I’m absolutely psyched to write this… I’ve been thinking about it for two or three weeks – since last drinking a bottle of Ken Wright with Loreen and Tim. I was thinking then that I needed to carve a post hailing KW and all his vineyard designate Pinot… well, tonight is the night. And for inspiration I have opend the 2003 Ken Wright Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir. So sit back, open your own vino and read on… it’s gonna get long… maybe open two bottles!
Loreen and I were introduced to Ken Wright in the fall of 2004 – about 11 months after taking over at Cafe le Grand. At that time we were both pretty new to the wine “industry” and I knew almost nothing – including how obsessed I would become. We were visiting relatives in Washington who are pretty heavy into wine and really into Ken Wright and other Oregon Pinot (Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, etc.). It was Thanksgiving and they had invites to the annual Thanksgiving Day (week) tasting event at Ken Wright. So we took off one morning and headed south toward Oregon wine country, specifically Carlton, OR.
Ken Wright ( http://www.kenwrightcellars.com/ ) started making wine over 20 years ago – learning as we all do – the intricacies that make us better at our jobs. He founded Panther Creek Winery in 1986 and made wine there until 1994. In 1993 Panther Creek was sold and Ken founded Ken Wright Cellars – producing his first vintage in 1994. During the early years he relied on purchasing fruit for his wine. A practice that he determined wasn’t good enough for him and for his vision of what he wanted from his wine. He felt that controlling the life of the vine - by managing yields, harvesting properly, maximising the specifics of a sight – was the only way to accomplish what he wanted. So he made history. In 1988 he was one of the first people to introduce long term land leasing – giving him control of all those things he deemed so important. This proved to be well worth the extra expense!
Along with acreage contracts Ken Wright also implemented some practices that have become standard in the wine industry includiung green harvesting earlier, hand sorting on a sorting table, and cold soaking grapes (maceration).
Hand in hand with long term leasing is, of course, choosing the right land to lease! This is where Ken Wright really goes to town – vineyard designate Pinot all around… nothing else… ever (except his two whites…). He’s got (as best as I can figure) fourteen different vineyard bottlings… 14! His philosophy is that each site is different – you must pay attention to the details and learn what will help the site produce the best possible fruit. It’s summed up in a phrase on the Ken Wright Cellars website: Taste the Place.
Upon arriving at Ken Wright Cellars we found ourselves just off the main drag in Carlton, a very quaint little OR town – the building wasn’t what I envisioned (at the time) as a winery (have you seen the Lampoc Wine Ghetto?). Inside the massive building adjacent to the blacktop parking lot were barrels and barrels and barrels! We started sipping some whites and moved to reds. We wandered and listened and I started to feel the tug… it was really cool.
We ended up chatting with some of the employees and indulging in our first every barrel tasting and meeting and talking to Ken Wright himself! This will always stick with me as my first ever true winery experience – it was the whole deal – wine, barrels and the winemaker/owner! Looking back at it I think it was tough for me to enjoy it like I should have – or like I would even now (after visiting many wineries). It was overwhelming without me even knowing it… but what an experience!
I realize you may be wondering “Is the wine all that great?” Have you been listening? It’s everything that I have come to adore in Pinot Noir. It’s a complex aroma, with layers and layers of spice, tobacco, dark fruit and sweet earth. Smelling it is worth the price of admission… and tasting it, slowly and softly, is revealing of the fruit and the spice and all the layers of the nose.
The 2003 Carter holds a special place – it’s the one Loreen and I both loved out of the barrel (although I think Loreen enjoyed the guy pouring the wine too!), and it’s the one we’ve had the most often. So that’s what I reached for tonight…
And speaking of reaching for wine to drink – if you’re a Pinot fan I highly recommend picking up any of the Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noirs. They are absolutely the essence of Oregon Pinot and the essence of Oregon Terroir. If you’ve visited the CLG blog before you know I don’t “rate” wines via numerical score – I just don’t think I’m “all that” and figure a description and written praise means far more than a number. Besides, you shouldn’t take a number for granted, instead you should drink, think and make up your own mind. Trust your palate and develop it for and on your own. Don’t let someone else tell you you’ll like it… find out for yourself. But if you’re so inclined to wonder what it’s scored in the wine publications – Wine Specatator rated the 2003 Carter 90 points – there were only 800 cases made and it’s supposed to be best after 2007. As for the other Ken Wright Pinot - they are almost all 90 or above – regardless of vintage or vineyard.
I have just a sip or two left in my glass… and a decanter (less one glass) waiting for my return!
Thanks for visiting and remember, keep drinking and thinking!
Regards,
Ron
