The 2016 Pinot Noir Block 23 is medium ruby-purple with aromas of black cherries and berries, blueberries, warm earth and underbrush with a touch of alcoholic heat on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, it offers ripe, spiced blue and black fruits in the mouth, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing with the alcohol poking out a bit.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Block 23 has a bright, pale to medium ruby-purple color and nose of black soil, charcoal and tree bark with black cherry and cranberry hints and a waft of dried herbs. The medium-bodied palate is earthy and slightly muted, offering chewy tannins and just enough acid, finishing a little flat.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Block 23, which Dick Shea told me tends to produce smaller and more intense berries, has a very attractive bouquet with blackberry, briary, shucked oyster shells and a touch of wilted violet petals developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet, ripe entry, plump ripe red cherries and strawberry pastilles. The acidity is finely tuned and it has a nicely structured finish that perhaps just lacks the persistence at the moment. Still, it is a lovely 2013 that is full of charm and grace.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Block 23 comes from a parcel of Pommard clone that was picked October 9 and saw 50% new oak. It has a tightly wound blackberry and bilberry-scented bouquet with a faint touch of vanilla in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, a dense core of spicy black and red fruit with a streak of white pepper interlacing the slightly brusque finish. It needs a little more finesse and precision to come through.

The 187 cases of all-Pommard Shea Cellars 2011 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard Block 23 received 75% new wood but the ginger and sassafras, sandalwood and orange rind inflections strike me as part and parcel of the fruit, whose bright, juicy dark berry complexion reflects the consistently small berries (even in 2011) on the block in question, which Shea thinks is a function of restricted water access at this site. That noted, the tannins here are ultra-fine. Distilled raspberry and blueberry high tones and wisps of floral perfume add further allure as this takes on air, and its long finish – unencumbered by its wood – projects the invigorating, vibrant glow and mouthwatering salinity that typify this Willamette vintage at its best. I would plan with confidence for enjoying this through 2022. New Zealander Blair Trathen (formerly with Rex Hill) inherited Shea’s winemaking mantle from Drew Voit in the spring of last year, so the 2011s here were still largely Voit’s work. Their picking took place from the third weeks in October through November 2. “We did wave upon wave of crop-dropping and sorting,” reports Dick Shea, Aand potential alcohols were the lowest we’ve ever had,” the musts being chaptalized by a fairly constant amount to leave finished alcohol levels of between 13.0 and 13.7%. “Given high malic and low pH,” remarked Trathen, “these wines took a long time to chug through malo-lactic fermentation.” But, as usual, all of them were bottled in August, meaning more than a month younger – not to mention much closer to the termination of malo-lactic – than would usually be the case. (As explained in my introduction to this report, what that might mean for their bottle evolution – and that of so many other Willamette Pinots in a similar situation – I’m not prepared to speculate.) Also as usual, the Block 23 and Homer bottlings will have been released this fall (following on the heels of the Estate and West Hill), while Block 7 won’t be released before the end of this year or early next. (For considerable detail about the history and character of this renowned property, consult my 98 Issue 202 introduction.) Tel. (503) 487-6511