Comparing a couple Pinot Noirs

I purchased these 2 bottles last week, both were about $35 USD each. I thought it would be interesting to compare the 2023 Russian River Valley Pinot from Hartford Court in California with the 2023 Ken Wright Aola – Amity Hills from Oregon. Disclaimer, I generally prefer the more subtle and elegant pinots, which are usually lighter in color and also mouth feel. So I expected that I would prefer the Ken Wright. Wrong!!

These two wines could not be more different. The Ken Wright very delicate, subtle and light in colour and mouth feel. The Hartford Court RRV more of a mid-weight, much darker in colour, with almost explosive flavors up front and a nice long smooth finish. I will definitely buy this wine again. I must confess I was very disappointed with the Ken Wright, it was simply too light in both nose and flavor, with little finish at all. I would not buy this wine again, even though when I read the winery tasting notes, it sounds like my kind of Pinot. Sadly, it was lacking.

I actually can also compare these 2 to a Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir from the Coteaux du Verdon region, which i purchased a week earlier at the great price of $19.99. It was what I had expected from the Ken Wright, soft and light but with depth of flavors and a nice finish. This was definitely the best value of the 3, and a toss-up with the RRV as to which one i liked more, both were great.