Ken came to Oregon early in 1985. Over a career spanning three decades, Ken has successfully endeavored, along with like-minded winemakers, to create various sub-appellations within the Willamette Valley due to their unique geology. He has bottled and promoted single-vineyard wines in an effort to showcase the distinct characteristics of each appellation as well as specific vineyards. This devotion has garnered him a cult following amongst restaurateurs, wine geeks and sommeliers alike. Many of Ken’s practices hearken back to centuries-old wisdom rooted in Burgundy. However, it’s been the application of that knowledge in Oregon coupled with Ken’s selfless dedication that has earned him the well-deserved, monumental reputation he enjoys today. He embraces nutrition-based farming, which focuses on the soil’s biological life and goes so far as to introduce natural and living microbial elements when life in the vineyards isn’t thriving; this has brought certain vineyards of vast potential but poor performance back to life and kept great vineyards thriving.

 

The incredible complexity of Oregon’s Willamette Valley is millennia in the making. Lava eruption, the Missoula Floods and shifting tectonic plates over this small pocket of the world’s crazed geological history makes the terroir irreplicable and offers a vast array of distinct vineyards, which inevitably translates to surprisingly different flavor profiles in the wine. That is why this particular three-pack is such a unique and thought-provoking offer. The three vineyards represented in these wines are as follows: Tanager, Freedom Hill and Shea. At 350 to 400 western-facing elevation in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Tanager boasts Sedimentary-Willakenzie Soil, which is mostly comprised of well-draining sandstone base rock laced with subtle volcanic elements. This wine exhibits more richness and sweetness of fruit than the other two sites along with ample floral and spice. The Freedom Hill vineyard is more coastal than the other two sites and is comprised of sedimentary soil along with Bellpine soil, which offers more fresh-turned earth qualities along with floral and spice notes. This particular site, at 450 southeast-facing elevation, offers brighter acidity than the other two parcels as well as more austere structure and tannins, which translates to extensive aging potential. The Shea vineyard is a special one for its longtime owner, Dick Shea, and his first lessee, Ken Wright. Years ago, when Jory soils were the only thing going, Ken saw potential in the Shea vineyard, composed of Sedimentary-Willakenzie, and paid the owner by the acre instead of the ton. Ken took a chance on Shea and today this specific vineyard graces the pages of more A-list wine menus than any other vineyard in Oregon. Known for its combined grace, depth and power, Shea offers that nuanced experience most people believe only Burgundy can deliver and it’s at its best in the wizened hands of Mr. Wright.   

 

Although the blockbuster 2012 and 2014 vintages have been lauded for their extraction and richness of fruit, Willamette’s 2013 vintage is a more elegant, restrained expression of the varietal that is true to the grape’s Burgundian roots. The slightly cooler growing season and perfect weather conditions aligned to deliver a vintage of nuance, finesse and perfect balance that only the greatest Burgundian vintages seem to deliver. These wines, blessed with more acidity than their older and younger sisters, are built to age incredibly gracefully and will be a treasure now or in six to twelve years, although they could easily be one of the treasures in your cellar in twenty-five years with proper storage. If you do decide to enjoy this three-star line-up, simply open for an hour prior and serve at cellar temperature in Burgundy stems.