2024 Ken Wright Cellars - Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton Shea Vineyard (750ml)

Ken Wright founded his eponymous winery in 1994 in downtown Carlton, Oregon, building on a vineyard-designate philosophy he first developed years earlier while working at Panther Creek. A passionate advocate for site-specific winemaking, Wright played an instrumental role in establishing six new AVAs across the northern Willamette Valley in the mid-2000s, personally authoring the petition for the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and serving as its first association president. Today Ken Wright Cellars produces single-vineyard Pinot Noir from thirteen distinct sites across the region, each vinified and aged separately to preserve its individual character.

Shea Vineyard was originally planted in 1989 by Dick and Dierdre Shea, two miles east of the town of Yamhill, and remains one of the most acclaimed Pinot Noir sites in Oregon. Ken Wright Cellars farms roughly 8.5 acres within the vineyard's ancient marine sediment soils at 540 to 600 feet elevation, planted mainly to Pommard and Wädenswil clones. Grapes are hand sorted, fermented separately in small open-top vats until dry, then pressed and aged apart from the estate's other sites to maintain a clear expression of the vineyard.

The wine shows wild blackberry and dark rose petal on the nose, alongside rocky soil and tobacco leaf. The palate is rich and powerful, with terrific structure, tension, and minerality that carries through a long finish. Built for the cellar, it pairs beautifully with roasted duck, mushroom dishes, or grilled salmon.