Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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.