2002 Ken Wright Cellars Nysa Vineyard Pinot Noir

[dananne]

We've been working on clearing out cellar space for our upcoming trip to Oregon and Washington, and our current cellar is dying (we've ordered a new, larger one, but it won't arrive until we've returned from the trip), so we decided to pop something nice from Oregon that we've yet to try.

This wine was fabulous, and it is one of the best Pinots we've ever had. We'll be looking for Ken Wright wines in Oregon, that's for sure.

Reddish-purple in color. Decanted 30 minutes before 1st pour. Very fragrant nose of black cherry and red spices, and there are layers upon layers of fruit -- cherry, plum, jammy raspberries -- that wash over the palate in waves. This wine is a perfect example of how you can have depth and concentration without sacrificing weight -- lithe Pinot body, a more feminine texture, and the acidity balances all the fruit perfectly. This was so much fun to drink, and the finish goes on and on. Just wonderful. Alc. 13.5%. Ken Wright is almost impossible to find here in Atlanta, so when you do, you're paying a premium for it. This one ran $50, which is steep, but oh was it good. FWIW, WS 88 -- drink to '08. I'd have put the score higher, and I think it's drinking just fine now, but there's so much fruit that it'll hold several more years.

[This message has been edited by dananne (edited 07-24-2005).]

[Bucko]

Always a solid producer.

[wondersofwine]

I'm eager to try his wines while in Oregon. I turned down a chance to try one in Charlottesville because I was aggravated that they were out of the Patricia Green which was on the winelist and I hadn't heard much about Ken Wright at that time.