KEN WRIGHT -- 503.852.7070
This tasting room is housed in a former train station. Try to schedule this on a day when Ken can greet you. There are a lot of wines to taste through. The variety is a result of numerous single-vineyard bottlings; each showcasing the particular terroir of the area. Ken believes in minimal intervention in each of his wines.
Arriving 'barefoot & penniless' in 1985 from Kentucky, Ken Wright has climbed to the pinnacle of winemaking in Oregon. Spurred by a vision that Oregon was the promised land of Pinot Noir, he became the champion of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs (making about a dozen) in his dedication to Oregon and its terroir (tehr-wahr; the notion that the growing site defines a wine's character). With Ken Wright, a winemaking style came into focus, pinots with pin point flavors and generosity without excessive alcohol, tannins or acidity. More than 100 of his wines have scored 90 pts or higher in WineSpectator.
And in a singular achievement, he campaigned successfully to get his fellow vintners to agree on a set of six landmark sub-appellations in the northern Willamette Valley, to further champion the idea of terroir.
Video: Wine_Star_Ken_Wright:_Oregon_Pioneer_on_Family+_Geology_and_Pinot_Noir
Ken Wright Cellars
Tyrus Evan - Ken Wright's heavier Reds. Even great Pinot Noir winemakers need a break from the finicky, noble grape once in a while.
Ken Wright introduced the new label in 2001, producing Claret, Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, sourced rom eastern Washington and Oregon in the Red Mountain AVA and the Walla Walla AVA respectively. The bottlings are limited—but the winemaker says the wines are here to stay.
Wright used the middle names of his two sons, Cody and Carson, for the new label.
Tyrus Evan
Article courtesy of NorthwestWine.com
This tasting room is housed in a former train station. Try to schedule this on a day when Ken can greet you. There are a lot of wines to taste through. The variety is a result of numerous single-vineyard bottlings; each showcasing the particular terroir of the area. Ken believes in minimal intervention in each of his wines.
Arriving 'barefoot & penniless' in 1985 from Kentucky, Ken Wright has climbed to the pinnacle of winemaking in Oregon. Spurred by a vision that Oregon was the promised land of Pinot Noir, he became the champion of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs (making about a dozen) in his dedication to Oregon and its terroir (tehr-wahr; the notion that the growing site defines a wine's character). With Ken Wright, a winemaking style came into focus, pinots with pin point flavors and generosity without excessive alcohol, tannins or acidity. More than 100 of his wines have scored 90 pts or higher in WineSpectator.
And in a singular achievement, he campaigned successfully to get his fellow vintners to agree on a set of six landmark sub-appellations in the northern Willamette Valley, to further champion the idea of terroir.
Video: Wine_Star_Ken_Wright:_Oregon_Pioneer_on_Family+_Geology_and_Pinot_Noir
Ken Wright Cellars
Tyrus Evan - Ken Wright's heavier Reds. Even great Pinot Noir winemakers need a break from the finicky, noble grape once in a while.
Ken Wright introduced the new label in 2001, producing Claret, Syrah, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, sourced rom eastern Washington and Oregon in the Red Mountain AVA and the Walla Walla AVA respectively. The bottlings are limited—but the winemaker says the wines are here to stay.
Wright used the middle names of his two sons, Cody and Carson, for the new label.
Tyrus Evan
Article courtesy of NorthwestWine.com