2014 Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir, Oregon

Bright red. A sexy, highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red berries, incense and allspice, and a zesty mineral note adds urgency. Juicy, appealingly sweet and lithe for the vintage, offering intense raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors and a hint of candied flowers on the back half. Delivers solid punch but comes off graceful, showing no rough edges on the impressively long, sweet, red-fruit-driven finish

93 points Josh Raynolds vinous.com

Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir is one of Oregon’s most soulful and terroir driven Pinot Noirs, a wine that speaks as much of people and place as it does of fruit. Maresh Vineyard sits high in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley, planted in 1970 on ancient volcanic Jory soils that give Pinot Noir its signature perfume, fine tannins and earthy, savoury depth. These old vines are among the region’s most prized, producing small berries with intense flavour and natural balance.

Kelley Fox is a cult figure in Oregon wine. After working with David Lett at Eyrie, she launched her own label with a focus on transparency, restraint and emotional connection to the vineyard. Her work at Maresh is legendary, built on gentle extraction, whole berry fermentation and a light hand with oak, allowing the voice of this historic site to come through with clarity and grace.

In the glass, this Pinot Noir is hauntingly aromatic, showing wild strawberry, red cherry and cranberry, lifted by rose petal, forest floor and subtle spice. The palate is silky and finely detailed, with bright acidity, delicate tannins and a long, mineral driven finish that reflects the Jory soils. It is elegant and layered rather than powerful, inviting you back for another sip.

This is a beautiful wine for the table. Roast duck, quail, pork with herbs, mushroom dishes or simple roasted vegetables all let its savoury and floral notes shine. It is also a wine that rewards slow, thoughtful drinking.

Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir drinks beautifully on release but can age gracefully for ten to fifteen years, gaining more earthy and truffle like complexity with time. It is a true collector’s Pinot and one of the most honest expressions of the Dundee Hills you will ever taste.