Organic Ken Wright Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley, Oregon

If you haven't heard of Ken Wright Cellars, they are one of the premier PInot Noir producers in Willamette Valley with a focus on single vineyard wines. As the first winemaker from the state to appear on the cover of Wine Spectator magazine, Ken Wright has been called "the Master of Pinot Noir in Oregon."

Each bottle denotes one of the 13 vineyards the grapes came from in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Their very nondescript website features extensive tasting notes, historical information about each vineyard (including block maps), and harvest letters from Ken for every year since 2001.

Those extras may help a buyer swallow the price tag, since the single vineyard Pinots cost $90 per bottle. They all come in a half bottle format too for $65.

They also use certified organic practices, and the winery was pivotal in developing the program for high school students to learn viticulture firsthand.

Pinot Pairing Menu

• Calabrese Salami, cave aged gruyere cheese, and gouda cheese
• Split Pea Soup
• Roasted Sockeye Salmon with Soy Sauce Glazed Maitake Mushrooms
• Garlicky Sauteed Greens
• Blue cheese, Fresh Fig, and Thyme tarts

2017 Bonny Jean Vineyard Pinot Noir

This 20 acre parcel has a long agricultural history including growing cherries, which are featured on the wine label. Ken approached the farmer about converting the land to a vineyard. It made financial sense for the farmer because Willamette Valley wine grapes sold for so much more per pound than produce, and his wife could be taken care of after he passed. The vineyard is named after Bonny Jean, their daughter, who was born with disability, could never walk, and died at 28 years young.

Tasting Notes

Visual: Tawny, transparent, slightly burnished purple

Aroma: Heavy alcohol at first. After decanting for an hour, it smelled like caramel, burnt orange, smoky peat, cigar room, saltwater taffy, aged Japanese whisky, hot chocolate, grilled raspberries, little bit of perfume

Taste: Refreshing, good acid, everything you could ask of a well made pinot noir

2017 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

Shea vineyards is one of the first where Ken Wright started single vineyard bottlings. Robert Parker gave the 1994 vintage 94 points, which at the time was the highest score ever given to an Oregon wine.

Tasting Notes

Visual: Deep purple with browned edges, ombre purple

Aroma: Tawny port, aged whisky, caramel

Taste: A little brighter, more fruity than the Bonny Jean pinot noir but still muted acid and bright tannin. Crunchy, lean red berries.

Be sure to check out these articles from the Wine Pairing Weekend writers about pairings with Oregon wines!

• Wendy from A Day In The Life on The Farm is sharing "A Fall Celebration of Oregon Food and Wine"
• Culinary Cam is "Circling Back to Our Favorite Oregonian Pinot Noirs".
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass writes about "Beyond Willamette: Oregon's other wine regions".
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is "Pairing 2020 Vino Vasai Cabernet Sauvignon with Hearty Beef Nilaga".
• On Crushed Grape Chronicles, Robin is sharing "Rogue Valley Amphora Grenache from Upper Five and Grilled London Broil with chocolate BBQ Sauce"
• Deanna from Wineivore talks about "Pairing Organic Ken Wright Pinot Noirs from Williamette Valley, Oregon"
• On Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley you will find "Fall 4 Biodynamic Oregon Wines: Brooks Riesling, Cowhorn Viognier, Troon Rose, Montinore PN + Menu"
• David from Cooking Chat is pairing "Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Willamette Pinot Noir".