St. Innocent is one of many Oregon Pinot producers that offer several single-vineyard bottlings. They take great care to express the character of the growing site in their finished wines. The Shea Vineyard is a famed site in the Yamhill-Carlton district of the Willamette Valley. Several Oregon producers make wine from Shea fruit and the style of the vineyard shows through in all the wines. St. Innocent’s 2015 Shea Pinot is emblematic of the Shea style. The bouquet shows beautifully pure blackberry, black cherry and plum fruits interwoven with hints of smoke, vanilla, herbs and baking spices. On the palate, the pure, juicy fruit flavors reveal layers of ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit tones underlain by a rich texture and a long, spicy finish. This is a top-class Pinot Noir that has the capacity to age and improve, but it is delicious right now and would be an excellent companion for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
St. Innocent Winery, Yamhill-Carlton District (Willamette Valley, Oregon) Pinot Noir 2015
By Wayne Belding