Shea
East Hill Pinot noir 05 is blended from Blocks
7, 5, and the Oak Block on the east side
of Shea Vineyard.
An appealing, meaty and toasty nose shows
scents of red cherry and candied red raspberry.
Flavors of juicy red raspberry dominate,
with undercurrents of red cherry and red
currant. In the midpalate, luscious blueberry
syrup and fresh grape jelly show through
the continued flavors of red raspberry, red
cherry, and blackberry. There's a soft melange
of pie spices throughout the flavors that
shows up most in the finish, with hints of
white pepper, nutmeg, cardamon, and cinnamon;
also sweet vanilla and a hint of the toast
on the nose. Tasted in barrels in August,
2006, the wine shows gripping but quite finegrained
tannins and a juicy acidity that needs a
bit of taming, but is quite appropriate given
the youthfulness of the wine.
The backbone of the
wine is the 777 Dijon clone fruit from Block
5 of the East Hill. Fermentation in neutral
wooden fermenters (hard to do) has enhanced
the texture of the wine, adding a smooth,
lush texture in the mouth. A small percentage
of whole clusters left in the grapes at fermentation
brought out the spicy clove and cinnamon
notes in this Pinot.
Compared to the highly rated 2004, the 2005
East Block shows a bit more spice, and its
fruit flavors, at this point, are more berry
than cherry driven. The weight, silky texture,
and right on target balance of fruit, acidity,
and tannins scream "cellar me and I'll
be a star". It's a bit early, but we'd
predict ratings, and more importantly, your
personal enjoyment, to be as great or greater
than the 2004 wine. This is a relatively
young vineyard (replanted after a phyloxera
outbreak in the mid-1990's), and the aditional
year of age shows in the increased complexity
and weight of the wine. The best of Oregon's
2005 Pinots are shaping up to be as good
as anything we've seen from the state. We'd
predict scores as good or better for this
vintage as for the 2004.
Shea Vineyard Estate
Pinot noir 05
2-23-07
- Wine Spectator's Harvey Steiman, in his
wine blog, drank the 2005 Estate at a restaurant
and had this to say about it: "...our
waiter (at Roaring Fork, in Scottsdale, AZ)
pointed us toward the Pinot Noir he declared
was his favorite: Shea Vineyard Estate 2005,
an Oregon wine I have not yet rated (though
I gave the 2004 a 95-point score).
Shea's style is fruit-centered, and the 2005
vintage (like the 2004) represents a more
typical, balanced character than the results
of the hotter years that preceded it. The
wine has rich cherry and raspberry character,
plus some nice hints of vanilla and cream,
but no overt oak. Those are good signs, because
oak and alcohol can react badly to peppery
heat.
Avalon tasting
notes:
Very impressive. The nose offers raspberry,
red cherry, black cherry, black raspberry,
toast, and red raspberry jam. Flavors are
of red and black cherry, raspberry, and sweet
rich fruit.
We're even more excited about the 2005's
than we were at this point with the 2004's.
A transparency to the flavors is present,
allowing layers and layers of intriguing
fruit and fascinating spice/incense/perfume
notes. The finish is long and reiterates
the flavors, adding a sense of silky tannins
and velvety lushness to the experience.
There's less sense of barrel toast and more
sense of integration in the 2005 than there
was in the 2004 at this point in its development.
Integration, intensity, and complexity are
all words that come to mind in describing
this wine.
Shea Vineyard Pinot
noir "Homer" 2005
Wine Spectator 95 points
for 2004 vintage.
Shea Vineyard Wadenswil
Pinot noir 05
Wine Spectator 93 points
for 2004 vintage.
Shea Vineyard Pommard
Pinot noir 05
Brought back after several
years, bright cherry fruit is Shea at its
most appealing.
