The Oregon single vineyard Pinot Noirs produced by Ken Wright Cellars are the stuff of legend. Highly rated by wine lovers and wine critics alike, their recent scores have soared into the mid and upper 90s (on 100-point scales). I have sampled several over the years and always found them thoroughly enjoyable and worthy of their $50.00 – $65.00 price tag.
Mr. Wright’s top-rated single vineyard Pinots have always been rather difficult to track down. However, after his photograph recently graced the cover of the Wine Spectator (along with an extensive article), those vintages have been positively scarce.
The winery also makes an entry level wine, the Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, a blend of the grapes from many of his single vineyards, which retails in the $20.00 – $25.00 range. This wine is obviously an attempt to appeal a larger audience, to those who may not be kindly disposed to shelling out their hard-earned cash for Mr. Wright’s more expensive offerings.
The Wine Enthusiast bestowed 91 points and an “Editors’ Choice” on the 2012 vintage, calling it “an astonishing value, lushly fruited, tangy and laced with appealing minerality. The mix of red fruits, earth, acid and mineral is a perfect encapsulation of the pricier cuvées’ strengths.” I would tend to agree.
The 2013 Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, however, is quite another story. It is… well, yes… not a very good wine. The 12.5% alcohol, a bit on the low side for a Pinot Noir, provides the first clue that something may be amiss. But once the wine hits the glass, you know immediately there’s nothing but trouble ahead. The color is anemic… the body anorexic… and aromas and flavors conspicuous by their absence.
I waited patiently for the wine to open up… and waited… and waited… and then I poured it down the drain. Yes, it was that bad. I realize that wine tasting is not an exact science and that others may quite possibly enjoy this particular wine. However, in my opinion, it had – and has – absolutely nothing to offer.
There is no question that Ken Wright Cellars produces some excellent wines. Unfortunately, the 2013 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is not one of them.
TAD
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