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Vineyard: Shea Wine Cellars

Region: Oregon

Shea Vineyard has been declared one of only ten “American Grand Crus” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The vineyard’s grapes make some of Oregon’s top rated wines, including wines from Beaux Freres, St Innocent, Penner-Ash, Broadley, Bergstrom, and Francis Tannahill. The Shea Vineyard name has become one of the most prestigious labels in Oregon, placing it squarely among the elite terroirs of New World Pinot noir.

Owners Dick and Deidre Shea are in the enviable position of picking and choosing the wineries they supply. And in 1999, they started making their own wines, under the Shea Wine Cellars label.

Shea Vineyard was first planted to wine grapes in the late 1980s. Today Shea Vineyard is a 200-acre property with 140 planted acres. 135 of these acres are planted to Pinot noir vines and the balance is planted to Chardonnay. The south-facing vineyard sits at an elevation of 400-600 feet, and the property lies at the heart of Oregon’s new Yamhill-Carlton District AVA.

Shea Vineyard fruit is highly sought after, and the vineyard supplies Pinot noir grapes to some of Oregon’s and California’s finest wineries. Roughly 10% of the Pinot noir fruit produced each year by Shea Vineyard is used by Shea Wine Cellars for its releases. The other 90% of the Pinot noir fruit is sold to some of the finest winemakers in Oregon and California.

Shea Vineyard emcompasses two hills, called “East” and West”, separated by a steep valley containing native plants and trees. Within the two hill’s 36 some blocks are many areas of uncultivated native plants and trees. A dense groundcover of native plants holds the soil in place.

Additional Information

Country United States
Region

Oregon

Oregon is a land of majestic mountains, undulating hillsides, fertile river valleys and spectacular seashores. The state straddles the temperate 45th North Latitude-as does the Burgundy region of France-offering conditions ideal for the production of world class grapes.

In Europe’s premium winegrowing regions, grape varieties are most valued when planted at the northern margin of suitability.
Oregon’s combination of northern latitude, occasional marine breezes and long hours of sunshine create warm summer days and a gently cooling autumn. Her noble grape varieties ripen gradually under moderate temperatures, leading to the production of memorable wines.  The slow progression to maturity allows the wine grapes to display their full character.

Rainfall in Oregon’s winegrowing areas occurs primarily in late fall and winter, with the Willamette Valley actually having less precipitation during the growing season than the Burgundy region of France. Southern Oregon will surprise many with its warmer climate varietals.

Unique growing conditions and favorable clay-loam soils have fostered Oregon’s rapid emergence as one of the world’s finest wine growing regions. Since Oregon’s wine renaissance in the 1960s, both the acreage of winegrapes and the renown of Oregon wines have grown meteorically.