Medium ruby with a slightly bricked edge. Nose is very earthy, slightly oaky with lots of forest floor and herbs as well anise, fruit only in a subtle way. Medium acidity, medium weight. On the palate there is some red berry fruit like tart raspberry and cranberry along with minerals and some flint. A little thin and short on the finish. Rather surprising to me that this sells at auction for more than I paid for it on release. I'm kind of neutral on this one... seems like an attempt at a Burgundian style but is just a bit disjointed and angular without enough elegance to really impress.
p.s. This seems better the next evening when I had some left over...Rounder, more fruit, chocolatey, smooth, more balanced, less disjointed...never ceases to amaze me how this happens for some wines and not others and difficult to open the day before and trust you won't miss it!
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I was nervous about whether this would still be in good shape, but it was showing perfectly. Still a decent amount of fruit, and plenty of acidity, but showing tertiary notes from age. Distinctively Oregonian -- I wouldn't confuse this with either Burgundy or California.
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A little hot when opened, and it had a slightly bitter finish, but balanced well as it breathed over the next 90 minutes. Cherry fruit - nice, not overwhelming.
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Starting to add a little bit of brown to the color. Soft,mature picking up some secondary flavors. There is good balance of fruit,earthiness and this has come together well. I probably personally did like it better in its younger days. Will likely drink my other two bottles over the next year or two.
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Ripe, but still more restrained than I was expecting from the producer and the vintage. Dark cherries, Brussels sprouts and some earth on the nose. The fruit is hinting at raisination yet somehow stays interesting and out of the danger zone. There's nice acidity up front that is quickly supplanted by extracted dark fruit before the tannic remnants come in. Pleasantly surprised.
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More of a robust Pinot. Similar in style to other Ken Wright's but atypical to most Pinots on the market. More of a Syrah style. I normally find that Pinots seem very watery and weak. A little bit of alcohol heat that went away with some time in the glass. Very fruity. Very good for a Pinot.
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Properly cellared. This is classic Wrightian Pinot. Deep, dark, extracted fruit flavors on top of nutty mushroom and herbal structure, and then a long, lingering finish. After an hour and a half opened, this wine really began to shine. I am particularly excited by the thyme on the mid-palate and the finish. But, there is also the brightness of cherries that hasn't lost it's punch, and the tannins are tame but not spent, so this wine is beautifully balanced. This wine is begging to be paired with a perfectly roasted chicken.
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I see a lot of variability in looking down the previous comments, and am happy to say that my bottle aged really nicely. Fruit was mature but still right in front, leading mushrooms and forest floor. Long complex finish.
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Had this recommended on a trip to the US 3 years ago, so the "retail guy" had my hopes up high. Finally drank it new years evening paired with game but frankly it was quite a disappointment. Decanted 2+ hours. Its actually hard to describe what was wrong but there was not much fruit or taste to it at all and no structure - just a really loud silence !! Maybe we should have drunk this earlier, maybe it was the pairing, or maybe it just craved for the sunny hills of Oregon - well I don´t blame it! ;-)
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Was expecting a bit more from this wine. A bit tart to the taste, the wine is a good mix of cherry cola and red berries. Nice fruit, but the finish quickly evaporates in your mouth...would have liked the finish to last longer.
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This was a little one dimensional for me. Bore no resemblance to any Oregon Pinot I've ever had before. Not much earthyness to speak of. Mostly cola and large scale fruit that bordered on over ripe for me. Certainly delicious but not what I look for in Pinot from this region. Came off more like a blowsey Cali Pinot.
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This wine has a matured in the past six months. In previous notes I've mentioned a spritz quality. That is gone. There is a nose of dark fruits. Flavors of cherry cola and vanilla. The same on the finish. This is a great pinot.
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After only 10 minutes of air this was showcasing a floral perfume nose with bright red berries on the palate. Gorgeous all the way through to the finish. This should only get better.
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9 Blind Mourvedre: The nose had a lot of brett, and earthy aromas along with some red fruits. The fruit was not the foremost aroma. The palate had tart cherry and raspberry flavors along with a mushroom and compost-like note. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. The part of the finish that lasted the longest however was... the compost-like part. I could have done without that. Others in the group seemed to like this more than I did.
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Deep flavors of blackberry and tart cherry. It is still young, but enjoyable now. There is a bit of "spritz" that fades with time, so maybe decant. I will try to wait a year until I open another (that won't happen). The finish is long-lived now with the same flavors of blackberry, cherry, now currant and vanilla. Good things to come, but still a great wine now if you have no patience. The nose was of dark fruit, light earth, and a trace of vanilla.
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Still needs at least another year...not offensive, but certainly not overly complex, more spritzy. After 2 hours of decanting it did begin to get a bit more complex.
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Willamette, Damn It!: Pinot Shoot-Out (Waterford Wine Co. Tasting Room): Bring the funk, baby! Lots of barnyard on the nose. Black cherry. Nice smoke. Just the slightest hint of earth. On the second glass, the barnyard blew off a bit. Really pure fruit on the palate. Prunes and black cherries. Well integrated tannins. Nice earth and smoke. Really enjoyable.
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Nice lush texture after a trace of petillance disappeared quickly. Red> black fruit in balance w/ the tannins. Has 3-4 years but KW's don't improve much for me.
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Popped and poured and drank over one hour. Very dark color. Wine did not have much in beginning. A little pop but that was it. However, the more air time, the better the wine got. Had nice cherry cola and light spice note. Finish was very nice. Absolutely a wine needing to be decanted for an hour or so before drinking.
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Deep ruby color. Nose of cola, funky composty aromas, black raspberry and ripe pear, spice and some heat. On the palate it is full bodied with some prickly acidity and soft tannins.
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Clear ruby color with medium intensity, not an overly extracted wine. Notes of exotic spice with black fruit, but fresh, not jammy at all. Mouthwatering acidity makes this medium bodied red wine quiet refreshing.
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Decanted for 45 minutes and drank over a couple hours. No formal notes, but I liked this a lot. I'm not sure about their ageability, but the 2006 Oregon Pinots, and at least the 2 Ken Wright bottlings I've had were drinking very well for this early. This wine was very balanced, with good fruit, a little earthy notes, and a healthy amount of acidity to keep the other things in check.
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Roses, raspberry, strawberry, and earth on the nose. Flavors of strawberry, minerals, and spice. Well balanced acidity and body. Overall very drinkable, with lots of flavor but still quite delicate.
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Tight, intense light red fruit. Hits the palate with sharp acidity accentuated by a bit of fizz. Lightish body. Overall well balanced, round and integrated. I expect this to mellow nicely and open up with some age. Rating reflects how it's drinking now, should go up in future.
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While a tad hot, this wine had ample yet balanced extraction, superb mouthfeel and just enough grace at the end to keep from coming off overtly bitter and alcoholic. Great briar and blackcherry notes fill the glass, with subtle earthy notes framing fresh and vibrant mint. Surely the heat of the vintage is speaking volumes through this wine, but it nevers come off as TOO urgent or demanding. This wine went down quick and begged for the next sip. It was at once both physically and intellectually refreshing. From the sound of things, lots of great stuff is going down in Ken Wright's cellars, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of Oregon's unique terroirs under Ken's guiding hand.
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The nose had wild strawberry, cherry, forest floor, and spice. The palate had strawberry, forest floor, cherry, and spice. The finish was a bit bitter.
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4/7/2018 - skifree wrote:
Seemed very popular as part of the "pre-function" wines at our wine group event focused on a Penner-Ash horizontal. No detailed tasting notes however.
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5/26/2017 - oldwines wrote: 90 Points
Medium ruby with a slightly bricked edge. Nose is very earthy, slightly oaky with lots of forest floor and herbs as well anise, fruit only in a subtle way. Medium acidity, medium weight. On the palate there is some red berry fruit like tart raspberry and cranberry along with minerals and some flint. A little thin and short on the finish. Rather surprising to me that this sells at auction for more than I paid for it on release. I'm kind of neutral on this one... seems like an attempt at a Burgundian style but is just a bit disjointed and angular without enough elegance to really impress.
p.s. This seems better the next evening when I had some left over...Rounder, more fruit, chocolatey, smooth, more balanced, less disjointed...never ceases to amaze me how this happens for some wines and not others and difficult to open the day before and trust you won't miss it!
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5/17/2017 - JackLynch00@gmail.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
I was nervous about whether this would still be in good shape, but it was showing perfectly. Still a decent amount of fruit, and plenty of acidity, but showing tertiary notes from age. Distinctively Oregonian -- I wouldn't confuse this with either Burgundy or California.
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12/17/2015 - fjp_tt Likes this wine: 90 Points
A little hot when opened, and it had a slightly bitter finish, but balanced well as it breathed over the next 90 minutes. Cherry fruit - nice, not overwhelming.
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10/31/2015 - kanab ram Likes this wine:
Starting to show its age in color but still plenty of fruit and nicely balance.
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6/24/2015 - stormygirl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic, the age on this really highlights the leather, mushroom, earthy qualities.
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2/22/2015 - stormygirl wrote: 87 Points
Strangely cloudy but good nose & nice restrained raspberry finish.
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11/25/2014 - kanab ram Likes this wine:
This deserves a higher rating than the current CT average as this is drinking fantastic now. Fruit dominates with nice complexity and finish.
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5/24/2014 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Starting to add a little bit of brown to the color. Soft,mature picking up some secondary flavors. There is good balance of fruit,earthiness and this has come together well. I probably personally did like it better in its younger days. Will likely drink my other two bottles over the next year or two.
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5/2/2014 - PhN Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fruity, mineral, delicious Oregon PN. Drink in the next year or two
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2/16/2014 - sdf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really a lovely bottle. A bit of minerality to offset the fruit. A wonderful accompaniment to a family dinner at Bluacre Seafood.
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12/25/2013 - jshearer wrote: 90 Points
Ripe, but still more restrained than I was expecting from the producer and the vintage. Dark cherries, Brussels sprouts and some earth on the nose. The fruit is hinting at raisination yet somehow stays interesting and out of the danger zone. There's nice acidity up front that is quickly supplanted by extracted dark fruit before the tannic remnants come in. Pleasantly surprised.
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11/20/2013 - Volunteers76 Likes this wine: 90 Points
More of a robust Pinot. Similar in style to other Ken Wright's but atypical to most Pinots on the market. More of a Syrah style. I normally find that Pinots seem very watery and weak. A little bit of alcohol heat that went away with some time in the glass. Very fruity. Very good for a Pinot.
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11/17/2013 - mattlennert Likes this wine: 92 Points
Properly cellared. This is classic Wrightian Pinot. Deep, dark, extracted fruit flavors on top of nutty mushroom and herbal structure, and then a long, lingering finish. After an hour and a half opened, this wine really began to shine. I am particularly excited by the thyme on the mid-palate and the finish. But, there is also the brightness of cherries that hasn't lost it's punch, and the tannins are tame but not spent, so this wine is beautifully balanced. This wine is begging to be paired with a perfectly roasted chicken.
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9/3/2013 - Colia wrote: 91 Points
I see a lot of variability in looking down the previous comments, and am happy to say that my bottle aged really nicely. Fruit was mature but still right in front, leading mushrooms and forest floor. Long complex finish.
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12/31/2012 - docvin1107 wrote: 87 Points
Had this recommended on a trip to the US 3 years ago, so the "retail guy" had my hopes up high. Finally drank it new years evening paired with game but frankly it was quite a disappointment. Decanted 2+ hours. Its actually hard to describe what was wrong but there was not much fruit or taste to it at all and no structure - just a really loud silence !! Maybe we should have drunk this earlier, maybe it was the pairing, or maybe it just craved for the sunny hills of Oregon - well I don´t blame it! ;-)
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11/17/2012 - kanab ram wrote:
This is currently in a great place. Full on the palate with many layers to its structure.
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2/15/2011 - Schiffy wrote: 89 Points
Was expecting a bit more from this wine. A bit tart to the taste, the wine is a good mix of cherry cola and red berries. Nice fruit, but the finish quickly evaporates in your mouth...would have liked the finish to last longer.
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10/29/2010 - jahlove wrote: 88 Points
This was a little one dimensional for me. Bore no resemblance to any Oregon Pinot I've ever had before. Not much earthyness to speak of. Mostly cola and large scale fruit that bordered on over ripe for me. Certainly delicious but not what I look for in Pinot from this region. Came off more like a blowsey Cali Pinot.
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4/23/2010 - 1Bacchus! wrote: 92 Points
This wine has a matured in the past six months. In previous notes I've mentioned a spritz quality. That is gone. There is a nose of dark fruits. Flavors of cherry cola and vanilla. The same on the finish. This is a great pinot.
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11/6/2009 - kanab ram wrote:
After only 10 minutes of air this was showcasing a floral perfume nose with bright red berries on the palate. Gorgeous all the way through to the finish. This should only get better.
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10/17/2009 - last chance wrote: 84 Points
9 Blind Mourvedre: The nose had a lot of brett, and earthy aromas along with some red fruits. The fruit was not the foremost aroma. The palate had tart cherry and raspberry flavors along with a mushroom and compost-like note. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. The part of the finish that lasted the longest however was... the compost-like part. I could have done without that. Others in the group seemed to like this more than I did.
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9/27/2009 - ebohling wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly in the last month this wine has matured a lot. Compared to the 2005 Carter, the 2006 Savoya is much more in its prime.
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9/21/2009 - 1Bacchus! wrote: 90 Points
Deep flavors of blackberry and tart cherry. It is still young, but enjoyable now. There is a bit of "spritz" that fades with time, so maybe decant. I will try to wait a year until I open another (that won't happen). The finish is long-lived now with the same flavors of blackberry, cherry, now currant and vanilla. Good things to come, but still a great wine now if you have no patience. The nose was of dark fruit, light earth, and a trace of vanilla.
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8/13/2009 - ebohling wrote: 88 Points
Still needs at least another year...not offensive, but certainly not overly complex, more spritzy. After 2 hours of decanting it did begin to get a bit more complex.
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7/25/2009 - Beavis77 wrote:
Willamette, Damn It!: Pinot Shoot-Out (Waterford Wine Co. Tasting Room): Bring the funk, baby! Lots of barnyard on the nose. Black cherry. Nice smoke. Just the slightest hint of earth. On the second glass, the barnyard blew off a bit.
Really pure fruit on the palate. Prunes and black cherries. Well integrated tannins. Nice earth and smoke. Really enjoyable.
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5/29/2009 - ebohling wrote: 88 Points
As expected, needs a lot more time...probably at least another year before it starts to shine.
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5/26/2009 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
Nice lush texture after a trace of petillance disappeared quickly. Red> black fruit in balance w/ the tannins. Has 3-4 years but KW's don't improve much for me.
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12/10/2008 - bigdogflow wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured and drank over one hour. Very dark color. Wine did not have much in beginning. A little pop but that was it. However, the more air time, the better the wine got. Had nice cherry cola and light spice note. Finish was very nice. Absolutely a wine needing to be decanted for an hour or so before drinking.
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10/19/2008 - dougsmith wrote: 90 Points
Deep ruby color. Nose of cola, funky composty aromas, black raspberry and ripe pear, spice and some heat. On the palate it is full bodied with some prickly acidity and soft tannins.
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9/12/2008 - A.Minus wrote: 92 Points
Bright Cherry fruit. Hints of spice. Very well done!
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8/13/2008 - Tom_B wrote: 90 Points
Clear ruby color with medium intensity, not an overly extracted wine. Notes of exotic spice with black fruit, but fresh, not jammy at all. Mouthwatering acidity makes this medium bodied red wine quiet refreshing.
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8/13/2008 - T.J.Burn wrote:
Decanted for 45 minutes and drank over a couple hours. No formal notes, but I liked this a lot. I'm not sure about their ageability, but the 2006 Oregon Pinots, and at least the 2 Ken Wright bottlings I've had were drinking very well for this early. This wine was very balanced, with good fruit, a little earthy notes, and a healthy amount of acidity to keep the other things in check.
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6/22/2008 - johnl wrote: 92 Points
Roses, raspberry, strawberry, and earth on the nose. Flavors of strawberry, minerals, and spice. Well balanced acidity and body. Overall very drinkable, with lots of flavor but still quite delicate.
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6/22/2008 - BailliSacks wrote: 88 Points
Tight, intense light red fruit. Hits the palate with sharp acidity accentuated by a bit of fizz. Lightish body. Overall well balanced, round and integrated. I expect this to mellow nicely and open up with some age. Rating reflects how it's drinking now, should go up in future.
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5/25/2008 - jvogel wrote:
While a tad hot, this wine had ample yet balanced extraction, superb mouthfeel and just enough grace at the end to keep from coming off overtly bitter and alcoholic. Great briar and blackcherry notes fill the glass, with subtle earthy notes framing fresh and vibrant mint. Surely the heat of the vintage is speaking volumes through this wine, but it nevers come off as TOO urgent or demanding. This wine went down quick and begged for the next sip. It was at once both physically and intellectually refreshing. From the sound of things, lots of great stuff is going down in Ken Wright's cellars, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of Oregon's unique terroirs under Ken's guiding hand.
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5/10/2008 - mmurry wrote: 88 Points
The nose had wild strawberry, cherry, forest floor, and spice. The palate had strawberry, forest floor, cherry, and spice. The finish was a bit bitter.
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4/23/2008 - waibeans wrote: 91 Points
yum.. little spice to boot
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