Journey of a Purple Girl: Just Another Monday Night

Mr. Purple is such a wine snob that he felt compelled to pull out something special to commemorate my first blog post. And I quote, "you can't just blog about *#@! you can get at Costco". And so a fabulous pinot noir came out of the wine "cellar" tonight.... Ken Wright Pinot Noir Savoya 2009.

This particular wine from Ken Wright retails for $58. Quite a steal for such a fantastic wine. But, the Purple's are cost conscious and with Purple Dad and Purple Mom's high recommendations coupled with Ken Wright's legendary status in the Willamette Valley, we decided to try our hand at futures. What are wine futures you ask? It refers to buying wine after it is made but before it is bottled. During a late fall trip to the Willamette Valley in 2009, we were lucky enough to sample this particular wine out of the barrel. After a few arm twists (not really), we bought 3 bottles at about $30/bottle.

Two years later and this wine gives me something great to blog about. The nose is subtle but inviting... hints of floral and raspberries. Purple Son (who is 5) thought is smelled "like wine". Have I mentioned yet that he's brilliant?

2009 was also an interesting year in the Willamette Valley. Like Washington, Oregon experienced an unseasonably warm summer. This, coupled with untimely September rain and uneven harvest temperatures, left many Oregon wine growers worried. (And thus buying this "future" was a bit of a risk) Oregon wines are generally known for their delicacy, not power, and the 2009 vintage challenged that notion. Ken Wright commented in Wine Spectator that he "was pleasantly surprised" by the vintage as they didn't exhibit "overripe flavors or overly soft textures".

Back to Savoya... Savoya Vineyard is the first vineyard directly owned and developed by Ken Wright Cellars and is located in the Yamill-Carlton district northeast of Carlton, Oregon. About 240 very special cases of wine are produced each year from this 4.5 acre vineyard. The 2009 pinot is a beautifully smooth wine that tasted as much like cherry cola as any wine I've ever tasted. The finish long, delicate and while not in tasting notes you'll find online, I find myself tasting peaches long after my last sip.