Ken Wright Cellars Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
-
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Fruit focused. Darker blue and black fruits of cassis, blackberry & dried blueberry supported by firm avidity and moderate tannins.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Graceful and polished, with multilayered cherry and blueberry flavors that take on cinnamon and fresh earth accents. Ends with refined tannins.
-
James Suckling
Strawberries, raspberries, orange zest, brown sugar and cinnamon on the nose. Medium-bodied with velvety tannins and a creamy, caressing texture.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Dark raspberry, blackberry and leather aromas have an added spicy cinnamon kick. Flavors of blackberry and candied orange slices dipped in dark chocolate feel like they are floating given the wine’s lighter body, soft texture and velvety tannins. The word “ethereal” comes to mind.
Other Vintages
2018-
Wine
Spectator
-
Wilfred
Wong
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine
Spectator
Over 40 years of wine making has taught Ken a simple truth: source is everything. Located, in rural Carlton, Oregon, Ken Wright Cellars is devoted to producing wine that showcase the inherent quality of world class vineyard sites. With a clarity and breadth that is unequaled, Pinot noir is the ultimate vehicle for conveying the aroma, flavor and texture of the location in which it is grown.
In 1986, with family, belongings and 10 barrels in tow, Ken moved to McMinnville and started Panther Creek Cellars. His concept of focusing on vineyard-designate bottling began during those years at Panther Creek and this was cemented as a core philosophy in 1994 when Ken Wright Cellars was founded. Ken Wright Cellars now produces a single vineyard Pinot Noir from 13 different vineyard sites in the Northern Willamette Valley.
Their approach to the craft of wine growing is one of stewardship rather than manipulation. We use organic certified practices as a base and expand upon that with advanced nutrition-based farming. By analyzing both their soil profile and vines, maintaining proper crop levels, personally sampling each vineyard, and hand-sorting each cluster, we ensure that the inherent character in the fruit is revealed in the finished wine. Minimal handling of wine is essential to preserve what it is; a gift of nature.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.