Ken Wright's first vintage was 1992.
Ken recognized the greatness of this vineyard, named after the Mexican Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, from the moment it was planted in 1989.
The wine that Ken produced from this vineyard, which no one had paid any attention to, gained a reputation and many famous wineries, including Domaine Celine, Christome, and Beaufrères, began using grapes from this vineyard.
The vineyard is legally in the Dundee Hills AVA, but the soils are closer to Yamhill-Carlton than Dundee.
For this reason, Kenwright releases it under the Willamette Valley AVA rather than the Dundee Hills AVA.
Attractive fruit flavors of red raspberry and blueberry are blended with spices and natural aromas of leather, forest floor, cinnamon and graham cracker.
In the mouth you can feel the structure and density.
This year's harvest averaged just under three tonnes, which was optimal given the accumulated heat experienced during the growing season.
The dry summer weather prevented any disease outbreaks and fermentation proceeded perfectly without any pause.
The wines are rich and expressive, with great finesse and depth of colour.
Ken Wright was Oregon's first to be featured on the cover of Wine Spectator in 2015 with a nine-page profile highlighting his achievements in the Oregon Pinot Noir industry and his local philanthropic work.
Specializing in single vineyard wines, his wines have been praised around the world for 40 years.
The Pinot Noir variety is unlike any other food or drink we know, and it has an incredible power to connect us to the fields and the earth.
Ken says it's like a blank canvas, allowing the grapes to absorb and express the aromas and flavors of each land.
Ken was the first to advocate that not all Willamette Valley AVAs were the same, and that they needed to be subdivided and have sub-AVAs established.
Without Ken Wright, Oregon Pinot Noir would not be as unique as it is today.
Ken also clearly explains the relationship between the characteristics of Pinot Noir and the soil, stating that Pinots grown on marine sedimentary soils tend to produce floral and spice-focused wines, while those grown on volcanic sedimentary soils tend to produce wines with a more fruity flavor.