Burgundy and pinot noir (Wink Wine Bar): I remember 6-7 years ago drinking four different 1998 Shea vineyard wines on the bocce court, and this was clearly the most complex and interesting of the group (Beau Freres, Shea Cellars, and St. Innocent), though all were great values in an excellent year for Oregon pinot. This time we had two groups tasting Ken Wright 1998 wines, with one group, "the bottle openers," picking this as its favorite, and the other group, with the bottle opened for an hour, picking the wine as its least favorite. So apparently the Carter vineyards got better, and the Shea less with time on the bottle. The first group thought the wine was the most complex, was reminiscent of the early Oregon years (1985 Ponzi, Rex Hill, etc), and had violet and floral notes, bright cherry, and was the most feminine wine in our flight (spoken by a true female). The second group found it lighter, had some secondary fermentation, was tight and muted, and had some sweet red currant, strawberry, and spearmint notes. The wine was clearly diminishing after more than an hour of air. Drink up, and you might really enjoy the first fifteen minutes of the wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Same rating as last bottle, a real winnerrigh now, despite being ostensibly past prime. The funk and long spicey, mildly acidic finish goes on and on. Wish I could find some more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.
5/6/2017 - jlgnml Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Funky all the way. Since it was a pop and pour with more time it got better, just not good enoug.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/14/2015 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good, past it's prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2010 - BigRed1000 wrote: flawed
Out of mag and purchased on release and stored in a cold cellar. Big time brett and doa on top of that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/10/2010 - austinwinesalon wrote: 89 Points
Burgundy and pinot noir (Wink Wine Bar): I remember 6-7 years ago drinking four different 1998 Shea vineyard wines on the bocce court, and this was clearly the most complex and interesting of the group (Beau Freres, Shea Cellars, and St. Innocent), though all were great values in an excellent year for Oregon pinot. This time we had two groups tasting Ken Wright 1998 wines, with one group, "the bottle openers," picking this as its favorite, and the other group, with the bottle opened for an hour, picking the wine as its least favorite. So apparently the Carter vineyards got better, and the Shea less with time on the bottle. The first group thought the wine was the most complex, was reminiscent of the early Oregon years (1985 Ponzi, Rex Hill, etc), and had violet and floral notes, bright cherry, and was the most feminine wine in our flight (spoken by a true female). The second group found it lighter, had some secondary fermentation, was tight and muted, and had some sweet red currant, strawberry, and spearmint notes. The wine was clearly diminishing after more than an hour of air. Drink up, and you might really enjoy the first fifteen minutes of the wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2009 - kennyg wrote: 96 Points
Same rating as last bottle, a real winnerrigh now, despite being ostensibly past prime. The funk and long spicey, mildly acidic finish goes on and on. Wish I could find some more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment