Planted in 1989, the 2014 Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard has an elegant and pure bouquet with wild strawberry and raspberry coulis, nuanced pine cone scents developing with aeration, the oak nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, dark berry fruit mixed with brown spices and a touch of sea-salt with a satisfying, long finish. This is one of Ken Wright's best 2014s.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard, is from the vineyard that abuts the Dundee Hills and is the last marine sediment before the land rises and turns into volcanic soils. Ken Wright believes that it should have been included in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA instead of the Dundee Hills AVA. The nose makes quite an impact: quite intense with red cherries, cranberry leaf, autumn leaves and a touch of allspice. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin on the entry, the fruit veering towards red rather than black, although the finish needs more cohesion to match the quality of the aromatics.

Like his other wines from this site, planted in 1989, that he leases long-term, Wright labels his 2010 Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard simply "Willamette Valley," because officially it's in the Dundee Hills but shares the sedimentary soil of neighboring Yamhill Carlton rather than the defining red Jory (eroded volcanic) soil of the Dundee appellation. Tart-edged, juicy red raspberry is pungently wreathed in peat-like smoke; mouthwateringly tinged with salt; and invigoratingly imbued with the bitter crunch of berry seeds, all of which stand in contrast with a leathery streak that also runs all the way from nose to long tail. There is a juicy exuberance and a clarity of primary fruit here that I miss in many of the Pinots in the present collection, and which makes me confident predicting that this will at the very least be worth following for half a dozen years, during the course of which it will hopefully acquire more complexity. Louisville native Ken Wright has long since become one of the iconic and most influential figures of the Oregon wine scene, a go-to for countless winery start-ups as well as valuable projects to benefit the Willamette wine community. Wright's career evolved from one of negociant-winemaker (founder of Panther Creek) and farmer of other people's vines to that of vineyard owner. "It was twelve years before I bought my first vineyard," he notes, "because before that I was in the exploratory phase of trying to find the best sites in the valley." Today, in addition to the three vineyards he owns, Wright holds 15- to 30-year leases on five others, and 80% of the vines that supply him are farmed by his own extensive (and in places site-specific) team. Wright is passionately vocal on myriad aspects of Pinot production, but one he emphasized especially in our recent session was "nutrition-based farming," which he characterizes as "a whole nother level beyond biodynamics" focused on "the uptake of minerals," which he believes is especially critical in the Willamette to encouraging ideal ripeness. It's thus the soil's microbial life he nurtures, he says, in order to get at the vine, with annual block-by-block soil and tissue analyses employed to establish what's needed and what's been accomplished. Wright makes clear that he sees ripeness as reflecting optimal harnessing of the sun's energy in the form of sugar, but indicates that he considers the use of must concentrators a more than acceptable alternative to chaptalization if grapes don't reach an optimal level of sugar. I was left with an uneasy impression from most of Wright's recent line-up of ripeness to be sure, but variously allied to phenolic stridency; firm, at times rustic tannin; or opacity of flavors. Wright appears from my limited research and my conversations with him to be the source of a considerable consensus that, in his words "as a result of doing single vineyard bottlings for so long, a pattern has emerged that basalt sites " Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills - generally tend to be more fruit-focused - (whether) red, blue, or black - and marine sediments (exhibit) more spicy and floral. And since these marine soils, mostly sandstone, are so dry, that triggers a hormonal response in the vine much earlier in the year to begin the process of ripening; where with (eroded basalt) volcanic soils there's more clay, more water-holding capacity, and so the vine remains vegetative longer. And for whatever reason - I don't quite understand that - we have higher acidity in the volcanics.- I don't share that consensus - I can't say that my admittedly limited experience even entitles me to judge it - but I wanted readers to be aware of it. Tel. (503) 852-7070

The 2009 Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard, from a site that is just outside the Dundee Hills AVA, epitomizes the style of the vintage. Pretty spice notes, incense, cherry blossom, and assorted red fruits lead to an elegant, nicely proportioned, smooth-textured wine with succulent flavors and a pure, lengthy finish. It is a crowd-pleaser that will provide enjoyment through 2019 if not longer. Ken Wright Cellars’ 2009 Pinot Noirs range from excellent to outstanding in quality but generally lack the structure, density, and richness of the great 2008 vintage. These are pretty, elegant wines to drink while the 2008s continue to fill out in the cellar. Tel. (503) 852-7070; www.kenwrightcellars.com