2023 Ken Wright Cellars - Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton (750ml)

Ken Wright founded his Carlton, Oregon winery in 1994, building on lessons learned making wine in California and later at his own Panther Creek Cellars. While the winery is best known for single-vineyard bottlings from thirteen sites, Ken also crafts appellation-level wines like this one, blending fruit from several estate vineyards within a single AVA to capture the broader character of the place rather than one specific block.

This bottling draws on Ken Wright's holdings within the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, a horseshoe-shaped district in the northern Willamette Valley protected from Pacific storms by the Coast Range. The area's coarse ancient marine sedimentary soils drain quickly and run warmer than neighboring appellations, encouraging fuller ripening and giving the wines their characteristic depth. Grapes are hand sorted, fermented in small open-top vats, and aged in French oak before blending across vineyard lots.

Tart cherry and bramble fruit mingle with warm spice notes of cinnamon, clove, and cola, joined by a thread of stony minerality and red plum. The palate is medium bodied with well-integrated acidity, a smooth, mouthwatering texture, and refined, dusty tannins that carry through a long, dry finish. Pour it alongside beef carpaccio, herb-roasted chicken, or a charcuterie board.