Current Releases

2004 Vintage

An awesome Spring that had us three weeks ahead of normal gave way to cool and wet weather in the first week of June. This inclement weather coincided with flowering in most of our vineyard sites. As a result, natural crop levels averaged a microscopic .8 tons per acre.

The combination of a small crop and the great spring weather gave us an early harvest which began on the 9th of September. The wines are expressive, balanced, elegant and ageworthy.

The following white wines are now available. If shipping is not available to your state, be sure to look at our list of distributors below, found under the heading "Find Ken Wright Cellars in Your Area".

 
case
half-case
2003 Celilo Vineyard Chardonnay - SOLD OUT
$240
$125
 Plus shipping charges (where available by law).

Looking for recent vintages of Ken Wright Cellars Pinot noir?

Find Ken Wright Cellars
in Your Area
List of Retailers

Aging Chart

When to drink Ken Wright Cellars Pinot noir

Given perfect cellaring conditions:

Constant 55-degree temperature & 70% humidity, and a dark environment. 
  

 Vintage

'94

'95

'96

'97

'98

'99

'00
'01
 '02 '03
 

 Abbey
  Ridge

   

Now-
'05

 

Now-
'08

'02-
'10

Now-
'10
      

 Arcus

       

Now-
'09

'03-
'12

Now-
'11
 '04-
'08		    

 Canary Hill

Now-
'03

Now-
'02

Now-
'05

Now-
'04

Now-
'08

'02-
'10

Now-
'10
 Now-
'08		 '04-
'12		 '05-
'10

 Carter

Now-
'06

Now-
'03

Now-
'07

Now-
'05

'03-
'12

'04-
'15

'03-
'14
 '04-
'10		 '05-
'15		 '06-
'12

 Elton

     

Now-
'04

'03-
'10

'04-
'12

'03-
'12
 '04-
'10		 '05-
'15		 '06-
'13

 Freedom Hill

Now-
'06

Now-
'03

Now-
'07

Now-
'05

'03-
'12

'04-
'15

'03-
'14
 '05-
'12		 '06-
'15		 '06-
'12

 Guadalupe
 (Abbey Hts)

Now-
'04

Now-
'03

Now-
'06

Now-
'04

Now-
'09

'02-
'13

Now-
'11
 Now-
'08		 '04-
'10		 '05-
'10

 McCrone

   

Now-
'06

Now-
'05

Now-
'10

'03-
'13

Now-
'12
 '04-
'08		 '05-
'12		 '06-
'12

 Meredith
 Mitchell

   

'03-
'10
 '04-
'10		 '05-
'15		 '06-
'13

 Nysa

       

Now-
'08

'02-
'11

Now-
'10
 '04-
'08		 '04-
'12		 '05-
'09
Savoya                 '04-
'12		 '05-
'10

 Shea

Now-
'03

Now-
'02

Now-
'04

Now-
'04

Now-
'09

'02-
'12

Now-
'11
 Now-
'08		 '04-
'10		 '04-
'10

 Wahle

       

Now-
'09

'02-
'12

Now-
'11
 Now-
'08		 '04-
'10		 '05-
'09

 Whistling
  Ridge

   

Now-
'05

Now-
'03

 

'02-
'10

Now-
'10
      
 

Chart shows broad spans of drinkability: earlier in the range will exhibit fresh, vibrant fruit; for people who prefer a mature pinot – look toward the latter half of the time span. 

The 1994 Vintage

Poor weather at bloom gave extremely reduced crop levels. Temperatures soared at harvest, which caused a rapid rise in sugars. The wines are quite ripe, but have little acidity. These are plush wines though not terribly complex. 

The 1995 Vintage

Significant rainfall at harvest caused some dilution and a percentage of rot. Intensive sorting helped us to create clean and pleasant wines. They are not intense, but are currently showing a measure of elegance and finesse. 

The 1996 Vintage

Higher acids than usual in this vintage. Aromas have been rather subdued because of the acidity levels; i.e. tight. Many are just now beginning to open up. These should generally be long-lived wines. 

The 1997 Vintage

Very high natural crop levels required heavy thinning. Wines from the Yamhill Foothill Area are quite ripe. Those from the volcanic sites tend to be more feminine: pretty aromas & subtle textures. This vintage contains higher than usual amounts of sediment. Decanting is recommended. 

The 1998 Vintage

Extremely low crop levels in the Dundee Hills & Yamhill Foothills, and normal crop levels in the Eola Hills. Very ripe fruit from all sites w/ slightly lower than usual acidity levels. These will be pleasing wines in their youth & they should all have moderate ability to age. 

The 1999 Vintage

One of the finest vintages in Oregon’s winegrowing history. We had clear sunny days though the end of October without excessive heat. This gave us tremendous hang time without the loss of acidity. Across the board, the wines are extremely ripe w/ excellent structure and layers of texture.

The 2000 Vintage

Warmer than average growing season gave us opulent fruit that has resulted in forward, lush wines. All of our sites display focused and vibrant aromatics and flavors. These are wines to be enjoyed near and mid-term.

The 2001 Vintage

The vintage produced complex, fragrant and textural wines. Our aggressive cutting-edge techniques in the vineyard allowed all of our sites to fully ripen prior to any fall rains. The harvest of Oregon vineyards prior to eventual fall rain is the most significant test we face each year.

The 2002 Vintage

A particularly warm and beautiful growing season produced fruit with the highest sugar concentrations we had experienced to date. The ’02 vintage has the potential to be on par with 1990, our favorite. Across the board the wines are rich, balanced and detailed. These are big wines for the variety but are not overblown.

The 2003 Vintage

A very cool and wet spring was reason for concern until we saw an incredible turnaround in the first week of June. Reliable statistical weather data has been kept since 1924. In 2003 the months of June, July, August and September were the hottest ever recorded with the exception of one year, 1967.

The record levels of heat produced fruit with exceptionally high sugar levels and resulting alcohol. The wines are broad shouldered, concentrated and dark as a moonless night.