2021 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard
Appellation
Yamhill-Carlton District
In Stock
Vineyard Notes
Shea Vineyard is located in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA, 35 miles SW of Portland, Oregon. The grapes for this wine come from two blocks: Block 6, planted in 1998 with Dijon clone 115 and a small amount of Pommard (11 rows), faces SE slope on a hillside of shallow sedimentary soil at about 450-500' in elevation. The Terrace Block faces SW, planted in 2002 with the Pommard clone, and gets its name from the terraces carved into its steep slope.
Production Notes
Release Date: Oct 2024; Production 1094 cases. The de-stemmed grapes were fermented in 4-8 ton stainless steel and Burgundy oak fermenters with no SO2, allowing the fermentations to process naturally. After gentle pressing and settling, the wine aged in French oak barrels, 26% of which were new, for 16 months before bottling by gravity and without fining.
Food Pairing Notes
Hearty dishes with some sweetness and richness like lamb chops, pork tenderloin, duck breast and lentil dishes.
Winemaker Notes
Vintage Notes: 2021 began with a warm spring and a relatively early bloom, which was complete by the second week of June. A massive heat spell around June 27th head temperatures reaching up to 113 degrees. This significantly stunted growth in younger plants limiting their ability to ripen a normal crop. The younger vines at our estate essentially stopped growing as well as the Riesling at Temperance Hill. The summer continued with a heat spell in late June and mid-July. Because of these high temperatures, mildew was not a significant problem in 2021. We began picking Chardonnay on 9/13 and the first Pinot noir on 9/15. A slight rain event on September 18th and 19th brought much-needed moisture to the vines. By the 24th, all of the Chardonnay and most of the Pinot noir were picked. We finished picking in the first week of October, with the exception of the Riesling, which came in on 10/14. In the end, we were happy with the fruit and very thankful that there were no fires to complicate the harvest.
Drink
Up to 15 years