From the confines of a former glove factory he converted into a winery, Ken Wright fashioned a remarkable quintet of 1995 Pinot Noirs. In order to accomplish this amazing feat (given the huge difficulties associated with this vintage), Wright eliminated a whopping 20% of his harvest. He does not own any vineyards, but has long-term contracts that specify the yields he demands (less than two tons per acre or 30 hectoliters/hectare). Furthermore, due to his fear of autumn rains, Wright wants specific viticultural techniques (crop-thinning, etc.) employed to promote early ripening. The bunches are 100% destemmed and are put through a 4-5 day pre-fermentation cold soak. Surprisingly, considering the fact that Wright is a "terroirist", he uses commercial/artificial yeasts for his fermentations. The vineyard designated offerings are aged in 50% new oak barrels while the regular Pinot Noir is aged in 25% new oak. The resulting wines are lush, forward, pure, succulent and stylistically reminiscent of those produced by Claude Dugat, one of Burgundy's stars.
Like his fellow Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy, Ken Wright is a believer in the concept of terroir. He is convinced that each vineyard has a "signature" taste derived from that particular site's micro-climate, geology, angle to the sun, etc. Wright is at the forefront of a movement in Oregon to have terroir appellations officially recognized. If he has his way, names like Ribbon Ridge, Eola Hills, Dundee, Willakenzie, Red Hills and others would appear on wine labels in the same way appellations such as Howell Mountain, Stags Leap, et. al. are recognized on California offerings. However, others in the Willamette Valley (including Dick Ponzi, one of the region's "founding fathers") are completely opposed to such "terroir" considerations and feel that the winemakers of the area should produce the best wines they can, and leave it at that.
Wright's fabulous Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir is one of the two finest Pinot Noirs I tasted from Oregon's 1995 vintage (the other is Domaine Drouhin's Cuvee Laurene). Dark ruby-colored and displaying a mouth-watering nose of milk chocolate-covered cherries, this intense, expansive, velvety and gorgeously-focused wine offers layer upon layer of super-ripe black raspberries, cassis and cherries. Its admirable finish reveals soft, ripe tannins and a kaleidoscope of pure red fruit flavors. The very fact that this wine was produced in such a dreadful vintage is proof that Wright is in a class with the world's finest Pinot Noir producers. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2005. Bravo! Tel. (503) 852-7070.
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