Jenna Olson

Panther Creek Cellars, one of the first Oregon wineries recognized for its exceptional regional blends and single vineyard designate wines, especially Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, has released 6 single vineyard designates crafted under the direction of acclaimed Consulting Winemaker Tony Rynders.  

This powerful Pinot Noir was crafted from fruit grown at the Kalita Vineyard near the town of Yamhill. Aromas and flavors of dark cherry fruit and spicy cherry candy combine to give the wine complexity and style with notes of toasty cedar, earthy mineral and vanilla adding depth.  

Step inside Panther Creek’s tasting room and the first glance seems stark, but the second leaves a very strong “less is more” impression. The color scheme cleverly follows their label’s black and red, with some grey thrown in for contrast. The impeccable lighting design gives a sleek, sensual impression. There’s a fun black and white photo on the wall from harvest—punch down, specifically—with a bright red boot. Beautiful, especially to anyone who’s ever worked a damp, cold Oregon harvest.  

Ken Wright made his way to Oregon in 1985 in a dilapidated pickup truck with his wife, two young sons and 10 barrels of California Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was an unlikely beginning to a career that’s helped establish the state’s Willamette Valley as a homeland for Pinot Noir. But it says a lot about Ken Wright. The 61-year-old winegrower has proved to be pragmatic and persuasive. When his bank account could not finance the move to Oregon, he convinced his former employer, Talbott Vineyards, to let him take those barrels with him to sell when he started in Oregon. Though prohibited by several federal regulations, he convinced a federal agent to let him bottle and label the wines in 1986 as the debut offerings of his new winery, Panther Creek.  

New ownership moved the tasting room to downtown Dundee, Ore., and brought in Tony Rynders, one of the region’s top talents with Pinot Noir, and he worked magic with this fruit in Jory soil at the Lumpkin family’s vineyard near Yamhill.  

Burghound.com is a quarterly review that is devoted exclusively to the coverage of burgundy/pinot noir with rotating coverage of Champagnes/Sparklers.