Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Block 22 Last Hurrah Shea Vineyard

From the cellar. PNP. Lovely nose and dark maroon color. No browning. Very smooth, heavier bodied pinot, lots of dark fruit, with forest and herb notes. Long finish, a bit low on acidity, but otherwise a very nice wine in a good place.

This may have turned the corner and losing some of its glory. Still drinking well. Took awhile to open up.

Decanted for 1 hour. Nose of tarragon, cherry, rhubarb and forest floor. The palate on this is very Burgundian with notes of raspberry, cherry compote and herb. Finish is a little short. 2008 was suppose to be the best ever in Oregon but have had much better from Shea than the one's I' had from 2008. Thinking I may age these long term to see where they go.

For many tasters this was the best one they had so far out of the entire set of the Shea '08s. Just a touch savory, but more herbs, ANdy notes pretty stripped back but to me elegant and efined with that long lingering herb. Tarragon? Running through the palate. Long finish, again with green.

Nicely integrated and balanced, but fairly simple right now. PNP. The nose is cassis, earth, and slight oak with fruit opening up slightly after 90 minutes. Some cherry appears when you taste it. Not your normal Shea (big dark fruit) profile. I am glad I have more bottles, because this may get better, and does not seem to have peaked. But right now, it is just a nicely integrated Willamette pinot without the complexity for a higher score.

Disappointing for Shea and the 2008 vintage. Austere wine that lacked depth. Nice nose and front palate but non-existent finish. It may be closed down in the bottle, but this was not a typical effort by Shea.

not the best Shea, has some of the flavor characteristics we have come to know and love but not all of them. a bit austere.

The vines of Block 22 were Pommard clones that were planted on their own roots. These vines became affected by phylloxera, and they were all pulled after the 2008 harvest. It's going to be a few years before this block puts out any fruit again... The nose had nice aromas of candied cherries and some sweet brown spice notes. The palate had flavors of cherry, currant and some dusty earth. Lots of power from this wine. It took a few …

Tasted at winery. Managed to get a few of the remaining bottles left. This block was replanted so this is the end. Very nice balance of dark fruit, vanilla and earthy tones. Finish still had some lingering rough tannins on finish. Needs another year or two.

Memorial Day weekend tasting, 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir barrel samples (Northern Willamette Valley) : Barrel sample, to be bottled in a few months. Very pretty, sublime nose, but very subtle. Not big or in your face, but some how huge and pretty. Smooth on the palate, creamy fruit, and pretty. Finish is tight and lacking in evolvement, but should open up once in bottle. (88-91 points)

Memorial Weekend Wine Tasting (Chehalem Mountains & Carlton, OR) : Barrel sample. They called this one "Last Hurrah", as they replanted Block 22 of the vineyard this spring, and the old own-rooted Pommard clone vines are gone. A 5 barrel cuvee. Nice nose, with raspberry fruit, and something a bit more bitter. Very feminine in structure, although with some interesting tannic bite on the finish. Shows promise if it comes together.