2022 Shea Wine Cellars - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Estate (750ml)

Dick Shea traded on Wall Street for years before he and his wife Deirdre planted Shea Vineyard in 1989. At the time, the Yamhill-Carlton area was largely untested for Pinot Noir, and many growers considered its pale marine soils worse than the red Jory soils of the nearby Dundee Hills. Dick was the first to plant Pinot Noir there and helped prove that view wrong. Shea Vineyard is now one of Oregon’s most sought-after sites, selling fruit to more than twenty top wineries. In 1996 the couple started Shea Wine Cellars to make wine exclusively from their own estate grapes.

The Estate Pinot Noir blends fruit from blocks across the whole vineyard, giving a picture of the site as a whole. The vineyard sits on rolling hills between about 350 and 600 feet, where shallow Willakenzie marine sediments cover fractured sandstone. These soils drain quickly, and the vineyard has never been irrigated. The plantings include Pommard, Wädenswil, and several Dijon clones, all farmed under LIVE sustainable certification. A warm, dry finish to the 2022 season brought the fruit to full ripeness. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and aged partly in new French oak.

This Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir shows wild strawberry, cherry, and dark raspberry, along with notes of cola, violets, baking spice, and forest floor. Bright acidity and smooth tannins carry a long, floral finish. It pairs well with duck breast or grilled salmon and will continue to develop in the cellar for several years.