Shea Wine Cellars Block 5 Pinot noir 09

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 92 points

The 2009 Pinot Noir Block 5 is made from Dijon Clone 777. It reveals a wine with greater sweetness of fruit, more complexity, and outstanding depth and concentration. It has enough ripe tannin to evolve for 1-2 years and will deliver pleasure through 2019 if not longer.

Dick Shea has more than 20 clients for the fruit he grows at his large Yamhill-Carlton estate, most of whom vineyard designate the resulting wine. More often than not, it is the best wine in their respective portfolios and the one that sells out the most quickly. Currently Shea retains 25% of the fruit to go under the winery label. The wines are made by the talented Drew Voit with the vineyards managed by Javier Marin. - Jay Miller

A big wine that holds its focus, Shea's Block 5 09 leaps out of the glass with ripe blueberry, cherry and currant, adding accents of rose petals and dried herbs on the finish. Full-bodied and rich, this aims to please. - Marcus

Block 5 is a on a steep south facing slope on the East Hill of Shea Vineyard.

Shea Vineyard is a 200 acre vineyard in Yamhill County, Oregon, owned by Dick and Deidre Shea. It is, by almost universal account, the most highly regarded vineyard in Oregon.

Shea sells grapes to some of Oregon's best wineries, and the vineyard has a reputation for producing some of the best Pinot noirs in the world, from such winemakers as Ken Wright and Mike Etzel of Beaux Freres. Shea planted the original 100-acre vineyard in 1988 and 1989 on its own roots, but has been systematically replanting with grafted vines over the past few years in response to phylloxera.