2010 Pinot noir | Shea
In the Vineyard
Since 1996, we have sourced fruit from Dick Shea’s reputable vineyard. It is one of the early vineyards to be planted in the Yamhill-Carlton district. Shea Vineyard has been recognized by the US Department of Agriculture's Conservation Security Program as a vineyard whose farming practices meet high levels of conservation and environmental management standards. As with previous vintages, the fruit in 2010 came exclusively from Block 11’s clone 115, and this year was harvested October 17 at around 21.6 Brix, pH of 3.27 and TA of 6.7 g/L.
At the Winery
Grapes were 100% destemmed and cold soaked for 5 days. Fermenters were then warmed to 73ºF and inoculated with specific commercial yeast strains (BM45 or BRG). Fermentations were moderately strong and finished completely dry after a total of 16 days on the skins. Wines were gently pressed and settled in tank for 48 hours then racked to a range of 47.5% new French oak barrels from various coopers: (Deferrari, Ermitage, Tonnellerie Ô).
At the Table
The 2010 Shea possesses recurring themes for this vineyard: garnet/magenta color, classic forest floor aromas of mushroom, pepper and brown spices. These are echoed on the palate with savory soy and both black and white pepper notes moving towards clove and cinnamon. The fruit is a beautiful expression of what happens when grapes slowly ripen and retain lively acidity: Bing cherry, strawberry rollup, mint, tobacco leaf, sweet macerated raspberry and blueberry, even turning toward white peach. The entry is beautiful and mouthfilling, and the finish is long, with pronounced tannins that will refine to typical Shea silkiness with time. The mid-palate is a bit shy, and we look forward to following its development as it matures.
