The 2008 Pinot Noir Nysa Vineyard, a Dundee Hills site planted on its own roots in 1990. Medium ruby red, it exhibits an expressive nose of cedar, spice box, rose petal, cherry, and raspberry. Densely packed with plenty of underlying structure, this intensely flavored, lengthy effort will benefit from 2-3 years of additional bottle age and drink well through 2020. Ken Wright’s Pinot Noirs in 2008 are exceptional but only slightly better than his 2007s from a much more difficult vintage. Perhaps it is in the more challenging vintages that the cream really rises to the top, whereas the challenge in 2008 was to NOT make a really good wine. Tel. (503) 852-7070; www.kenwrightcellars.com

Tart and speckled with pepper, this shows lean but polished fruit. It’s truly Burgundian in style, with well-defined highlights of leaf and bark, and just a hint of tomato. A chocolaty afterglow sets in long after the last swallow. ——P.G.(6/1/2010)—— 90