WTN: Belles Souers Shea and Pey-Marin pinots

[Jenise]

1999 Belles Souers pinot noir, Shea VY, Oregon
Didn't like this wine at all when we opened it last night, but it's showing well tonight. The acidity that was way too strong has calmed down somewhat and there's some distinctively different among the plummy fruits that makes me think, "Okay, THERE, that's the famous Shea difference. I've never gotten it before." The wine shows its age with a brownish color and I suspect I'll be tasting oxidation within hours, but tonight--at least this first glass--it's decent wine though a bit unbalanced.
EDIT: A second glass turned into prune juice. This wine's OTH.

2004 Pey-Marin pinot noir, Marin County, California
This is the wine I went for when the above wine bombed. We had company and I needed a home run on my third at-bat--I'd stupidly poured the Belles Souers, then pulled it back five minutes later, and then I poured another pinot that showed TCA after two minutes in our glasses, and had to pull that back, too. I didn't take notes, but a big hug to Jason Hagen for recommending this winery to me. The fruit was rich and assertive, and yet it also showed a lot of finesse. Very California, very classy.

Pey-Marin is a new name to me also. I will have to scout for it. Is in quite expensive, Jenise?

[Jenise]

JC, considering what Loring and Siduri charge, no Pey-Marin isn't that expensive. In the 30's. I ordered mine directly from the winery.

It seems like there have been several recent notes on Shea Pinots. Any idea of how many winemakers source grapes from Shea? Doesn't the owner of Shea make his own Pinot Noir now? I wonder how long the grapes will be available to other producers if the owner ramps up his own production?

The Pey-Marin was a new one for me too.. also introduced to it by Mr. Hagen... nice stuff.. we had it at one of our monthly lunches...

Checked Pey-Marin website and they've sold out of the 2004 Pinot Noir (small production). I put my name on the waiting list for future vintages.

[Jenise]

It seems like there have been several recent notes on Shea Pinots. Any idea of how many winemakers source grapes from Shea? Doesn't the owner of Shea make his own Pinot Noir now? I wonder how long the grapes will be available to other producers if the owner ramps up his own production?

I have no idea, Marc, except that the name seems to pop up a lot. Ken Wright, St. Inno, Belles Souers (which apparently is part of Parker's brand Beaux Freres, though I don't understand in which way) as well as Shea Winery itself make a Shea, and didn't someone recently post a note on one of either Loring or Siduri making a Shea? I remember being surprised, as I'd not seen Shea fruit in a California-based winery before though winemakers like Adam Lee have been sourcing Oregon fruit for some time. A quick google says Shea has 200 acres total, which is quite a bit.

Btw, the 99 BS Shea I posted on above didn't hold together through a second glass. It turned into prunes. I'm going to edit my TN to indicate that.