Penner-Ash’s 2011 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard delivers scents and flavors of game, leather and smoky, sweetened black tea atop a fundament of lightly cooked cherry. Firmly tannic and with an invigorating sense of seed crunch to its gripping finish, this is anything but a tender Pinot! I wouldn’t have picked it as Pinot from a cool vintage – or for that matter from a “cool climate” region. It should be interesting to follow through at least 2017. Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash have once again fielded a successful collection in which they showcase their diverse vineyard by means of diverse cellar approaches, in some instances turning out Pinots that struck me as highly vintage-typical and in others as somewhat against-the-grain. (For more about Penner-Ash methodology and vineyard sources, consult my introductory coverage of them in Issue 202.) Tel. (503) 554 5545