From Wine Critic to Winemaker | William Kelley

William Kelley has one of the most influential palates in wine. As editor-in-chief of Wine Advocate, he's tasted and scored tens of thousands of the world's greatest bottles. Then he decided to start making his own. I spent a day with him in Burgundy, walking his vines in Beaune, going deep into the philosophy behind his winemaking, and asking the question everyone wants answered: what happens when a critic becomes the one being critiqued? We talk about the extreme canopy management techniques he's borrowing from pioneers like Lalou Bize Leroy, the semi-abandoned Beaune vineyard he rescued and turned around, and why he treats every parcel - from his Aligoté to his priciest reds - with the same "grand cru" level of care. He opens up about the 50,000 wines he's reviewed over the last decade, whether critics can really stay unbiased once they're making their own wine, 100-point scores, and what he thinks the future of wine marketing actually looks like in an age obsessed with "authenticity." Note: The audio opening minutes is not great as there was an unforeseen issues with the mics - it improves significantly once we move into the vineyard and cellar, so stick with it or jump ahead. If you care about Burgundy, winemaking, or what it's really like inside the head of one of the industry's most respected critics, this conversation is for you. Chapters: 00:00 William Kelly 00:52 Audio Apology Note 01:34 Critic Meets Winemaker 03:59 Soul vs. Science in Winemaking 04:57 LaLou Bize-Leroy Influences 06:18 In The Vineyard Deep Dive 11:37 Parcel Origin Selection 15:17 Into The Cellar 16:10 Aligoté 19:32 Pricing Scarcity and Demand 22:38 From Oxford to Winemaking 24:58 Critics Points Debate 27:08 Future of Wine Marketing 29:05 William’s Insider French Wines 30:08 Being Your Own Harsh Critic #williamkelley #wineadvocate #burgundywine #winemaking #winecritic #aligote #naturalwine #biodynamicfarming #beaujolais #winetasting #finewine #cotedor