William Kelley fell in love with wine while studying at Oxford, where he presided over the university's prestigious Wine Circle for three years while completing a doctorate in history. In addition to hosting tastings with many of the Old World's greatest wineries, ranging from the Bordeaux first growths to small producers, such as Yves Gangloff and Marta Rinaldi, he brought many of California's most celebrated and exciting winemakers to Oxford for the first time.

As a student, William had the privilege to cut his teeth as a taster on many of the great wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. After a stint covering California and Burgundy for Decanter magazine and working harvests in both Napa Valley and the Côte d'Or, he made the happy move to The Wine Advocate in 2017. His firsthand experience making wine and farming vineyards informs the way he writes about it. Today, he reviews the wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne.