Ken Wright Cellars Abbott Claim Vineyard Pinot Noir (375ML half-bottle) 2008
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Wine Spectator
Light in weight and texture, with complex, mineral-accented blackberry, red cherry, whole grain and spice flavors that flow easily into the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2018. 1,187 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2008 Pinots from Ken Wright display their individual terroirs quite succinctly, with little evidence of the (roughly) 30% new oak they receive. The Abbott Claim has a bit more of a chocolaty flavor, with full, spicy cherry fruit at its core. In fact there is so much fruit, spicy and candied, that it is a bit like fruitcake, in a good way.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Pinot Noir Abbott Claim Vineyard comes from a site owned by Ken Wright and planted in 2001. It displays ample spicy fruit but not quite as much depth as some of its peers. Ripe, balanced, and correct in every way, it will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and provide pleasure through 2020, perhaps longer.
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Over 40 years of wine making has taught Ken a simple truth: source is everything. Located, in rural Carlton, Oregon, Ken Wright Cellars is devoted to producing wine that showcase the inherent quality of world class vineyard sites. With a clarity and breadth that is unequaled, Pinot noir is the ultimate vehicle for conveying the aroma, flavor and texture of the location in which it is grown.
In 1986, with family, belongings and 10 barrels in tow, Ken moved to McMinnville and started Panther Creek Cellars. His concept of focusing on vineyard-designate bottling began during those years at Panther Creek and this was cemented as a core philosophy in 1994 when Ken Wright Cellars was founded. Ken Wright Cellars now produces a single vineyard Pinot Noir from 13 different vineyard sites in the Northern Willamette Valley.
Their approach to the craft of wine growing is one of stewardship rather than manipulation. We use organic certified practices as a base and expand upon that with advanced nutrition-based farming. By analyzing both their soil profile and vines, maintaining proper crop levels, personally sampling each vineyard, and hand-sorting each cluster, we ensure that the inherent character in the fruit is revealed in the finished wine. Minimal handling of wine is essential to preserve what it is; a gift of nature.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.