A barrel tasting is literally that, tasting wines out of the barrel before they get bottled or blended and bottled. At Ken Wright Cellars we were in for an additional treat. The people manning the barrel tasting were the actual grape farming crew. They were fabulous to talk with about how the wine made it to the barrels and the land on which the grapes grew. We tasted pinot noir barrels from the Canary Hill, Carter, and Savoya vineyards. They were all 2012 barrels. The Canary Hill had good light structure and a young woody nose; the Carter was more fruit forward, but still an earthy nose that we thought would age really well. The Savoya was the earthiest of all, yet lighter than the others I thought. We also tasted 3 bottled wines, the 2011 Pinot Blanc (shortbread on the finish! yum!), the 2010 Chardonnay (earthy and not very sweet, which is a good thing), and a 2007 McCrone Vineyard Pinot Noir (floral on the nose and a spicy finish, still could use some aging). The Ken Wright Cellars tasting room is located in the small town of Carlton. Right on the main drag you'll find the Cellars and close by is the fabulous Carlton Bakery. Their breads, baked goods and sandwiches were phenomenal.
The second barrel tasting occurred by luck at Willamette Valley Vineyards. We were on a private tour when the assistant winemaker happened by and offered to give us a barrel tasting. What an amazing opportunity! Having a winemaker tour was so enlightening. He showed us how they rated barrels with a glimpse into how decisions are made on which barrels to blend together. We tasted a Chardonnay with a coconut overtone and three Pinot Noir barrels that were all very different. We were also lucky enough to get a taste of their port (made from Pinot Noir grapes, fortified with a brandy made from their Chardonnay grapes) that hides in a back, locked alcove. The port was something that his father had started when he was head winemaker as a private project that turned out to be amazing. They now sell it at the winery and we had to bring home a bottle.
For all of you who live in wine country, this may be old hat to you, but for the rest of us, what a treat. If you have the opportunity to do a barrel tasting, definitely do so. It's as much an education as a pleasure.
