Today we share one of the greats from the Willamette Valley. The story of Ken Wright dates back to the 1980s as Ken worked as a waiter in Kentucky. At the restaurant Ken was exposed to the great wines of the world. After spending eight years winemaking in California for Ventana Vineyards and Talbott Vineyards, Ken was finally convinced to move to the Willamette Valley in 1986. He then started Panther Creek cellars and then founded his namesake winery in 1994. In 2001 he added Tyrus Evan, a Syrah based winery, to his portfolio.
The wines have been consistently great over the past ten years. I love the new 2023 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay (OB, 92) which is glorious for an entry level wine and shows loads of texture and tension. Even better is the 2022 Ken Wright ‘Carter Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which is deep and concentrated, with some serious aging potential. Learn more about these fantastic wines at http://www.kenwrightcellars.com Here are the awesome new wines by Ken Wright.
2023 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay- The really good 2023 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay offers juicy nectarine on the palate, alongside salty orange peel, baked apple and brioche tones. Medium bodied and beautifully textured, enjoy now and over the next eight years. This is a steal at under 30 bucks retail. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir- Translucent in the glass, the medium-bodied 2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir offers tart red currants and wild strawberry flavors alongside salty soils on the palate. Soft and neatly textured, enjoy now and over the next eight years to come. Drink 2024-2032- 91
2022 Ken Wright ‘Eola-Amity Hills’ Pinot Noir- The delicious 2022 Ken Wright ‘Eola-Amity Hills’ Pinot Noir shows a pretty core of red fruits on the plate, with stony minerals, red rose water, ash and shades of orange peel. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Yamhill-Carlton’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding 2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Yamhill-Carlton’ Pinot Noir comes from a range of sites from this AVA which was established back in 2004. This is juicy and generous Pinot Noir, offering ripe red cherry and red raspberry notes with cloves, lavender and hints of salty soils. Drink 2024-2032- 93
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Canary Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The Canary Hill Vineyard is set 9.5 miles west of Salem, as this site was first planted back in 1983. Deeply colored in the glass, this delivers rich black raspberry and black cherry notes on the nose with baking spices, black truffle and shades of pie crust. The palate is deep and concentrated with good underlying verve and plenty of mouth-watering acidity. Really good to savor now, enjoy over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2024-2036- 94
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Bonnie Jean Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The gorgeous 2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Bonnie Jean Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is sourced from this 18 acre site location that is planted on ancient marine sedimentary soils. This displays a wonderful core of salty red fruits on the palate, with kumquat rind, menthol, and shades of volcanic ash. Medium to full-bodied, with beautiful structure, this is drinking beautifully already — and has a long way to go. Drink 2024-2039- 94
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Savoya Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The Savoya Vineyard is located 3.5 miles north of the town of Carlton, Oregon. The vineyard is set on marine sedimentary soils, as there is a wonderfully salty essence to this wine. Tart pomegranate seed and red currant flavors mingle well with diatomaceous earth and its refined texture, with umami accents. Full-bodied and rich, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2036- 94
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Carter Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Carter Vineyard’ Pinot Noir comes from this Eola-Amity Hills location that dates all the way back to 1983. Mainly Pommard selection Pinot Noir, this opens with a beautiful bouquet of potpourri, red raspberry, tobacco leaf and shades of bergamot on the nose. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture, exotic spices and great sense of weight and length. Rich and dense, with a soft mouthfeel, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Ken Wright Cellars ‘Shea Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, comes from this acclaimed site which was planted by Dick Shea in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Richly colored, this shows a seamless texture on the palate, offering a gorgeous array of bright red fruits to mingle well with tobacco, blood orange zest, red rose water and shades of wet stone. Finishing long with bright red fruits and copious minerals, enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2039- 95