Ordered 6 bottles of the '14 Arterberry Maresh, Maresh Vineyard Pinot today. (95 pts from Neil Martin, highest scoring Oregon pinot from 2014 . . . maybe Jim’s right about this being his best pinot since 2008.)
I’ve had it twice now over the last 6 months, and it was very tight and one dimensional. I was more than disappointed with both bottles. I have two more I am not going to touch for 5-6 years, but this was a big letdown.
Neil seems like a decent sort and pretty meticulous. Some of his initial forays in to OR Pinot struck me as condescending…maybe his Burgundy background? Anyway, I’ve learned to be cautious about following professional OR PN ratings, no matter from who, to the pot of gold. Some ratings are surely warranted but I’ve given up counting how often a 86 - 89 point Pinot can go toe-to-toe with (or exceed the quality of) a 92 - 95 pointer. YMMV.
RT
Isn’t Arterberry the outfit that works with neutral oak? I had a '13 or '14 Dundee earlier this summer, followed by a '13 Goodfellow WV pinot if I recall correctly. We all thought the Goodfellow reigned supreme, obviously, but after reading about the neutral oak weeks later I realized a more sophisticated palate or time might be required to fully appreciate Arterberry.
Outfit? It’s Jim:
[resizeableimage=250,450]http://www.northwest-wine.com//art-mar-jim-outside-325p.jpg[/resizeableimage]
![http://www.northwest-wine.com//art-mar-jim-outside-325p.jpg[/resizeableimage]](http://www.northwest-wine.com//art-mar-jim-outside-325p.jpg%5B/resizeableimage%5D){kind=link}
RT
That’s Jim in an outfit alright.
Scott-Just as an FYI, the 2013 Goodfellow PN was almost all neutral oak. There was one new puncheon that was 7% of the final blend. I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed the 2013 Goodfellow WV, I love the wine myself. IMO 2013 is a very good vintage, but nothing about it was easy. So I am very proud of that wine and really happy when someone else enjoys it as well.
As far as critics reviewing Oregon go. Skip the WA subscription and ask Rich. He has well more than 100 times Neil Martin’s understanding of the Willamette Valley and it’s producers. He’s been here more and applied himself far more in learning the producers. Plus, he drinks bottles(with friends) instead of 1oz tastes. Heck, he’ll even leave a wine in his garage for 5 days and still take the time to taste it before it hits the sink(thankfully, for those of us making wines that need more air than most). I just doubt any critic reviewing Oregon is doing that, although David Schildknecht just came through for a Terroir Congress here in McMinnville and showed his usual amazing dedication to tasting, and learning, what’s happening in the Valley. I also support Josh Reynolds as having a great ability to appreciate both bigger framed Pinot Noirs and the more AFWE styled wines as well.
Josh R and David S do fine work reviewing and writing about OR Pinots. There’s simply no replacement for developing your own impressions about the wines, place and people!
RT
Agreed. For example, nearly every time I open a bottle of 2012 Oregon pinot noir I am nonplussed. I feel like I should like them and they should give some kind of pleasure but I’m often left scratching my head and wondering “is it just me?” It just typically doesn’t taste like what I am looking for in a glass of Oregon pinot noir. But the critics absolutely love them. Go figure. Yes, I will give them a lot of time, as I am getting very little satisfaction at this point and don’t mind to possibility of delayed gratitude (the 08s give me hope for these, as they are still mostly not ready for drinking). Marcus’s Bishop Creek pinot was one standout that had me swooning.
Ron, do you feel the 2012s are a bit dumb right now or over the top? My feeling is that our 2012s are shut down right now. I am taking a hiatus from all of them for another year(except for a tiny bottling we did from the Heron Block of the Durant Vineyard).
They seem dumb for sure. For example, CA pinots of the same weight tend to be aromatic, juicy, sweet and (often) indulgent. But I’m finding too many Oregon 12s to just be dark, intense and “blah” at this point. Different from the 14s, which are more forthcoming and yummy.
I think the Arterberry Dundee we had was a 2014, so in a way I’m even more surprised how thin it seemed. Or, I’m especially surprised at how rich the 2013 Goodfellow WV was, considering it was almost all neutral oak. Pardon the thread drift, but Liner & Elsen has some crazy ass sale right now on the 2013 Goodfellow WV - $17.99! I assume the 2014s are about to come about?
Thanks Scott. You just cost me $200! Only 10 bottles left now.
They are out. I bought some in Seattle a few weeks ago. As for that WV Chardonnay Marcus mentioned, I’m anxiously waiting…
2014 Willamette Valley PN is released. There is also a cuvée we did for PCC, a high end grocery, in Seattle as well. The PCC Cuvée is a blend of declassified barrels, that we’re all a bit tight when we bottled but seem to be opening up quite well now.
The 2014 Vineyard designates and Chardonnays bottle next Thurs & Friday(which is why I am posting at 1:50 in the morning…just wrapped up a fun 8:00am-1:30am grind.)
Ron, your description of 2012 matches my own thoughts right now, but I am pretty sure they will come around.