TN 2013 Kelley Fox Pinot Maresh Vineyard (updated with 2014 note)

I needed something before the debate yesterday to inoculate myself against the coming unpleasantness. So I decided to open a 2013 Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard. Delicious strawberry scent wafts upward from glass as soon as it is poured (screwcap). There is a faint hint of reduction playing around the edges though that largely dissipates as the wine opens up. It’s an attractive dark pink color – like the color of the blooms on one of your grandmother’s heirloom roses. A finely chiseled palate delivers sweet strawberry and ripe cherry along with a subtle, spicy whole cluster element. Long, seamless finish with the sappy, strawberry fruit echoing again along with a nice cranberry lift. Such a puzzling wine, with the delicate color seemingly at odds with the palate’s intensity and concentration. Intriguing, delicious, completely accessible and open. It isn’t like burgundy, but it’s so delicious that it makes chasing after burgundy seem strangely irrelevant. My partner wants to know why we don’t drink this every night. It’s an excellent question. WOTY.

Very nice note. I was not familiar with this producer so thanks for the introduction.

Great note! Best Pinot I’ve had this year - tied with the '11 of the same wine.

The color on this wine is awesome. I drank over 3 days and it improved each day.

Now I have to keep my hands off my remaining bottles. Should have bought more.

Thanks, and you are welcome Michael. She has a following on the board, but is not that well known. And she is small production – 2000 cases currently I think. So I should probably keep quiet and not spread the word. But that would not be fair b/c I think her wine deserves a wide audience. (Though I did buy more of her 2014s before I posted!)

Thanks Scott. I have half a bottle left for tonight and can’t wait to revisit. Also wish I had bought more 2013s.

Have you tried any of her 2014s yet and if so how do they compare to the 2013s? I’m wondering if I should get a few more yet…

Katrina,

I’ve only tried the '14 Mirabai. Although a different animal than the '13 or '11 in line with the expected vintage differences, it was lighter on its feet and more interesting than most of the '14 OR Pinots I’ve tried to date. I would not hesitate to buy more.

Even though I’m not going long on '14 OR Pinot, I bought even more of her '14s than '13s because Kelley is one of the few winemakers I have faith to make wines that capture my interest regardless of vintage characteristics. I’m excited to try her new Maresh Red Barn Blocks bottling, although will likely let those sleep for a few years.

I am surprised Kelley’s wines don’t get more play on this board, but they should!

She does have a devoted following outside the PNW. Chambers sells her Mirabai and she sells her wines in some unexpected European countries.

I brought the '11 Maresh to dinner at Chez Panisse last month. Upon seeing the empty bottle, one of the staff came over to inquire where we obtained the bottle because he loved her wines and could not source!

Thanks for the info, Scott. Yes, I haven’t loved the 2014 Oregons I’ve had to date. I note that Kelley calls her 2014s “mirthful.” That has some resonance with what I’ve tasted of the vintage so far. But I completely agree with you that she is worth buying vintage in and vintage out. I haven’t bought the Red Barn Blocks yet, but am aiming to do so.

This is just a delicious wine with real depth. Rather than Burgundy as the benchmark I thought this wine could be considered Oregon Jamie Kutch PN.

I also loved it. I found it at Wine Library in Springfield, NJ in March, 2016.

My CT tasting note:

"Medium crimson in color, this wine shows succulent aromas of raspberry, cherry juice as well as spices including sage. The mouth feel reveals piquant acidity, forest floor and an unusual but pleasant hint of saline. The finish pairs the fruit, acidity and soft tannins as well as very subtle smoke together seemlessly. 13.0% abv.

Purchased for $40US, this is a gorgeous offering that has complexity to the Nth degree. A delicious wine that I’m glad I found another bottle of.93 points"

I haven’t tried Jamie Kutch wine. I’ve largely stopped buying CA pinot, but sounds like I should loop back and try some. Thanks for the tip.

Just to clarify, I said that this wasn’t like burgundy but that it’s so good that it renders burgundy beside the point (if Burgundy is taken as the sine qua non of Pinot)

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Thanks for sharing your note Tom. If this was the Maresh vineyard bottling, at $40 you got a great deal. I got it for low 50s and it’s $60 direct from the website.

His Falstaff is good year-in, year-out. Warm vintages it is riper than this Fox wine but quality level and depth evocative of one another.

Oops. That was my tasting note for Mirabai. Here is my tasting note for Maresh, which I liked even more:

Light ruby in color, this wine reveals intense and focused aromas of cranberry, raspberry and cinnamon on the nose. The mouth feel has subtle tannins, firm acidity and added elements of clove as well as more cranberry. The finish is 30+ seconds of pure red fruit driven joy.

Purchased for $50US, this is an absolutely delicious offering that opened up well during the course of the 2 hours the fours glasses were consumed. I saved the last glass for day two. This wine took on some added weight on day two and brought out more cherry and wild strawberry notes.94 points

Well, I am surprised when someone says that they have never heard of Kelley Fox but then again, I am into Oregon pinot. If you are not into Oregon pinot, then yeah, you would have no reason to know about Kelley Fox. Kelley was pretty much the face of Scott Paul Wines meaning that if you visited Scott Paul or called over there, you were bound to meet with or deal with Kelley. I have been letting mine sleep. This note makes me want to twist open a bottle tonight.

Michael Alberty always praised Kelly and her wines. So after Mike Pobega wrote a note on the Mirabai, I bought a few and have not been disappointed and bought a few more.

Pobega as the trend setter for restrained OR Pinots. Why not?

RT

I cannot recall a wine from Oregon getting such consistent, effusive praise as this vintage bottling. Shame that I never bought or tasted it!

She still has some available to buy on her website.

With tax and shipping to CA, it adds up fast, so I’m on the fence about buying more but I’m sorely tempted.

Does anyone know in general how strong 2014 is supposed to be for Oregon Pinot?

That seriously depends on what you define as “strong”, which producers you prefer and what qualities you look for in OR Pinot.

I’m a cool vintage fan. 2014 was not. I kind of look at recent warm OR vintages…a little like 2009 Burgundy (before I stopped buying Burgs due to pricing indigestion). The best deals for my palate are typically lower on the food chain. Not that there aren’t good 2014 flagship offerings. YMMV.

RT

Thanks for the write up. You are making me thirsty. Sadly I don’t have any of that wine. But Kelley Fox + Maresh is a perfect storm. I do have a 07 Scott Paul Audrey on deck which is Maresh. IIRC Kelley made that wine.

Cheers,

Jason