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2008 Pinot Noir, Shea Vineyard, special selection
Release Date: 9/2010 Price:sold as a future, Re-Release price $89 Production Notes: The grapes were fermented in a Burgundy oak fermenter after two days of cold maceration. The wine aged French oak barrels for 16 months before bottling. The Special Selection was selected from the four best barrels. This unique cuvée represents the most rigorous selection of grapes and wines in each vintage. A maximum of 98 cases are produced and this wine is available for sale only as a future. This Pinot noir complements sweet meat entrees - lamb chops, filet, grilled salmon. When served young, this wine is best decanted or allowed to breathe for several hours. It is drinkable at release and will benefit from aging up to 12 years.
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Winemaker Notes
In the past, we offered Pinot noir futures to ensure that our out-of-state customers could purchase small production wines before they sold out. In 1999 we began offering another type of future, a unique bottling of a small number of the best barrels from the vintage's best lots of Pinot noir. Two to four barrels are selected from the 30 or so barrels of one single vineyard offering and bottled as a special cuvées. These cuvées are sold only at the winery as futures. They represent the best wine of the vintage and are always age worthy.
In 2002, we purchased our first French oak, Burgundy style fermenters. In my Harvest Report, I described the fermentation aromas in the wood tank as the best I have ever smelled. I am convinced that grapes fermented in wooden Burgundy fermenters capture more of the nuances of Pinot noir and produce more complex wines. The Special Selection now always come from lots fermented in these French oak fermenters.
2008 was as close to a perfect vintage as Oregon can produce. Although bloom was very late, later than in any vintage over the past 25 years, the weather throughout the growing season was perfectly balanced. Just enough sun, just enough rain, not too cold, and not too hot. The fall was sunny and cool. These are perfect conditions to provide healthy fruit with complex flavors and a good backbone of acidity. A winemaker can ask for nothing more. At that point it is up to us to make the wine Mother Nature provided.
Tasting Notes
The 2008 Shea Special Selection has dense aromas of red and dark red fruits and dark flowers with hints of cedar, ginger, nutmeg, and tobacco. Its flavors are rich and deep, but not heavy with the same mix of red and black fruits dominating the mouth. The spice and floral components serve to add dimension to the sweetness of the fruit. Its very broad texture flows over your tongue and palate exposing the nuances of its diverse flavors. Its substantial tannins are ripe, fine and serve to underscore the exceptional balance that the vintage 2008 provided.
Given the balance, complexity and structure of the '08 Shea Special Selection, it can be enjoyed after adequate aeration at release, but will gain focus with 2-10 years of bottle age. The optimal window for enjoyment is between 2016 and 2020.
Futures are offered beginning Thanksgiving weekend. A maximum of 98 cases are available for sale. Sold in six bottle lots, the finished wine will be available for pick-up (or shipped) in September 2010.