Bob Henrick wrote:Just yesterday I saw almost a case of the subject wine on closeout at my BAWS, Price was $20, and I have very little experience with the wine. SO I am asking those here more schooled in Oregon pinot than I, for their impression. should I get six or so of them, or should I pass, or should I hope they drop in price this upcoming week?
Bob, I assume you mean Canary Hill Vineyard? I had the '01 in May '04 and thought it was fine and didn't really demand further aging. My only question would be how a 9-year-old has held up (and how it's been stored). I don't hear enough about Ken Wright to have a good handle on its perceived aging potential.
Here's my TN on the '01:
<b>Ken Wright Cellars 2001 Canary Hill Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir</b> ($37.49)
This wine is a jewel-like ruby in color, clear but only medium-dark, typical of Pinot Noir. Delicious aromas are focused on fruit but add complex herbal nuances that provide a distinct and appealing "Old World" quality: Black plums and woodsmoke, aromatic rosemary and a distinct edge of the "tomato skin" characteristic that's often found in Pinot. Ripe and full in flavor, velvety red fruit leaves a pleasant impression of "sweetness" although the wine is dry; it's properly structured with lemon-squirt acidity that enhances its food-friendliness. Aromatic subtleties follow the nose and linger in a long, clean finish. As a side note of interest, this wine comes in an amazingly hefty bottle with an unusually deep "punt" (dent in the bottom); it weighed a bit more than a kilogram empty, nearly 50 percent heavier than standard Burgundy bottles. I'm not sure why Ken Wright does this, but it does lend a bit of gravitas to the package. (May 12, 2004)
