Notes from memory of dinner last night. Medium ruby. Black cherry. Spicy nose with some heat despite only being 13.6%. Some tannic grip at the finish after a relatively light to medium build-up to that point.
I thought this was pretty good, and this bottle is ready to be consumed (but not over the hill) if you wish, but also could hang on for some time.
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Decanted for 1.5 hours; clean cork and minimal sediment in the bottle. Deep ruby color in the glass with a garnet rim. Aromas of cooked meat, tobacco, strawberry and raspberry. The palate is medium-bodied, with more meaty flavors, red cherry and loganberry. Acidity is medium, and tannins are medium but well integrated. The wine continues to improve with more time in the decanter/glass. Well made and quite delicious. Was a bit tight on first opening, so I suspect this still has plenty of life left.
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This wine was still lovely. Had a great fruit base of strawberry and bing cherry. Still full of life even 15 years in. These Shea Vineyard wines are remarkable
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A lot of Wines at Tommy's Clambake (again again) (Tommy's): Hey, this wine has finally come around and is ready to drink. Seems like it has taken 15 years and its only really been around 13. This bottle anyway was drinking great. Everything I want from this vineyard and producer and region. Good cherry, some sour cherry fruit. An underlying clean earthiness. Great freshness and acidity. Showing layers of complexity. I would imaging it has a decade and more left in it.
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Big full, brooding, masculine nose of dense black cherry, earth and loads of spice. Palate has medium bodied, concentrated black cherry. This is still really young and seems to have a lot of locked-up nuance/complexity that is just not ready to come out and play. Even still, it's an enjoyable and maturing pinot ... but my guess is that the best is yet to come.
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This still comes across as rather young and tight. Red fruits along with forest floor and some Provencal spices round out the nose and palate. Finish is a little simple, clearly tight, and a little clipped with some bitterness mixing in. Palate is lively with noticeable brightness to the fruit despite being >10yrs old. I think still needs some time to open up a bit more and resolve some structure.Becomes a little more earthy and less fruity/primary with air. On night 2 this fleshed out quite a bit on the palate and had a more pronounced nose. Very good.
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Unusual mix of dark berry, oak and tar along with some bitterness. Quite a bit of roughness on the palate with a firm structure and plenty of grip. Overall, tastes somewhat more like a pinot/shiraz than a pure pinot.
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It's been almost 10 years since I last opened one of these. Still on the upswing, this really fleshed out and improved with air. Bright, crisp, very balanced. Great Oregon pinot.
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A very mellow and mature wine. Pale red with a rust-orange around the edges. Subtle hints of fruit give way to leather, tobacco, and dried blue fruits. A bit tart and acidic upon opening but it balanced out after about 30 min of air. Smooth tannins.
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2002 Oregon Pinot Retro + Port/Madeira (JV's): Yeah, a St. Innocent that was close to being mature. Not quite, but close. Doesn't happen too often. Purple/ruby in color though a bit flat. The nose has spice, rosemary and cherries. The palate is very nice. It has a lovely texture followed by tannins. This is the only wine with still noticeable tannins. It has more black cherry fruit. This still drinks youthful but at least it seems to be getting there. I remarked that these wines seem to be like Dunn in Napa when it comes to aging.
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Burgs with the fellas (Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca.): Had this alongside the '02 Freedom Hill....similar dark fruit/spice, high toned cherry, cola, floral spice, dried cranberries. More acidic and tannins than the Freedom Hill.....wonderful dry dusty spice finish. Should age well here.
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Brick red. Earth and ethyl acetate are dominate. Soy and black cherry skin, dried cranberry. Slow building entry and very good sap in the middle. Bitter cherry/pit and earth, but rather green tannins that hit in the middle and finish. Med body and interesting pastille notes, but seems rather disjointed with the greeness.
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Again this was tight when opened and seemed to be a little high on the acid all night. Very enjoyable Night 2 - more open and the acid is very much in check. Some great fruit and just a touch of flowers and spice kick this up a couple of notches for me tonight. 94pts.
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Fantastic Pinot. This is still quite young, but it is beginning to show a lot of earthy character to accompany the still vibrant fruit. The balance is very good, and there's notable length to the flavors. This can be drunk with great pleasure now, and I suspect it has several years (perhaps even 10+ to stretch it a little) of life in it.
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Presumably a flawed body. Wet cardboard (thus, very llikley corked) on top of sour cherry and overbearing acidity. No better on day two, to give it full benefit of the doubt. Not consistent with other reviewers so I will not score
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Dark berry and wood nose with a whiff of alcohol. Like previous bottles, it is rich, full-bodied and just a bit soft, but with an acidic kick at the end. Flavors match the nose with addition of some earth and spice. Again not especially complex and more in the style of a California pinot. Finish is medium length at most -- starts off nice and then falls apart.
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all about alcohol when opened, but calms down after a while, and shows some of the energy of good old wine. secondary flavors are present on the palate, although the nose never really gels. enjoyable wine, although not something i would buy today.
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This bottle was rich, full-bodied and a bit soft. Ripe flavors of black and red berries, spice, earth and mushrooms. Very nice and complex flavor profile, with a plush mouthfeel and more in the style of a California pinot than an Oregon pinot. Seems that each bottle of this wine has had big, dark fruit, but a different profile in regard to tannins and acidity.
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Made fresh copper river salmon last night and wanted to drink some good domestic Pinot with it. Decided on this bottle and it was an absolute winner. Right out of the bottle, there is no way I would have guessed this as a US Pinot. Had all the class, acid, and finesse that I would expect from a Burgundy at this age. I'm sure that if served blind, many would be fooled into thinking this is a Burg. Dark deep crushed berry fruit with some very pronounced earth, mushroom and mossy flavors. Amazing acid structure and impressive density of flavor. This wine is huge without a hint of huge extraction. A brilliant wine. It's not until the wine comes up to room temp that the fruit fleshes out a bit and gets just a touch more forward. Highly recommended and I should try to backfill some older and recent vintages of St. Innocent Pinot. Can go for many, many years without sliding into decline. One of the very best US Pinots I have ever tasted.
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Decanted immediately prior to drinking. Deep, blood-red color. Earthy but clumsy on the nose with aromas of blood, plums, clay and tobacco. Very powerful and intense but, again, clumsy on the palate with flavors of red fruit and cocoa that didn't seem well integrated with the remaining tannin and acidity. Moderate finish. More complex than but completely outclassed by the 2005 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Monthelie that accompanied it.
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Classic Oregon aromatics. Intense fruit with a savory edge. Red fruit, floral and sage aromatics. Ripe, but balanced. Plush tannins nicely supported by the acidity. Very nice.
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Transparent medium ruby color. Potent nose of sour cherries, cranberries, tobacco and smoke. Classic palate in burgundian style -- red fruits, dark complementary notes, maybe a hint of orange peel. Laser-like acidity keeps things focused and fresh. This is rock-solid classic pinot, and better than I remember...
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This bottle was very different from several others I have had previously. The tannins have mellowed and revealed a somewhat structured wine, dominate by dark berry fruit flavors with a good dose of spice and wood. This bottle seemed somewhat subdued vs. prior bottles. Still lacking in complexity, but enjoyable
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Decanted for 3 hours and consumed over the following 2 hours. Very heavy sediment in the bottle. Very deep blood-red color with little fading at the rim. Dark, brooding nose of blood, cherries, earth, chocolate, and smoke. Very dense and heavy, but not jammy, on the palate with flavors of cocoa, red fruits, oak, and moderate tannins. Short finish. This is a good wine but it's too heavy, almost clumsy, to my taste for a pinot noir.
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Very concentrated, rich and fruity for a pinot - almost in the style of a California shiraz. Dark cherry and dark berry flavors with some spice, and with very good balance. Fully mature, but with lots of life left in it. Not especially complex, and not typical of an Oregon pinot, but very enjoyable.
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mature notes on the nose, a nice violet and dark fruit perfume. but this style of wine is not what i like in Pinot any longer - it's all fruit and way too simple to be memorable. this is perfectly pleasant, and way better then the 03 and certainly the 05 that i recently had. just not something that inspires me at this point.
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Consensus WOTN in blind tasting of OR PN. Certainly not old bones, but opening up and showing great right now. Tons of black cherry, spice, and floral notes on the nose. Very well integrated and pleasing mid-palate structure. Intense yet elegant, one of those wines you want to return to again and again.
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I then opened an '02 Shea a day after I had consumed an '02 Seven Springs -- and as expected, compared to the Seven Springs, the Shea was a MONSTER. It is an explosion of black cherry/berry with white pepper notes and some fairly youthful tannins. It is very rich, concentrated and tasty, but not very complex -- and probably never will be. The closest wine I have had to the Shea are some of the DuMol winesm and even they are not as powerful. Based on texture, color, and flavors - it tastes like someone poured some Shiraz into the Shea.
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Had at Lucio's in Houston. Loved it. Fantastic. Drinking well now. Nice spice and mixture of red and black fruits. Will be hard to keep my hand off my last bottle.
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FWIW, as opposed to my TN on this wine earlier this week, I had another bottle of this same win last night, taken directly from my cellar, and it was much better. It showed neither the heat nor the impression of wood that I recalled and TN'd earlier.
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Didn't take detailed notes, but this wine showed wonderfully - dark color, huge nose of dark pinot fruit with violets and blueberries. Palate is on the fullish side of medium bodied, packed with fruit and balanced by well integrated acids. Drink well now, could of used more time in the decanter. Will improveover the next several years and hold for some time. Nice.
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Took a half-bottle to dinner to pair with coq au vin. Ruby color. Nose was quite nice upon opening and got even ever, with cinnamon, tartness, blackberries, and cranberries in the mix. Palate was full of cool red berry fruit laced with a bit of extraction and plenty of lively acidity. Moderately long finish. Quite delicious right now but has the legs to improve for years yet.
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Started out pretty tight. After about 2 hours it opened up nicely. My guess is that there is much more to come with this one. Wait a couple of years or decant for at least 2 hours.
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Very well balanced now, and drinking great, though still on the primary side. Quite a lot of fruit for St. Innocent, all concentrated on the bright, red end of the spectrum. Great spine of acidity, long finish. Light oak spice. Very nice. Didn't budge over the course of the two hours we had it open.
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Medium ruby color. Dark raspberry/bing cherry nose. Palate is sour cherries and raspberries. Fair bit of acidity here leaves the wine edgy and the finish somewhat drying. Decent, if unspectacular.
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Popped and poured the first night...a little closed on the nose, but gained complexity with a little air...very nicely balanced and earthy with noticable acidity, but the fruit is all there. Still needs some time, as the next day the fruit really came through...Traditional pinot lovers will love this wine, as it represents the essence of pinot noir.
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Typical of the 2002 St. Innocents..we bought several of the bottlings. They have all been age-worthy and more serious pinot noirs than some from CA and OR. In this instance, the wine still seemed quite young--it was early to drink---. The nose was typical of these wines, but a bit closed. We always get that spice element and not the strawberry sweet light fruit of some other american PNs. In the mouth, that spice was there, with good tannins and complexity. The fruit was black cherry to us, but not at all sweet. But it did seem too soon, and was much better an hour or two later. We'll leave the remaining bottles for at least another year or two.
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This wine seemed to be closed down which is contrary to what other people have experienced. A nice bottle of pinot with red fruits and spice with smooth tannins, but the wine seemed muted.
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Great pinot nose. In the mouth, it started off pretty closed and somewhat thin without much finish. After some time, wine became fuller and much more enjoyable. Enough fruit to handle the alcohol. Wine had good acids, nice and vibrant. Primary flavors seemed to be black cherries with some spice. Another delicious Shea from St Innocent.
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Big cherry berry right from the start, well integrated tannins had blown off since last time I tasted (18 months ago), nice kick of spice in mid to late palate and great finish. This Pinot has a ton of personality, reminds me of a Pommard. Will still remain strong for 4-5 more years
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This is a winner it still needs more time though. Even with an hour in the decanter it was tight and a little tannic but oh the nose of terroir and dark fuit was a thing of beauty. The palate was black cherry with a little too much heat but with time it all settled nicely. The finish was long enough to hold your interest, but I would wait another year on the next one.
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Somewhat closed to begin with but within an hour opens up beautifuly. Enough acid to go with food but also very good by itself. Two days later the tannins have meelowed just a little but the acid has kicked up a notch - 89pts.
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I found this wine to be all that it is advertised to be. Cherries and spices on the nose, good acidity, and a multilayered and complex palate. Bright and focused fruit with full texture for a medium bodied wine. I was so sorry when the bottle was gone! I have only 2 more and will try to cellar them for another few years.
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Split this into two days. First glass was a heavy hitter, both on the nose and palate. This is not an appealing feature for a pinot (for me personally), so I let it sit for about an hour in the glass. Quite dark in color, w/ heavy perfume and blackberry off the nose. Was a bit over the top when tasting... really did not care for. Vacuvined and put in the fridge for the night. Pulled out next day, poured and let it warm up a bit. SO much better... more finesse. Soft berry on the palate, great nose. This needs time. Give it at least 2-3 years before trying.
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($30) Working in Salem: Touch of green funk and game on the nose over black fruit. More structured and less fruit-forward than the rest of the lineup. Okay. Probably could lay down for a bit.
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Memorial Day weekend in Willamette; 5/30/2004-5/31/2004 (Willamette Valley OR): Hard to assess. Both the aromatics and palate show a concentration that almost has a reductive character. Underlying fruit is excellent but is it too concentrated and ripe? Finished with great length and really good spice and dried fruit. For today I'd consider this "89 points" but really think there is some real charm that will emerge, so could see this as much as 5 points higher in 5 years.
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8/27/2021 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Last one and still as powerful as ever. Was real tight when opened and needed a couple hours to open up. Better on day two.
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7/21/2019 - 87tellub Likes this wine:
PnP.
Notes from memory of dinner last night. Medium ruby. Black cherry. Spicy nose with some heat despite only being 13.6%. Some tannic grip at the finish after a relatively light to medium build-up to that point.
I thought this was pretty good, and this bottle is ready to be consumed (but not over the hill) if you wish, but also could hang on for some time.
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12/27/2018 - LikeABC Likes this wine:
Fruit fading. Still has color, tannin, acid. Will see if it opens up
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1/7/2018 - yaki wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hours; clean cork and minimal sediment in the bottle. Deep ruby color in the glass with a garnet rim. Aromas of cooked meat, tobacco, strawberry and raspberry. The palate is medium-bodied, with more meaty flavors, red cherry and loganberry. Acidity is medium, and tannins are medium but well integrated. The wine continues to improve with more time in the decanter/glass. Well made and quite delicious. Was a bit tight on first opening, so I suspect this still has plenty of life left.
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8/19/2017 - LikeABC Likes this wine:
Great showing! Everything I want from a mature pinot (good color, no bricking, fruit, acid, tannins) with years left to go.
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1/21/2017 - gschneider Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine was still lovely. Had a great fruit base of strawberry and bing cherry. Still full of life even 15 years in. These Shea Vineyard wines are remarkable
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9/18/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
A lot of Wines at Tommy's Clambake (again again) (Tommy's): Hey, this wine has finally come around and is ready to drink. Seems like it has taken 15 years and its only really been around 13. This bottle anyway was drinking great. Everything I want from this vineyard and producer and region. Good cherry, some sour cherry fruit. An underlying clean earthiness. Great freshness and acidity. Showing layers of complexity. I would imaging it has a decade and more left in it.
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6/4/2016 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Big full, brooding, masculine nose of dense black cherry, earth and loads of spice. Palate has medium bodied, concentrated black cherry. This is still really young and seems to have a lot of locked-up nuance/complexity that is just not ready to come out and play. Even still, it's an enjoyable and maturing pinot ... but my guess is that the best is yet to come.
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3/12/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This still comes across as rather young and tight. Red fruits along with forest floor and some Provencal spices round out the nose and palate. Finish is a little simple, clearly tight, and a little clipped with some bitterness mixing in. Palate is lively with noticeable brightness to the fruit despite being >10yrs old. I think still needs some time to open up a bit more and resolve some structure.Becomes a little more earthy and less fruity/primary with air.
On night 2 this fleshed out quite a bit on the palate and had a more pronounced nose. Very good.
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11/21/2015 - rickspicks wrote:
Unusual mix of dark berry, oak and tar along with some bitterness. Quite a bit of roughness on the palate with a firm structure and plenty of grip. Overall, tastes somewhat more like a pinot/shiraz than a pure pinot.
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3/22/2015 - Nanda wrote: flawed
Corked like a mofo.
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1/12/2015 - Spencer wrote:
It's been almost 10 years since I last opened one of these. Still on the upswing, this really fleshed out and improved with air. Bright, crisp, very balanced. Great Oregon pinot.
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12/27/2014 - Lowridenn Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very mellow and mature wine. Pale red with a rust-orange around the edges. Subtle hints of fruit give way to leather, tobacco, and dried blue fruits. A bit tart and acidic upon opening but it balanced out after about 30 min of air. Smooth tannins.
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1/25/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 92 Points
2002 Oregon Pinot Retro + Port/Madeira (JV's): Yeah, a St. Innocent that was close to being mature. Not quite, but close. Doesn't happen too often. Purple/ruby in color though a bit flat. The nose has spice, rosemary and cherries. The palate is very nice. It has a lovely texture followed by tannins. This is the only wine with still noticeable tannins. It has more black cherry fruit. This still drinks youthful but at least it seems to be getting there. I remarked that these wines seem to be like Dunn in Napa when it comes to aging.
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11/4/2012 - Grinner wrote: 92 Points
16th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Same Old Place): May have benefitted from following the Bressan. It has deep cherry, berry, cola, and forest floor notes. Great balance and length.
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12/26/2011 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Pretty much the same as last note. Hold remaining bottles for a few years.
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6/22/2011 - smokie wrote: 92 Points
Still very young but very nice and developing some complexity
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5/13/2011 - jerhardt wrote: 93 Points
Really nice. Could be (and was) mistaken for an '02 burg from a slightly more modern producer. Substantially exceeded expectations.
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4/24/2011 - dave8989 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well right now. Paired with lamb is pure heaven.
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11/11/2010 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Burgs with the fellas (Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca.): Had this alongside the '02 Freedom Hill....similar dark fruit/spice, high toned cherry, cola, floral spice, dried cranberries. More acidic and tannins than the Freedom Hill.....wonderful dry dusty spice finish. Should age well here.
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7/17/2010 - limule wrote: 94 Points
Excellent- Marie-Jo
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5/11/2010 - ssouth wrote: 94 Points
really drinking well...no hurry but good now
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1/17/2010 - GretchenB wrote: 90 Points
Really delicious. Dry, balanced, lovely. Not overly fruit forward. Opens overtime but not overly tight to start.
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12/24/2009 - manga wrote: 89 Points
Brick red. Earth and ethyl acetate are dominate. Soy and black cherry skin, dried cranberry. Slow building entry and very good sap in the middle. Bitter cherry/pit and earth, but rather green tannins that hit in the middle and finish. Med body and interesting pastille notes, but seems rather disjointed with the greeness.
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12/23/2009 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Again this was tight when opened and seemed to be a little high on the acid all night. Very enjoyable Night 2 - more open and the acid is very much in check. Some great fruit and just a touch of flowers and spice kick this up a couple of notches for me tonight. 94pts.
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11/30/2009 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Fantastic Pinot. This is still quite young, but it is beginning to show a lot of earthy character to accompany the still vibrant fruit. The balance is very good, and there's notable length to the flavors. This can be drunk with great pleasure now, and I suspect it has several years (perhaps even 10+ to stretch it a little) of life in it.
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11/28/2009 - kennyg wrote: flawed
Presumably a flawed body. Wet cardboard (thus, very llikley corked) on top of sour cherry and overbearing acidity. No better on day two, to give it full benefit of the doubt. Not consistent with other reviewers so I will not score
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8/30/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 89 Points
Dark berry and wood nose with a whiff of alcohol. Like previous bottles, it is rich, full-bodied and just a bit soft, but with an acidic kick at the end. Flavors match the nose with addition of some earth and spice. Again not especially complex and more in the style of a California pinot. Finish is medium length at most -- starts off nice and then falls apart.
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7/22/2009 - brooklynguy wrote:
all about alcohol when opened, but calms down after a while, and shows some of the energy of good old wine. secondary flavors are present on the palate, although the nose never really gels. enjoyable wine, although not something i would buy today.
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7/16/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was rich, full-bodied and a bit soft. Ripe flavors of black and red berries, spice, earth and mushrooms. Very nice and complex flavor profile, with a plush mouthfeel and more in the style of a California pinot than an Oregon pinot. Seems that each bottle of this wine has had big, dark fruit, but a different profile in regard to tannins and acidity.
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6/2/2009 - steffenpelz wrote:
Made fresh copper river salmon last night and wanted to drink some good domestic Pinot with it. Decided on this bottle and it was an absolute winner. Right out of the bottle, there is no way I would have guessed this as a US Pinot. Had all the class, acid, and finesse that I would expect from a Burgundy at this age. I'm sure that if served blind, many would be fooled into thinking this is a Burg. Dark deep crushed berry fruit with some very pronounced earth, mushroom and mossy flavors. Amazing acid structure and impressive density of flavor. This wine is huge without a hint of huge extraction. A brilliant wine. It's not until the wine comes up to room temp that the fruit fleshes out a bit and gets just a touch more forward. Highly recommended and I should try to backfill some older and recent vintages of St. Innocent Pinot. Can go for many, many years without sliding into decline. One of the very best US Pinots I have ever tasted.
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6/1/2009 - tomandlu wrote: 88 Points
Decanted immediately prior to drinking. Deep, blood-red color. Earthy but clumsy on the nose with aromas of blood, plums, clay and tobacco. Very powerful and intense but, again, clumsy on the palate with flavors of red fruit and cocoa that didn't seem well integrated with the remaining tannin and acidity. Moderate finish. More complex than but completely outclassed by the 2005 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Monthelie that accompanied it.
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4/17/2009 - Jack wrote: 90 Points
Weakest showing so far but I only had a 1/2 hour to let it breathe.
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3/1/2009 - Punshon wrote:
Classic Oregon aromatics. Intense fruit with a savory edge. Red fruit, floral and sage aromatics. Ripe, but balanced. Plush tannins nicely supported by the acidity. Very nice.
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2/9/2009 - KevinS wrote: 93 Points
Transparent medium ruby color. Potent nose of sour cherries, cranberries, tobacco and smoke. Classic palate in burgundian style -- red fruits, dark complementary notes, maybe a hint of orange peel. Laser-like acidity keeps things focused and fresh. This is rock-solid classic pinot, and better than I remember...
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10/30/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was very different from several others I have had previously. The tannins have mellowed and revealed a somewhat structured wine, dominate by dark berry fruit flavors with a good dose of spice and wood. This bottle seemed somewhat subdued vs. prior bottles. Still lacking in complexity, but enjoyable
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10/27/2008 - tomandlu wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 3 hours and consumed over the following 2 hours. Very heavy sediment in the bottle. Very deep blood-red color with little fading at the rim. Dark, brooding nose of blood, cherries, earth, chocolate, and smoke. Very dense and heavy, but not jammy, on the palate with flavors of cocoa, red fruits, oak, and moderate tannins. Short finish. This is a good wine but it's too heavy, almost clumsy, to my taste for a pinot noir.
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10/11/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 89 Points
Very concentrated, rich and fruity for a pinot - almost in the style of a California shiraz. Dark cherry and dark berry flavors with some spice, and with very good balance. Fully mature, but with lots of life left in it. Not especially complex, and not typical of an Oregon pinot, but very enjoyable.
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9/27/2008 - brooklynguy wrote: 88 Points
mature notes on the nose, a nice violet and dark fruit perfume. but this style of wine is not what i like in Pinot any longer - it's all fruit and way too simple to be memorable. this is perfectly pleasant, and way better then the 03 and certainly the 05 that i recently had. just not something that inspires me at this point.
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9/18/2008 - ERoss wrote: 93 Points
Consensus WOTN in blind tasting of OR PN. Certainly not old bones, but opening up and showing great right now. Tons of black cherry, spice, and floral notes on the nose. Very well integrated and pleasing mid-palate structure. Intense yet elegant, one of those wines you want to return to again and again.
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5/4/2008 - JScott wrote: flawed
Corked
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4/7/2008 - rickspicks wrote: 88 Points
I then opened an '02 Shea a day after I had consumed an '02 Seven Springs -- and as expected, compared to the Seven Springs, the Shea was a MONSTER. It is an explosion of black cherry/berry with white pepper notes and some fairly youthful tannins. It is very rich, concentrated and tasty, but not very complex -- and probably never will be. The closest wine I have had to the Shea are some of the DuMol winesm and even they are not as powerful. Based on texture, color, and flavors - it tastes like someone poured some Shiraz into the Shea.
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2/20/2008 - jasonh wrote:
Had at Lucio's in Houston. Loved it. Fantastic. Drinking well now. Nice spice and mixture of red and black fruits. Will be hard to keep my hand off my last bottle.
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12/9/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
FWIW, as opposed to my TN on this wine earlier this week, I had another bottle of this same win last night, taken directly from my cellar, and it was much better. It showed neither the heat nor the impression of wood that I recalled and TN'd earlier.
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12/8/2007 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Spicy and big wood. Feels like a CA wine if I had to guess blind. Tastes overoaked and not to me liking.
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11/19/2007 - cfe wrote:
Didn't take detailed notes, but this wine showed wonderfully - dark color, huge nose of dark pinot fruit with violets and blueberries. Palate is on the fullish side of medium bodied, packed with fruit and balanced by well integrated acids. Drink well now, could of used more time in the decanter. Will improveover the next several years and hold for some time. Nice.
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11/10/2007 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Took a half-bottle to dinner to pair with coq au vin. Ruby color. Nose was quite nice upon opening and got even ever, with cinnamon, tartness, blackberries, and cranberries in the mix. Palate was full of cool red berry fruit laced with a bit of extraction and plenty of lively acidity. Moderately long finish. Quite delicious right now but has the legs to improve for years yet.
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10/18/2007 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Started out pretty tight. After about 2 hours it opened up nicely. My guess is that there is much more to come with this one. Wait a couple of years or decant for at least 2 hours.
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8/2/2007 - realale wrote:
Very well balanced now, and drinking great, though still on the primary side. Quite a lot of fruit for St. Innocent, all concentrated on the bright, red end of the spectrum. Great spine of acidity, long finish. Light oak spice. Very nice. Didn't budge over the course of the two hours we had it open.
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7/2/2007 - KevinS wrote: 89 Points
Medium ruby color. Dark raspberry/bing cherry nose. Palate is sour cherries and raspberries. Fair bit of acidity here leaves the wine edgy and the finish somewhat drying. Decent, if unspectacular.
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4/1/2007 - drinkwinedaily wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured the first night...a little closed on the nose, but gained complexity with a little air...very nicely balanced and earthy with noticable acidity, but the fruit is all there. Still needs some time, as the next day the fruit really came through...Traditional pinot lovers will love this wine, as it represents the essence of pinot noir.
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2/15/2007 - CMCLR wrote: 90 Points
Another winner from the Shea Vineyard. This drank well now, but could also go for 10 more years.
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1/6/2007 - amred wrote: 92 Points
Typical of the 2002 St. Innocents..we bought several of the bottlings. They have all been age-worthy and more serious pinot noirs than some from CA and OR. In this instance, the wine still seemed quite young--it was early to drink---. The nose was typical of these wines, but a bit closed. We always get that spice element and not the strawberry sweet light fruit of some other american PNs. In the mouth, that spice was there, with good tannins and complexity. The fruit was black cherry to us, but not at all sweet. But it did seem too soon, and was much better an hour or two later. We'll leave the remaining bottles for at least another year or two.
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8/4/2006 - Big Dog wrote: 90 Points
This wine seemed to be closed down which is contrary to what other people have experienced. A nice bottle of pinot with red fruits and spice with smooth tannins, but the wine seemed muted.
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8/3/2006 - dd wrote:
great fruit still needs time
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6/9/2006 - baltimore wrote: 92 Points
Great pinot nose. In the mouth, it started off pretty closed and somewhat thin without much finish. After some time, wine became fuller and much more enjoyable. Enough fruit to handle the alcohol. Wine had good acids, nice and vibrant. Primary flavors seemed to be black cherries with some spice. Another delicious Shea from St Innocent.
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5/19/2006 - gschneider wrote: 94 Points
Big cherry berry right from the start, well integrated tannins had blown off since last time I tasted (18 months ago), nice kick of spice in mid to late palate and great finish. This Pinot has a ton of personality, reminds me of a Pommard. Will still remain strong for 4-5 more years
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5/5/2006 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Again tonight thi is a very nice wine. Good right from the start.
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4/19/2006 - speedmac wrote:
This is a winner it still needs more time though. Even with an hour in the decanter it was tight and a little tannic but oh the nose of terroir and dark fuit was a thing of beauty. The palate was black cherry with a little too much heat but with time it all settled nicely. The finish was long enough to hold your interest, but I would wait another year on the next one.
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3/13/2006 - dd wrote:
beautiful red fruit firm tannins lots o life left on this one
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3/4/2006 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Somewhat closed to begin with but within an hour opens up beautifuly. Enough acid to go with food but also very good by itself. Two days later the tannins have meelowed just a little but the acid has kicked up a notch - 89pts.
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1/10/2006 - brooklynguy wrote: 94 Points
I found this wine to be all that it is advertised to be. Cherries and spices on the nose, good acidity, and a multilayered and complex palate. Bright and focused fruit with full texture for a medium bodied wine. I was so sorry when the bottle was gone! I have only 2 more and will try to cellar them for another few years.
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4/21/2005 - Spencer wrote: 93 Points
Great potential, but this really needs some time to settle down.
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3/25/2005 - Fookonson65 wrote:
Split this into two days. First glass was a heavy hitter, both on the nose and palate. This is not an appealing feature for a pinot (for me personally), so I let it sit for about an hour in the glass. Quite dark in color, w/ heavy perfume and blackberry off the nose. Was a bit over the top when tasting... really did not care for. Vacuvined and put in the fridge for the night. Pulled out next day, poured and let it warm up a bit. SO much better... more finesse. Soft berry on the palate, great nose. This needs time. Give it at least 2-3 years before trying.
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8/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
($30) Working in Salem: Touch of green funk and game on the nose over black fruit. More structured and less fruit-forward than the rest of the lineup. Okay. Probably could lay down for a bit.
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5/31/2004 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Memorial Day weekend in Willamette; 5/30/2004-5/31/2004 (Willamette Valley OR): Hard to assess. Both the aromatics and palate show a concentration that almost has a reductive character. Underlying fruit is excellent but is it too concentrated and ripe? Finished with great length and really good spice and dried fruit. For today I'd consider this "89 points" but really think there is some real charm that will emerge, so could see this as much as 5 points higher in 5 years.
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