Raptor Ridge Shea Vineyard Pinot noir 2010 375ml

375 ml, half size bottle size.

Ripe and dark fruit driven, Raptor's Shea Vineyard Pinot will please any Shea fan. Dark cherries, black currants and blackberries mesh with vanilla, tobacco, and violets to create a robust Pinot. - Marcus

From the winery -

Inky red with fuschia colored rim. Something classy & refined in the nose! A concentration of ripe bing cherries & fresh cream. Silky texture, expansive on the pallet. Lush opening on the pallet, then tightens to a great balance of focusing acidity and modest tannins. Lengthy finish with good oak integration, hints of dried tobacco leaf, cranberry and blackberries. Meaty.

Previous Vintage Tasting Notes

2008 was a miraculous year, unlike any other experienced in our 20 years of making wine in Oregon. To be certain, the wines from this vintage will be very good. To be sure, the weather was a gift of nature. As a cool spring delayed bud break by at least 3 weeks, there was considerable angst among Willamette Valley winegrowers who were sure they would be harvesting in the heavy October rains. The ‘belly’ of the summer delivered ample heat units to almost ripen the vintage by early October. Yet, we still were worried about October rains and the ensuing rot … and the fruit wasn’t quite ripe. Miraculously, late October 2008 had gentle daytime temperatures in the high 70’s and cold nighttime temps in the 30’s. Our fruit ripened fully and deeply, but very slowly without developing high sugars (that would result in hot tasting alcohols).

In short-- perfect finishing conditions all the way through Oct. 29th when our last vineyards were picked. And, no dry ice was needed to chill our incoming fruit for the fermenters, as morning fruit temps were in the low 30’s already.

In The Vineyard

Since 1996, we have sourced fruit from Dick Shea and his eponymous vineyard. These last 5 vintages have all been sourced from Block 11-- clone 115 Pinot noir on 4455M rootstock. In 2008-- Grapes were harvest on a very cold, early morning on October 11th at 24.9 Brix (glu/fru), 3.43 pH, and 4.7 TA. Fruit was delivered to the winery at ~38 degrees so no dry ice was added for any additional chilling.

Fermentation & Elevage

All grapes were hand-sorted with the best clusters (about 12%) set aside for laying into the fermenters as whole cluster additions. The remaining fruit was destemmed with ~70% whole berries and the whole clusters being layered into each tank as the fermenters were progressively filled. Tartaric acid was added at the modest rate of ½ gram per liter, along with 15 grams per ton of Lafase HE Gran Cru enzyme, producing structured wines designed for cellaring that are rich in coloring and with elegant tannins.

After four days of cold soak, the fermenters were warmed to 74F and inoculated with a diverse range of commercial yeasts: 71B, BRG, and Williams Selyem. A long steady fermentation with peak tank temperatures of ~86F ensued, and wines were pressed off the skins on Oct. 29th-- a total of 18 days (including cold soak). Wines were aged in French Oak barrels, 35% of which were new, 29% were neutral, and the remainder of which were 22% once filled, 3% twice filled, and 4% thrice filled. A range of quality cooperage was employed: Remond, Ermitage, Siruge, Seguim Moreau, Damy, and Billion.

Raptor Ridge Shea Vineyard Pinot noir 07 - The color of this wine is remarkable: dark garnet with a gem-like clarity. The Shea 2007 boasts aromas of juicy pomegranate and beeswax, with a bit of the classic "forest floor" mossy sandalwood perfume that has been common with Shea across the vintages. This young wine is amazingly ready to drink upon release, reminding us of a bowl of fresh Oregon blackberries and cream. More time in the bottle would only allow the ripe, polished tannins, framboise core, and black pepper finish to soften and lengthen. - the winery