Shea Wine Cellars 2013 Pommard Pinot Noir 750ml

The 2013 Pinot Noir Pommard Clone has a very attractive bouquet with red plum and cranberry scents, touches of Autumn leaves that ebb away and offer lovely minty scents. The palate is medium-bodied with tart red cherries on the entry, lovely saline notes here with a brisk blackberry and cranberry finish that tapers ever so slightly, but that still does not detract from this very well-crafted Pinot full of charm and breeding. And yeah...it does have semblances to Pommard in the Côte d'Or! Perhaps it was on this trip to Oregon that I really appreciated the quality of Dick Shea’s vineyard, whose fruit, which tends to ripen earlier than others, is highly sought after. I began to notice how various producers’ Shea Vineyard bottlings often stood out as one of the best, therefore when it came to visiting Shea Wine Cellars itself, my expectations were high. I was not disappointed – these are some of the best 2013s you will find. The wines seemed to shrug off the September rainstorm to produce wines that are very Burgundy-like in quality, capturing the essence of Pinot Noir. “One-third of the crop was ripe and harvested before any rain. The balance was not ready and we let it ride through the rain. We made several passes through the vineyard culling fruit that had issues. Then, over time all remaining blocks were harvested, sorted and used. Nothing was declassified,” he told me. “We had never experienced a vintage like that. During that week [the week of the storm] it was the only time in 28 years that I felt depressed about being in the business. There was a really big worry about disease. What saved you was the airflow and we did that by removing leaves during the year. The alcohol levels tend to be low in 2013.” These 2013s come highly recommended and bode well for what will be offered in 2014 and 2015. Dick, together with winemaker Blair Trathen, has teased out wonderfully nuanced Pinot Noir that are going to offer great pleasure over the next decade. 

Score: 92 points -- Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2016

Pinot Noir Clones: Pommard
Harvest Dates: September 28 through October 8, 2013
Quantity Produced: 242 cases of 750ml
Date Bottled: August 2014
Alcohol: 13.5%
Elevage (Aging): 50% New French Oak
Vineyard Source: Shea Vineyard Blocks 32, North Block
Recommended Aging: Drink now through 2025

Tasting Notes:
Blueberry, black cherry and floral aromatics lead to a structured palate with balanced acidity and a lovely, long finish.

--Winemaker