Dark ruby color. Deep, intense fruit but nice support from the acidity. Dark but bright fruit & some forest flavors. No sign of decline. Nice with gumbo. 91-92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We came to this bottle with high expectations as 2012 St Innocent's have been drinking really well for a while. This particular bottle was fine, but seemed to be tight and holding a bit back. Properly stored since purchase shortly after release.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium dark red color. PNP, Drank a couple glasses over 2 hours for Thanksgiving with family. Oh my, this is so earthy, deep forest floor, red berries, strawberry, really red fruited, wood spice, spcie cake, cranberry, very long. Beautiful and worth the wait. 93+ to 94pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ruby color. Nose of red raspberry and black cherry fruit, violets, earthy stone. Big swath of dark berry fruit on the palate, quite ripe and concentrated but a bit monolithic at this stage. Moderate acidity and firm tannin. Medium length finish of luscious red and black fruit with earthy tones and a bit of heat. Very good at present with more in store with additional years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wonderful PN from the 2012 Williamette valley vintage. Fruit nose of dark berry is still present even on 3rd night open. Only a little bit of lighter ruby on the rim . The cork had only a 1/16 inch run. Beautifully structured with berry, dark cherry fruit supported by excellent acidity and a slight note of earth on the finish. Just as vibrant on night three as on night one indicating it is in a good stage for consumption but will still be good in another five years. Love this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark crimson with lightening around the rim. Dark berries, florals, underbrush and hint of spice on the nose. Palate shows bitter-sweet black cherries and plums, medium acidity and a spicy and earthy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium red color. Aerated into glasses, drank a glass over an hour. Cherry, red berries, strongly spiced, underbrush, dried earth tones, less perfumed; medium bodied. Very good, not quite as expressive as the last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another great bottle of this Oregon Pinot Noir! I gave similar notes to my last bottle that I had earlier this year. It has nice berry fruit, including some sour cherry and raspberries. The tannins are mellow but present along with the acidity. It is a complex wine with a full mouthfeel. Should last for a while in a cool cellar. Alas, this was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Return: The Monthly Big Group Comes Back (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium red color. Double decanted for about 30 minutes. Drank a glass blind over 45 minutes. Supple cherry and raspberry fruits, ripe, open, floral and perfumed, a hint of vanillin, briary, dank earth. On the palate, medium bodied plus, red cherry, mineral, briary, earthy, raspberry, nice tannins. Drinking really nicely, but managed to miss it was my wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Single Blind Burgundy vs Oregon (Ciao Bella): A really small pour, spice earth, not tannic or big but the fruit is slightly dark, as is the color. This drank very well, smooth and was consistent with my impression of St. Innocent. See ROCKNROLLER for treatment, this either got some air or the bottle was sitting for a while before it got to me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slo-oxed for 30 minutes, but benefitted from more air time as it was more integrated and enjoyable after one hour. The color was a light ruby. After some initial "funk" blows off, the nose yields red berry fruits. The medium bodied palate also yields those brighter red fruits, along with darker red fruits, spice, and some earth, with lively acidity. Enjoyable now - with air - and can probably hold for another several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Yes, a great Oregon Pinot Noir! Lots of nice berry fruit, including some sour cherry and raspberries. The tannins are mellow but present along with the acidity. It is a complex wine with a full mouthfeel. Should last for a while in a cool cellar.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
If you still have this wine in your cellar you are very lucky. Excellent. The whole glass comes together in a beautifully elegant and linear experience from aroma to the aftertaste in your mouth. Beautiful bright fruit, well integrated alcohol and tannins and it is still quite powerful after eight years. Drank over several days. It will be quite good for several years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
BIG muscular O-noir that's built for ageing and I probably opened it up just about at the start of the drinking window. Deep dark fleshy fruit with a nice touch of supporting minerality and acids.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted again and still a great wine - strawberry on the nose, candied cherries and background spice on the pallet- a bit more intensity than when previously tasted. Glad to have enjoyed this one over the years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
P/P (likely a mistake): plenty of stuffing and more integrated than when i last tasted this in 2015, albeit it still has some young/primary components. A bit of herb and tea; good typicity; this still has upside.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After decanting: Fruit driven with balanced acidity. Earth and minerality take a back seat. More CA than FR in this OR (Willamette V.) Pinot noir. 90
Four hours decanted I’ve returned to a spectacular transition - from fruit forward to fresh acidity, tannins showing, finish is long and wonderful. As for my original thoughts, I must recant upon decant. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is an excellent Willamette Valley Pinot that will last for several more years, probably through 2023. The wine tasted quite different before and after a two-hour decant. I agree with Neal Martin's comment that it is "surprisingly backward toward the finish" right out of the bottle, but with the decant the finish was smooth and uninterrupted, with lots of dark fruit flavors from the nose to the palate straight through to the next sip! I have two more bottles and will save them for a couple years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP, consumed over two nights. Time has definitely improved this, although it will probably always be too bold for my tastes. Mid+ weight, Mid acid. 14%
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Much in agreement with jasonh below - i was way to quick to judge this wine in its earlier days as things have really rounded into form. Dark and brooding, this maintains a great balance and synergy between cassis esque Pinot fruit and a terrific spicy underbelly. I drank my three bottles too soon, but glad to see what this Shea really had in store.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I was quick to judge the 2012s and I am still glad that I was selective in my purchases, but this wine proves that well made 2012s are something special. This wine has shed the baby fat and is a wonderful combination of hedonistic fruit and the compelling nuances of Oregon pinot noir. Red berries on the front end and finishing with dark berries and earth. Tannins and acid keep this in great balance where I never got tired of it. Had over 2 nights. This wine should last a long time but I love the zone it is entering.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2012 Blind Pinot Introspective Retrospective (Chicago, IL): Tasted single blind. A big, yum nose with richer, riper black cherry fruit. Palate is smooth and rich with concentrated black and red cherry. Good balancing tannin makes for a silky texture in the finish. Very nice, if a bit simple and easy drinking. I guessed Cali. 4 guesses for Cali, and 2 for Oregon so clearly identifiable as new world. My #11, Group's #9.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Similar note and experience to my last bottle. Served out of a Riedel Pinot extreme (love these!) - a wine to drink sooner than later, liked but. Didn't love it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I can't imagine this getting any better, although I suppose it might. Bright cherry fruit, excellent balance with hints of dried rosemary and cloves. Long in the finish and a silky texture. Classic of this vineyard.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hrs. A bit of funk or even brett notes on the nose, but died off after a good hour or so to allow some nice rose spice and vanilla bean to shine. Dark and extracted, there is abundance of black currant fruit, cloves a round tannic structure, and plenty of other material material to offer immediate appeal. After some time, an underlying structure began to emerge, which flowed all the way to the finish. Hard to articulate, but it was there. I really don't know what to think of the drinking window on this so will probably drink sooner (over the next 3 to 6 years) to play it safe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Poured through aerator and drank over 2+ hours; aromas and flavors really evolved over that time ranging from cranberry to dark berries to middle-eastern spices and finally to vanilla beans; very enjoyable
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Gorgeous pinot nose with notes of vanilla. Palate showing some tannins, though soft. Medium body and richness. Good pinot spice and flavors, and some complexity. Could gain complexity and improve for a year or two. Very enjoyable, but won't be a deep, complex or profound wine. Would not expect this to be long lived -- drink over next one to four years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted thru an aerator for 60 minutes and drank over next 3 hours. Dark, opaque, especially for an Oregon Pinot. Dark fruits with red berry overtones. Lots of things going on. This one will only improve with a few more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Full dark fruits, gravelly, light toasted oak ambience with velvety tannins. It was all very well intregrated, and probably will continue to improve for several years, but superb now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PHMG WAG: 2012 Oregon Pinot Noir (Lyon Den): Another nice Shea from St I; it's deep, silky, and long. Starts and ends with juicy red cherries, mixed in with spice, earth, and floral notes. Now - 2019
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One of the best young pinots I've tasted, this wine is excellent and could garner an even higher score after cellaring a few years. Bursting the nose and pallet with bright bing cherries, this wine also offers a subtle background of gunpowder and mushrooms, which I expect will meld together with abundant berry fruit even better down the road. This is a big pinot, but without being over-the-top thick or extracted. The 2012 St Innocent Shea offers a long, delicious finish and is representative of the outstanding 2012 Willamette vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/6/2024 - aChave wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby color. Deep, intense fruit but nice support from the acidity. Dark but bright fruit & some forest flavors. No sign of decline. Nice with gumbo. 91-92
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2023 - thalver wrote:
We came to this bottle with high expectations as 2012 St Innocent's have been drinking really well for a while. This particular bottle was fine, but seemed to be tight and holding a bit back. Properly stored since purchase shortly after release.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Medium dark red color. PNP, Drank a couple glasses over 2 hours for Thanksgiving with family. Oh my, this is so earthy, deep forest floor, red berries, strawberry, really red fruited, wood spice, spcie cake, cranberry, very long. Beautiful and worth the wait. 93+ to 94pts.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/9/2023 - DougLee wrote: 90 Points
Ruby color. Nose of red raspberry and black cherry fruit, violets, earthy stone. Big swath of dark berry fruit on the palate, quite ripe and concentrated but a bit monolithic at this stage. Moderate acidity and firm tannin. Medium length finish of luscious red and black fruit with earthy tones and a bit of heat. Very good at present with more in store with additional years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful PN from the 2012 Williamette valley vintage. Fruit nose of dark berry is still present even on 3rd night open. Only a little bit of lighter ruby on the rim . The cork had only a 1/16 inch run. Beautifully structured with berry, dark cherry fruit supported by excellent acidity and a slight note of earth on the finish. Just as vibrant on night three as on night one indicating it is in a good stage for consumption but will still be good in another five years. Love this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2022 - devraj Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark crimson with lightening around the rim. Dark berries, florals, underbrush and hint of spice on the nose. Palate shows bitter-sweet black cherries and plums, medium acidity and a spicy and earthy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Medium red color. Aerated into glasses, drank a glass over an hour. Cherry, red berries, strongly spiced, underbrush, dried earth tones, less perfumed; medium bodied. Very good, not quite as expressive as the last bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2021 - Ed B wrote: 93 Points
Drank as part of tasting of 16 Shea Vineyard Pinots from 7 producers over 6 vintages. It finished 4th with a average of 92.67.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/3/2021 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
Another great bottle of this Oregon Pinot Noir! I gave similar notes to my last bottle that I had earlier this year. It has nice berry fruit, including some sour cherry and raspberries. The tannins are mellow but present along with the acidity. It is a complex wine with a full mouthfeel. Should last for a while in a cool cellar. Alas, this was my last bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
The Return: The Monthly Big Group Comes Back (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium red color. Double decanted for about 30 minutes. Drank a glass blind over 45 minutes. Supple cherry and raspberry fruits, ripe, open, floral and perfumed, a hint of vanillin, briary, dank earth. On the palate, medium bodied plus, red cherry, mineral, briary, earthy, raspberry, nice tannins. Drinking really nicely, but managed to miss it was my wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/23/2021 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Single Blind Burgundy vs Oregon (Ciao Bella): A really small pour, spice earth, not tannic or big but the fruit is slightly dark, as is the color. This drank very well, smooth and was consistent with my impression of St. Innocent. See ROCKNROLLER for treatment, this either got some air or the bottle was sitting for a while before it got to me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/25/2021 - VlgJeff wrote: 91 Points
Slo-oxed for 30 minutes, but benefitted from more air time as it was more integrated and enjoyable after one hour. The color was a light ruby. After some initial "funk" blows off, the nose yields red berry fruits. The medium bodied palate also yields those brighter red fruits, along with darker red fruits, spice, and some earth, with lively acidity. Enjoyable now - with air - and can probably hold for another several years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2021 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yes, a great Oregon Pinot Noir! Lots of nice berry fruit, including some sour cherry and raspberries. The tannins are mellow but present along with the acidity. It is a complex wine with a full mouthfeel. Should last for a while in a cool cellar.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2021 - agsdlswine wrote: 91 Points
Excellent Oregon Pinot bigger & fruitier than most.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2020 - Yaozi Likes this wine: 94 Points
If you still have this wine in your cellar you are very lucky. Excellent. The whole glass comes together in a beautifully elegant and linear experience from aroma to the aftertaste in your mouth. Beautiful bright fruit, well integrated alcohol and tannins and it is still quite powerful after eight years. Drank over several days. It will be quite good for several years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2020 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 91 Points
BIG muscular O-noir that's built for ageing and I probably opened it up just about at the start of the drinking window. Deep dark fleshy fruit with a nice touch of supporting minerality and acids.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2020 - Will Hansen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great structure, fruit and acidity
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2020 - Dough Boy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted again and still a great wine - strawberry on the nose, candied cherries and background spice on the pallet- a bit more intensity than when previously tasted. Glad to have enjoyed this one over the years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2019 - wabi47 Likes this wine: 91 Points
P/P (likely a mistake): plenty of stuffing and more integrated than when i last tasted this in 2015, albeit it still has some young/primary components. A bit of herb and tea; good typicity; this still has upside.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2019 - nrk99 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Requires decanting and time
After decanting: Fruit driven with balanced acidity. Earth and minerality take a back seat. More CA than FR in this OR (Willamette V.) Pinot noir. 90
Four hours decanted I’ve returned to a spectacular transition - from fruit forward to fresh acidity, tannins showing, finish is long and wonderful. As for my original thoughts, I must recant upon decant. 95
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2019 - Yaozi Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is an excellent Willamette Valley Pinot that will last for several more years, probably through 2023. The wine tasted quite different before and after a two-hour decant. I agree with Neal Martin's comment that it is "surprisingly backward toward the finish" right out of the bottle, but with the decant the finish was smooth and uninterrupted, with lots of dark fruit flavors from the nose to the palate straight through to the next sip! I have two more bottles and will save them for a couple years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/3/2018 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP, consumed over two nights. Time has definitely improved this, although it will probably always be too bold for my tastes. Mid+ weight, Mid acid. 14%
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2018 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Much in agreement with jasonh below - i was way to quick to judge this wine in its earlier days as things have really rounded into form. Dark and brooding, this maintains a great balance and synergy between cassis esque Pinot fruit and a terrific spicy underbelly. I drank my three bottles too soon, but glad to see what this Shea really had in store.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/2/2018 - jasonh Likes this wine: 94 Points
I was quick to judge the 2012s and I am still glad that I was selective in my purchases, but this wine proves that well made 2012s are something special. This wine has shed the baby fat and is a wonderful combination of hedonistic fruit and the compelling nuances of Oregon pinot noir. Red berries on the front end and finishing with dark berries and earth. Tannins and acid keep this in great balance where I never got tired of it. Had over 2 nights. This wine should last a long time but I love the zone it is entering.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2017 - jhieb Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light, but undoubtedly Shea.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2017 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
2012 Blind Pinot Introspective Retrospective (Chicago, IL): Tasted single blind. A big, yum nose with richer, riper black cherry fruit. Palate is smooth and rich with concentrated black and red cherry. Good balancing tannin makes for a silky texture in the finish. Very nice, if a bit simple and easy drinking. I guessed Cali. 4 guesses for Cali, and 2 for Oregon so clearly identifiable as new world. My #11, Group's #9.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Chicago Wine Flock...Rich Tests Our Pinot Noir Chops (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted single blind. Others liked this wine, but I found it dirty/ bretty with a lean and uninteresting finish. I will have to open one from my cellar in the next year to see if tonight's bottle is representative. 83 points for me tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2017 - MdeCarabas wrote:
Dinner at Harvest
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2017 - Dale M wrote: 90 Points
Similar note and experience to my last bottle. Served out of a Riedel Pinot extreme (love these!) - a wine to drink sooner than later, liked but. Didn't love it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2016 - tom_wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
I can't imagine this getting any better, although I suppose it might. Bright cherry fruit, excellent balance with hints of dried rosemary and cloves. Long in the finish and a silky texture. Classic of this vineyard.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/17/2016 - Sellar Rat Likes this wine:
Powerful, interesting nose, but alcohol is beginning to poke through. Better popped & poured. I think it's beginning to come apart. Drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2016 - shorty01 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A joy to drink and will improve with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2016 - shelmar wrote:
really good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2016 - ifishtoo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still young but oh so nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2015 - wabi47 wrote: 89 Points
plenty of ripe dark fruit, with cassis and stuffing. Still a bit young and sharp, albeit with good upside.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2015 - Dale M wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. A bit of funk or even brett notes on the nose, but died off after a good hour or so to allow some nice rose spice and vanilla bean to shine. Dark and extracted, there is abundance of black currant fruit, cloves a round tannic structure, and plenty of other material material to offer immediate appeal. After some time, an underlying structure began to emerge, which flowed all the way to the finish. Hard to articulate, but it was there. I really don't know what to think of the drinking window on this so will probably drink sooner (over the next 3 to 6 years) to play it safe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/22/2015 - jwolf99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Poured through aerator and drank over 2+ hours; aromas and flavors really evolved over that time ranging from cranberry to dark berries to middle-eastern spices and finally to vanilla beans; very enjoyable
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2015 - Dennis Graves wrote: 92 Points
Gorgeous pinot nose with notes of vanilla. Palate showing some tannins, though soft. Medium body and richness. Good pinot spice and flavors, and some complexity. Could gain complexity and improve for a year or two.
Very enjoyable, but won't be a deep, complex or profound wine. Would not expect this to be long lived -- drink over next one to four years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2015 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good but not brilliant. Probably needs time. Decanted. 14%
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2015 - Weston3220 Likes this wine:
Youthful, loads of red fruit and a cranberry acidity restrained nose, needs more side ways time
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2014 - Ed B Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted thru an aerator for 60 minutes and drank over next 3 hours. Dark, opaque, especially for an Oregon Pinot. Dark fruits with red berry overtones. Lots of things going on. This one will only improve with a few more years in the cellar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2014 - joekroe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Full dark fruits, gravelly, light toasted oak ambience with velvety tannins. It was all very well intregrated, and probably will continue to improve for several years, but superb now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/4/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Willamette with a touch of Wedding Planning (or vice versa); 7/2/2014-7/4/2014 (Willamette Valley): Very strong backbone to this wine, great fruit, a lot of tannins, still the cherry, but riper than a lot of the other ones. Very different than the '11, but still get the lineage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2014 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
PHMG WAG: 2012 Oregon Pinot Noir (Lyon Den): Another nice Shea from St I; it's deep, silky, and long. Starts and ends with juicy red cherries, mixed in with spice, earth, and floral notes. Now - 2019
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2014 - Dough Boy Likes this wine: 94 Points
One of the best young pinots I've tasted, this wine is excellent and could garner an even higher score after cellaring a few years. Bursting the nose and pallet with bright bing cherries, this wine also offers a subtle background of gunpowder and mushrooms, which I expect will meld together with abundant berry fruit even better down the road. This is a big pinot, but without being over-the-top thick or extracted. The 2012 St Innocent Shea offers a long, delicious finish and is representative of the outstanding 2012 Willamette vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment