Bluebird Hill Cellars
Bluebird Hills Cellars, located in picturesque Monroe, Oregon, opened for business in 2016. Neil and Sue Shay purchased their six-acre property in 2011. They met in 2000 and began wine tasting together, developed in interest in the wine making process and made their first wine, a Cabernet Franc, in 2003. They submitted their wines to amateur competitions, winning several medals. In 2010, Neil was offered a position at Oregon State University as the Director of Oregon Wine Research Institute, and shall we say, the rest is history.
After clearing overgrown Christmas trees for two years, in 2013 Neil and Sue planted 320 Pinot noir vines, now called ‘Mom’s Block’. This block and now the entire vineyard is planted at a high, 5’ x 5’ density, with 5 feet between the rows and the vines within each row. Additional plantings came in the next two years with 2,500 vines planted in the north block and 1,700 in the south block. Opening up to more varietals in the recent years, Bluebird Hills is now making wine from their estate fruit, and other local vineyards, such as Zenith, La Chouette and Walnut Ridge. Nick Cheatham, an enology and viticulture graduate from OSU is an essential part of both the winemaking and vineyard activities.
Bluebird Hill pinot noir is aged two years in Oak, a practice followed by only about 5% of all pinot noir producers in the United States. Keeping them in barrel for this increased period brings enhanced mouth feel, complexity and clarity to the pinots with little to no pretreatments, such as filtration before bottling. These Pinots typically feature lush mixes of blue and purple fruits. This supple and satisfying wine pops with juicy acidity, ripe cherries and blueberries. A thin thread of bitter herbs suggests that some whole clusters might be in the mix, but the overall balance and ripeness is spot-on. The McNary Syrah brings darker fruity aromas of Bing cherry, blueberry and elderberry, joined by toast and vanilla. Bluebird Hills Pinot Gris glistens sunbeam yellow in the glass with soft aromas of yellow apple, cantaloupe and dried mint. Softness continues with generous layers of orchard fruit that cushions a pleasant burst of acidity tinged with lemon drop.
Only located a few miles outside Monroe, this scenic hillside property has wonderful views, outside seating and room to walk around. A pergola was just created this year to get out of the sun and close enough to the vines to enjoy the view. The couples hard work and knowledge throughout the years bringing dedication to their wines have been proven by awards won from multiple competitions. Enjoy multiple tastings from different years and varietals at Bluebird Hills Cellars.
