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Ken Wright Cellars2000
Pinot noir Futures
To be shipped to you around 12/2001
Oregon Reserve Pinot Noir Club
Received Ken Wright 99 Pinot Noirs in their shipments
in December, January, and Go to=> 1999
Ken Wright 1998
Ken Wright Shipping charge for Ken Wright futures will be charged to your credit card when they are released- we will ship Air freight only, average charge $65 per case of 12 bottles. |
2000 Guadalupe Vineyard One of our two favorite of Ken's single vineyard wines, always a big bruiser, we called the 99 the Mohammed Ali of Ken's wines- big and bruising, yet light on its feet. The 2000 exhibits that same character, but perhaps an additional year of vine age has increased complexity and toned down the exhuberance of this vineyard's wines a little. 99 Tasting Notes: Our other favorite, the wine has an inky black color that stained the wine glass. Flavors were of red and black fruits, cedar, mint, black cherry and plum, massive tannins balanced by huge fruit. Hugely extracted. We call this the Mohammed Ali of Ken's 99 single vineyard Pinot Noirs- both huge in body and light on its feet. This is a big, broad shouldered wine, not for the faint of heart.Sort of a California Cab of Pinot noirs. Extraordinary! Wine Spectator
Guadalupe 98 vintage review- 90 points The
winery says: The
vineyard was planted in 1989 and represents the definable change of the
Jory soils of the Dundee Hills to the Willakenzie soil of the Yamhill
Foothills. It is spaced 7' by 5' and is planted to the Pommard clone.
The Willakenzie soil is a well-drained shallow soil over siltstone. It
lies at an elevation of 350'. The vineyard consistently produces small
berries and clusters that are intensely colored. The wine possesses the
character of black fruits, cocoa, leather and earth. Approximately 425
cases will be produced. Jim Stonebridge and Kathleen Boeve own the vineyard.
It is managed by Joel Myers. 2000 Canary Hill Vineyard This wine usually drinks well fairly soon after release- well balanced, easy drinking. 99 Tasting Notes: Dark ruby color that stained the glass. Flavors of tart black cherry, chocolate and cassis, flavors cascading off the palate including candied black cherry, fruitcake, black berry, plum, and black currant, the tannins are wonderfully integrated in this big, easy drinking wine. Wonderful balance of big fruit, big tannins, big acid make this an immediate stunner with a future if laid down a year or so after bottling. Wine
Spectator review, 98 vintage Canary Hill 90 points The
winery says: Located
at the southern end of the Eola Hills and faces southeast. The vines were
planted in 1982 and 1983. They are vertically trellised and are of the
Pommard clone. Elevation is 450' to 550'. The soil is a mix of Jory and
Nekia. Both are formed from igneous rock and have a reddish-brown tint.
This site, however, has less depth than similar soils in the Dundee Hills.
Wine from this vineyard is typically very forward, with aromas of black
cherry and cola. Approximately 380 cases will be produced. The vineyard
is owned by Dick and Nancy Daniel, and managed by Mark Gould. 2000 Pinot Noir Carter Vineyard 99 tasting notes: Color dark garnet/ruby with beautiful inner glow. The nose is smoky, quiet, the flavors big, with sweet black cherry fruit dominating. Tempting notes of raspberry and spice show through the very big tannin and acid backbone. The big fruit flavors are somewhat overwhelmed by the tannins, which is characteristic of this wine when first made. Ken has worked with the Carter site for ten years and the wine typically softens and shows stellar flavors and beautiful, balanced structure, a year or so later than the Canary Hill or Shea, for example. Wine Spectator
review, Carter 98 vintage 91 Points: Freedom Hill Vineyard The
winery says: We
work with one site in the Coast Range just south of Dallas, OR. Freedom
Hill Vineyards soil type is known as Bellpine, which is sedimentary in
origin. The clone is Pommard and the vineyard was planted in 1980. The
wines from this site are the firmest and most structured that we work
with. They have great longevity. The vineyard is owned and managed by
Dan & Helen Dusschee. 2000 Pinot Noir Abbey Ridge The
winery says: Planted in 1977, Abbey Ridge is one of the older vineyards
in the Dundee Hills from which we source two clones: Wadenswil and Coury
(also known as the suitcase clone). The vines are own-rooted with 9x6
spacing. Located at the northwest end of the Dundee Hills, the vineyard
is at an elevation of 650' with a southwest inclination. Soils are of
the Jory type, which are volcanic in origin and basalt based. Red fruits
dominate the aroma with nutmeg and earth. Approximately 325 cases will
be produced. The vineyard is owned and managed by Bill & Julia Wayne.
2000 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard One of our two favorite vineyard designate wines of Ken's, Shea is always a stunner. 99 Tasting notes: Our favorite of all Ken's 99s, this wine is a stunner. Dark dark color staining the glass. Nose had massive cherry fruit, spice, rapidly evolving array of fruit flavors that kept changing in complex and interesting ways. Every red and black fruit you could imagine wafted past the palate in a seemingly never ending series of taste sensations. Flavors included black berry, black and red raspberry, black cherry, allspice, clove, nutmeg, even subtle minty herbal hints that could be from adjoining mint fields. We bought a full barrel of this wine, the best Pinot noir we have ever experienced, from any part of the world. Wine Spectator
Review 98 vintage Shea Vineyard The
winery says: This
site is in the Yamhill Foothills just west of the Chehalem Valley. Our
fruit is sourced from two small blocks (2.02 and 2.72 acres), one of which
is planted to the Pommard clone, the other to the Wadenswil clone. Soils
are primarily Willakenzie. It lies at an elevation of 350' and was planted
in 1989. The wine from this vineyard has a complex array of aromas and
flavors including black and red fruits, particularly blueberry, spice
and earth. Approximately 425 cases will be produced. The vineyard is owned
by Dick Shea and managed by Javier Marin. 2000 McCrone Vineyard 99 Vintage tasting
notes: Dark ruby color. The scent is herbal, with hints of tea and
dark black fruit. The flaovrs are broad, fleshing out beautifully. Red
raspberry and other red fruits dominate, with anise and nutmeg on the
finish. A tightly wound wine, tannins big, but balanced by equally big
fruit. Wine Spectator
Review 98 McCrone 90 points The
winery says: Located
in the Yamhill Foothills, this is a densely planted vineyard (1 meter
x 2 meters). The soil is of the Willakenzie type that is extremely well
drained and promotes earlier ripening. Elevation is 400' with a south-southwest
inclination. Slopes are 5 to 15 degrees. The vineyard was planted in 1992
to the Dijon 115 clone grafted on 3309. The wine from this site is powerful,
dense and deeply colored focusing mainly on black fruits. Approximately
150 cases will be produced. Don and Carole McCrone are the vineyard owners.
John Gilpin is the vineyard manager.
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Another
great vintage, the fruit from 2000 was beautiful- a rainy spring led to
a dry, warm summer with cool evenings and a long dry fall. The wines are
of wonderful intensity and reflect the expertise Ken's 27 years of winemaking
has given him. Each wine is different, reflecting the vineyard sites,
clones, and winemaking. As good as the 99 vintage, we think, but there's
not as much of it- harvest was off by several hunderd cases this year.
These are wonderful wines, very fine, worthy of collection and cellaring
by the most discerning winelover.