Shea Wine Cellars

We have sampled more bottles of Pinot Noir than all the other wine varieties combined. We tend to be prejudiced towards the Oregon Pinots, so that's where our attention goes when we enter a wine shop. Over time, I seemed to frequently notice Shea Vineyard written on the labels of different wineries. I decided to do a little research and discovered that there was indeed an independent Shea Vineyards and that 75% of their production was sold to other vintners. Now it started to make sense, but then I got to wondering about the other 25%.

Wondering was as far as it got until one day I found a bottle of Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir on the shelf of a local wine store. If the grapes grown in their vineyards were responsible for good Pinots from other wineries, I wondered how good a wine the grapes they kept for themselves would make. I decided right then and there that I needed to try a bottle.

I have had many very good Pinots, but the bottle of Shea Wine Cellars I purchased that day contained (in my memory at least) the best. To this day if someone asks me what was the best Pinot Noir I've ever had, my first thought is Shea. I went back to the store and they only had two bottles remaining on the shelf. I got both. No subsequent disappointment. Every sip was exquisite.

I have tried many times since to find more, but to no avail. Much of their production is presold and it appears not much of it reaches the shelves (at least not around here). I guess I'll have to get on their mailing list and purchase a case or two while it's still in the ground. After it's properly aged and bottled, it will be shipped to me for cellaring. Maybe by the time I'm eligible for Medicare, I'll be able to once again enjoy the magnificence of a Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir.

Update

Since originally writing this review and our subsequent trip to Oregon, I have had the pleasure of encountering Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir in a couple of restaurants. I have also broken down and occasionally ordered some bottles online from the Oregon Pinot Noir Club. It's good to know that perseverance pays.