2017 Kelley Fox Wines Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill Vineyard- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (1/4/2019)
From the get go, this was expressive, complex, and blows the door off most other OR Pinot Blancs (or Alsatian for that matter). A powerful sense of minerlaity works hand in hand with ripe pear and other orchard fruits. Bone dry, but carriers a slight glyceryl texture, could easily pass for a strong dry Riesling, but the lower acidity levels still keenly identify this as Pinot Blanc. As this note attests, a very good one at that. (92 pts.)
Drank this on release last summer and enjoyed it very much. Definitely in my top 3 OR Pinot Blancs, along with Walter Scott (sadly no longer made) and Paetra.
Have two bottles of Kelley’s Barbie Pinot Blanc bottling. Plan to crack one soon to see how it compares to the Freedom Hill.
I have six of those Barbies. Pretty labels. Based on KF’s notes, I was thinking I would wait a few years.
There used to be a guy on eBob and then on this Board who tried to make a pun with his TN title to every single wine. Who wa’dat?
I bring it up because he could go to town with the Barbie Pinot Blanc. Barbie Doll? Put some meat on the Barbie? Barbie-Q? Barbie-rella? Barbie Bush? Rue-Barbie? Sub-Barbia? OK, I must be bored.
Opened the 2017 Freedom Hill and the 2017 Barbie tonight for a side-by-side comparison.
2017 Freedom Hill - super expressive nose of flowers, flint, green apple & pear; medium to full bodied, but not heavy in the least; bone dry with sufficient acid; long finish.
2017 Barbie - also from Freedom Hill, but fermented in a once-used Acacia Wood puncheon; slightly more pale yellow in color than FH; expressive nose of minerals, apple and citrus, but less expressive than FH; decent acid, but lower than FH; creamy mouthful with a touch of zest - due to Acacia?; medium body, but not heavy; bone dry like the FH with medium finish.
Two distinct, but delicious, expressions of Pinot Blanc from Kelley. The Barbie is a very nice Pinot Blanc, but at this point I prefer the Freedom Hill. Perhaps with more time the Barbie will outshine the FH, so I’ll give my last bottle another few years to see how it evolves.
I’m now out of FH, but will definitely buy the 2018 when released.
Although different grapes so not much of a comparison (Clover is Pinot Gris), the Barbie resembles the Clover due to the use of Acacia for aging (although I believe Clover is aged using 50% Acacia as opposed to 100% for Barbie).
Marcus’ Caprice (which was 80% Pinot Blanc/20% Pinot Gris - and despite what I said above would have to go in my top 3 OR Pinot Blancs) would be more like the KF Freedom Hill bottling.
Marcus - if you read this, you have one enthusiastic vote to bring back the Caprice. I miss that wine!
I just scheduled a visit with her in April. really excited about it because her wines don’t really make it here to SC. She has been wonderful to deal with via email and it has made me even more excited to meet her.
I discovered Kelley Fox pinots in the last year and really have enjoyed them. Chatted with her over Thanksgiving weekend at the winery and found her to be funny and irreverent. Sounds like I should try some of the whites too.
Thread drift but on a whim I tried to stop by your place that same weekend! We were having lunch at 1882 Grille and when we wrapped up I googled what wineries were close by. Knowing you’re on here and having heard great things about your wine, we drove over (really close to the restaurant) but I guess we missed you by a week, as I later discovered you were open the weekend before (or at least that’s what the WV Thanksgiving wine weekend brochure said). Hope to visit you later this year when we’re out there again.
I’m sorry I missed you! If you’re headed this way again, just email me and we can set something up. If you just happen to wind up close by, text me at 5039391308. I’m usually around and happy to pull a cork.