Oregon's
Shea Vineyard In Depth

Dick Shea and vineyard worker checking new vines

If you talk to knowledgeable consumers about the Shea Vineyard releases that are in the market, it becomes clear why this single-vineyard designation is so sought after: aficionados get wonderful wines from a variety of Oregon’s leading winemakers.

If you talk to the winemakers about Shea Vineyard, it becomes equally clear what they like about this particular vineyard: they get great fruit, grown the way they want.

It seems a perfect match!

Indeed, the Shea Vineyard name has become one of the most prestigious labels in Oregon, placing it squarely among the elite terroirs of New World Pinot noir.

“We’re working with people who are pushing the envelope,” says owner Dick Shea, “discovering new things every vintage to make their wine better. You have to constantly be on top of things—you can never rest on your laurels.”

History

Achieving those laurels took a lot of hard work at Shea Vineyards. When Dick Shea and his original partners purchased the land that was to become Shea Vineyards, along highway 240 that skirts the north Chehalem hills, the area was viticulturally unproven. In 1989, when the first Pinot noir plants went into the ground, the sedimentary soils then known as the WillaKenzie series (named after two of Oregon’s largest rivers, the Willamette and the Mackenzie) were not considered as desirable as the better-known Jory soils that comprised the so-called Red Hills of Dundee.

In the first few years of production, yields were high by today’s standards, and fruit quality was still developing. Even by 1993 some of the customers for Shea fruit were becoming restive because of the seeming slow evolution of the site’s expression.

But in 1994 Dick Shea, now sole owner, and vineyard manager Javier Marin, made a new commitment to quality—and a different way of managing the vineyard. Crop levels were reduced, vineyard practices tightened, and a new philosophy was begun of doing whatever each winemaking customer required in order to obtain the best fruit.

Results were quickly seen in fruit quality, and from that point forward the reputation of Shea Vineyard has been on the rise.

In 1995, the phyloxera louse was discovered in Shea Vineyards (which had been originally planted with own-rooted vines), and a long-term replanting program was begun in 1996. Now approximately 80% complete, there are still some original plants that are viable, but Dick believes that in the next five years or so they will have to be replanted as well.

Much of the replanting is being done by interplanting new vines among the old. The new vines typically take 4 years to produce a crop—instead of the more usual 3 years for new vines—because of root competition with the existing vines. While this approach may be slow from a production standpoint, it makes for a smoother transition, allowing the old vines to continue to produce their crop—albeit at lowering yields—while the new vines mature.

Site and Soils

Shea Vineyards runs along a southern slope of hillside in the north Chehalem hills. The vineyard is naturally divided into two hill sections by a deep ravine. In ancient geologic times an inland sea covered the area up to about 400-ft, and the soils, though somewhat variable throughout the site, are all sedimentary in nature and are layered over fractured sandstone.

Shea West Block

The western hill, now known as “Left Field” (in keeping with the baseball analogy to “Shea Stadium” and the “Homer” wine made by Dick’s allied Shea Wine Cellars) is smaller (50 total planted acres) than the eastern hill (90 planted acres), and runs from approximately 400-ft. to 600-ft. in elevation. The WillaKenzie-series soils are somewhat more uniform than the eastern hill.

The east hill runs from about 300-ft. to 620-ft at the crest. The sedimentary soils in this hill contain somewhat more clay, and are therefore now classified as Melbourne soils (a newly-defined subset of WillaKenzie).

In general, there is no particular difference in overall fruit quality between the hills—though as a sampling of any Shea Vineyard wines will reveal, there is great variety between blocks within the vineyard.

Even so, preference for one hill over the other has shifted among winemakers sourcing fruit from Shea Vineyard. The first Pinot planted went into the east hill in 1989, and the west hill in 1990. At first winemakers rushed to obtain fruit from the east hill, until phyloxera hit that side of the vineyard in 1995.

After that, winemakers wanted west hill (now Left Field) fruit. Today, winemakers seem less desirous of one hill over the other, rather looking at the individual blocks as separate entities. For owner Dick Shea, this makes sense.

“There is nothing superior about the one soil over the other,” says Shea. He points out that of the two highest rated Shea wines by Robert M. Parker Jr. (both achieving scores of 94), one was from fruit grown on WillaKenzie soil from the west hill and the other Melbourne soil from the east hill.

Dick is convinced that the fractured sandstone soil that underlies all the vines is the key to its terroir. “I’m no geologist,” he admits, “but what distinguishes the soils from one another is primarily the amounts of sand and clay—I think what underlies the soil is more important.

There are some spots in the vineyard where the soil is thin enough to expose the fractured sandstone, while being surrounded by deeper topsoil. After four or five years of vine growth, says Dick, there is no visual distinction whatsoever between vines whose roots have penetrated to the sandstone level and those that were planted on the sandstone itself.

Vineyard Management

One of he keys to the success of Shea Vineyards has been a philosophy of allowing the customers—the winemakers who source their grapes from Shea—to dictate the management of the vines throughout the growing year.

Though any special requirements—like hand shoot positioning or special canopy management techniques—are paid for by the winemaker who requests them, Shea and his vineyard manager Javier Marin essentially allow their clients to direct their viticulture.
“We deal with great winemakers who obsess about these thing,” says Dick, “so we make suggestions and listen and work cooperatively with them to the common goal of getting great fruit.”

Shea Vineyard Spring 2004

Clearly, this is an attraction for the winemaker. “What makes the vineyard appealing to so many people,” says Ken Wright, of Ken Wright Cellars, “is Dick’s willingness to implement whatever techniques you want. He’s willing to work with people so long as they are prepared to pay the costs of the practice. The thing that’s so awesome about this is his willingness to do it on a small scale, even an acre or two.”

Even so, there are certain management practices that apply throughout the vineyard. “We are completely dry farmed for fruiting vines,” explains Dick (newly planted vines will get hand-watering to assure their early health). “I’m a big believer that’s it’s important in allowing the terroir to show through in the wines.

Similarly, no soil fertilizers or amendments are used. Foliar nutrients, primarily kelp, may be added to protect against nitrogen deficiencies, but the basic philosophy is to do the minimal intervention, and only to assure the healthy and life of the plant.

Vine spacing and trellising is also fairly uniform throughout the vineyard. From the beginning, planting was done on a 5 x 7 system (vines are planted 5-ft. apart, and rows are 7-ft. apart) to 1,245 vines per acre. Despite the trendiness of denser plantings, Dick has maintained the original spacing on new plantings. “When I look around at different vineyards and their spacings, I don’t really see a correlation with the accolades and ratings their wines get.”

Vines and Clones

Shea Vineyards is overwhelmingly a Pinot noir vineyard, though small amounts of Chardonnay and Pinot gris plantings have achieved loyal followings among the consumers of winemakers producing Shea wines in these categories.

Shea Vinyards was originally planted to Pommard (60%) and Wädenswil (40%) clones of Pinot noir, which were essentially the only two clones in use in the late 1980s. Subsequent replantings and new plantings have included a mixture of six different Dijon clone Pinot noir varieties.

New Spring Plantings, 2004

Dick’s philosophy is that Dijon clones add a kind of varietal spice to the vineyard’s palette, allowing winemakers additional blending options. “Pommard and Wädenswil will remain the single biggest clonal presence in the vineyard,” says Dick, “because I still think they are the best stand-alone clones.”

But the availability of Dijon clones will remain important. “They do get better as they age, and our Dijon vines are now approaching 10 years,” says Dick. “They add backbone and structure, as well as more flavor profiles for winemakers to work with.”

Scores and Results

Wines made from Shea Vineyard grapes have proven to be favorites among critics. From Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, to The Wine Spectator, the reputation fo Shea Vineyards has been reinforced by positive scores.

Here are summaries of published scores and reviews from major national wine reviewers.

Shea Vineyards
At A Glance

Appelation: Willamette Valley (proposed Yamhill-Carlton District)

Owner: Dick & Deirdre Shea

Vineyard Manager: Javier Marin

Planted: 140 acres

Varietals: 135 acres of Pinot noir
(Pommard, Wädenswil, Dijon), 5 acres of Chardonnay (Dijon 76) and Pinot gris

Soils: Marine sedimentary (WillaKenzie and Melbourne)

Spacing: 5 x 7, 1245 plants per acre

Trellis: Vertical Guyot

Topography: Two rolling, south exposed hills divided by a creek.

Altitude: 400-ft. to a little over 600-ft.

Mike Etzel,
Beaux Frères

“ All I can say is the fruit quality is great. The fruit is very focused in the red tones, has great concentration and flavor, has good color, and it ferments cleanly.”

Mark Vlossak, St. Innocent

“I find there to be a wonderful floral character that is quite unique. It ranges from white roses and gardenias to really dark red violets and roses. Not a lot of Oregon vineyards have that floral complexity — something beyond the cherry fruit. There is also a raspberry and black raspberry character that I find particularly appealing.”

Ken Wright, Ken Wright Cellars

“We really like the fruit. It has a great combination of red, blue, and black fruits and good sharpness and clarity of character. I love the anise behind the fruit. You also get some semi-sweet chocolate. The textures are very, very pleasant. It is more of a medium weight wine, has lots of finesse on the palate, and layers of interest.”

Panther Creek Cellars
Westrey
Penner-Ash Wine Cellars
Ken Wright Cellars
Stevenson-Barrie
Shea Wine Cellars
Bergström Winery
St. Innocent
Elk Cove Vineyards
Scott Paul
Highlands (California)
Raptor Ridge
J. K. Carrier
Domaine Danielle Laurent
Patricia Green Cellars
Beaux Frères
Francis Tannahill
Sine Qua Non (California)