St. Innocent Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Winemaker’s Notes

St. Innocent Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

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 faces SE on a hillside of shallow sedimentary soil at an elevation of 450’ to 500’ planted with Pommard and 115. The Terrace Block is a very steep SW slope planted in 2002 with the Pommard clone.

Production Notes
The de-stemmed grapes were fermented in 4-8 ton stainless steel and oak fermenters with no SO2, allowing the fermentations to proceed naturally. After gentle pressing and settling, the wine aged in French oak barrels, 21% of which were new, for 16 months before bottling by gravity without fining.

Vintage Notes
2017, after three very warm and early harvests, brought a welcome change with cooler temperatures during the summer and a normal harvest window. We began picking on September 15th for sparkling wine. After a week with temperatures in the 70’s, we harvested Chardonnay between 9/22 and 9/29. All of the Pinot noir was picked in a two-week window beginning on 9/26 with continued pleasant temperatures and no rain. The wines have more aromatic and flavor nuances with balanced acidity and moderate alcohols.

Production: 923 cases

James Suckling – “A fresh, vivid red with sliced strawberry, orange peel, crushed stone and some flowers. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a long, vivid finish. All in finesse and energy. Drink after 2023.” (94 Pts)