Shea Wine Cellars, Shea Vineyard Block 23 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

Shea Wine Cellars · Oregon › Willamette Valley › United States of America

Red · Pinot Noir

Critics

91 /100

Reviews

professional

Vintages

No vintages

No vintage-specific entries have been added for this wine.

Community Reviews

Reviews

91.5

Avg Score

Highest

I opened this based on some new cellar tracker feedback that it’s drinking window tipped at 2023. Could not disagree more. This - nearly in 2026 - is drinking FABULOUSLY. Not a hint of bricking. Deep, dark, blue and black fruit but still fresh and surprisingly mouthwatering. Really great.

2012 vintage

Drink. This one is past it’s peak. There still some good flavors, but it becoming very unbalanced with some off flavors coming through and a rough finish.

2009 vintage

Bright cherry with herbaceous notes. Purchased at the winery and structure held up extremely well. Wish I had purchased more. Enjoyed with roasted salmon.

2009 vintage

Pleasant surprise for me - bought these way back at release and have never tired one. Red fruits with lots of earthiness on the finish and enough acidity to keep it fresh. I don't think this is over the hill at all, but starting to show more interesting notes, but if primary fruit is your "jam" than probably time to drink up.

2009 vintage

Nice Pinot but for me - past it's prime.... Decent body, little bit of tannins remain however, disconnect between the fruit and the tannins remaining... Not up to other Shea Pinots I've experienced.. For this bottle of wine, ten years seems like a long time..

2009 vintage

Savory dark fruit with some umami characteristics and and excellent finish.

2012 vintage

Soft, very ready, rich, lush raspberry.

2009 vintage

Dark fruit intensifying into the mid palate. Medium long finish. Great expression of Pommard

2012 vintage

Good fruit up front but goes flat on the back. No complexity that seemed to be there before. Aging issue?

2012 vintage

Cherry cola and cream soda and booze (15.2%!); sweet, very rich, and definitely new world (Willamette meets Carneros?); quality of fruit and terroir is high, but winemaking style is not for everyone

2009 vintage

Good, rich, soft fruit, but slight cork taint that wasn't prominent at first, but became more and more evident as the evening progressed. A shame. The cork itself seemed OK but for a slight softness on the interior end.

2009 vintage

Really beautiful dark fruit great Expression of the 2012 vintage. Soft tannins lead to a fine satisfying finish

2012 vintage

What a great expression of Yamhill-Carlton AVA and Willamette Valley fruit. Dark fruit profile with deep blue (especially) and black fruits. Full-bodied, but light on its feet (not heavy or over-extracted). Long, satisfying finish. Outstanding.

2012 vintage

Pretty consistent with previous notes. As bold of an OR pinot as I've had lately. Picking up the cola notes of other tasters. Very nice. Some air definitely helped it open up.

2009 vintage

cola, cherry. elegantly structured. Beautiful medium bodied, ruby. A very Oregon Pinot Noir.

2009 vintage

Opened first bottle last night and was not disappointed. First taste since pre-release pouring at the winery over Memorial Day weekend. On the palate it's a medium-bodied (+) with with dark fruits and a rich and satisfying finish. A delightful wine for with for those who have an appreciation for Pinot towards the darker side, with less emphasis on bright red fruits. Glad I have a few more bottles.

2012 vintage

Willamette Valley for Memorial day weekend and a peak at 2012; 5/25/2013-5/26/2013 : Barrel sample. Very nice vibrant fruit aromas. Pleasing and beautifully soft aromas, but there is certainly a sense of extraction. Rich, vibrant palate and quite modern. Soft but it feels soft to the point of being dull. Decent acidity and moderate length on the finish, but there's a lot of alcohol and strange leanness considering the round ball of fruit this is. (87-90 points)

2012 vintage

Big, deep and dark OR pinot. Great nose of cherry cola, dark fruit, butterscotch. Full and rich in the mouth with ripe red and black fruit, a little coffee note and a streak of minerality that gives it complexity. A big wine. Nice long finish.

2009 vintage

Definitely coming into its own now. Huge Pinot for Oregon. Darker and serious. Very smooth. Deep bing cherry and some brown sugar notes (but vibrant too). My favorite Shea to date.

2009 vintage

One of the best 09s I've had the pleasure to enjoy to date... wish I had bought more!

2009 vintage

A darker garnet that is smooth and silky with refined tannins. Offering mostly dark cherry, blueberry and other dark fruits, seems poised for relatively long life. Very easy and comfortable in the mouth with no harsh edges. Bold, particularly for Oregon, and would easily be mistaken for California. From the list at Aria in Atlanta.

2009 vintage

Dark, smooth, satin, deep cherry

2009 vintage

Still a little young.

2009 vintage