams Selyem career.

WSJ: How Burt Williams Became Pinot's Patron Saint | On Wine by Jay McInerney