Trousse Chemise Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 2021

It seems crazy now, but in 1989 when Dick Shea first decided to plant in Yamhill County of the Willamette Valley – Pinot Noir was still unproven. No one was growing it there except the two new comers to the area, Dick Shea, and their brand new neighbors Beaux Freres (a project backed by Robert Parker and his brother-in-law Mike Etzel).

Now some of the best Pinot Noir in the world comes from the Yamhill-Carlton District (this small neck of the woods has earned its own AVA) and specifically from Shea Vineyards. Big name wineries clamor for fruit: Antica Terra, Beaux Freres, Bergstrom, Penner-Ash, & Sine Qua Non, to name a few.

But in 2020, orders slumped and that’s when Anne Sery was able to do one of the big boys a small favor. Always industrious, she knew that if she was very careful with selection, she could make a delightful rose from these heralded grapes. And she sold it almost exclusively through the local tasting room.

But that’s not what we have today. Today, we have the Shea Vineyards payback. To thank her for her creativity, for one vintage only, she could have Shea Vineyard grapes at last year’s liquidation prices. The exact same number of tons that she took in 2020.