No comment because, you know, bias.
So, homework for me. Something different for y’all.
Well shit! One can dream.
Do you have extra bias for any one (or two) vintage?
Its fair to comment, if you can try to be unbiased.
I would say it is interesting to see not the evolution of her winemaking over many vintages (she’s better now, of course for any millions of reasons) and how that vineyard does it’s thing.
I would say that the wines seem to GAIN tannin, or at least seem to show more tannic structure later than soon after bottling, at least over the relatively short run. The 2010 was quite tannic and I don’t remember it being so a few years back. I’m a good way. The young wines are fruity and delicious and precise and have years to go. The 2014 is as good an Oregon 2014, and as atypical as one, as you could possibly find. No problems across the board. Anything 2012 and younger is a hold unless you just crave delicious wine which isn’t exactly a crime.
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For me, verticals are the best way to learn about a wine, producer, or vineyard. Jim, it’s interesting to hear the tannin becomes more prominent with age on these wines; have you ever noticed this in other bottles of Pinot Noir? If so, I’d be curios to hear more about that.
And up through 2015, she was using screw cap which should further slow the evolution. Did you find any obvious difference with the cork vs. screw cap wines?
I can’t tell for sure but it looks like they went from using screwtop (stelvin?) to old school cork in 2016? Aren’t some wineries going the other way? Jim can you weigh in please-
She started using corks in 2016. I think there were a few reasons not the least of which is when she moved to her new space there was a bottling line there that only had a corker.
Hard to compare old wines to young wines and certainly to narrow down differences to the closure would be impossible. I think it was far more interesting to see her evolution and growth as a winemaker.
Thanks for sharing Jim. I was going to comment about the screw caps versus cork as well, but that’s been covered, so I’ll say that I wish had some older Kelley Fox wines. I have some older Scott Paul wines, so I guess that counts for something.
We had the the 2012 recently and it was drinking perfectly and was WOTN among an excellent group. Opening the bottle the perfume leapt out!
Just for kicks I threw the 2019 KF Maresh Star of Bethlehem Flower Block into a small tasting of 2019 Burgs the other night. It was lighter in color than the Burgs but it was bursting with a smorgasbord of fragrance and flavors. A great wine that I think will be even better 8-10 years from now.
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I have a 2014 Maresh in the drink cue so any TNs appreciated.
Re-tasting this morning. It’s not something one with experience with Oregon’s 2014 vintage would necessarily guess as that vintage served blind. Very high-toned with a little darker fruit (typical of the vintage) sneaking in but more as an “oh, lookie here what do we have going on now?” sort of situation. Lots of acid that goes back to front. More creaminess than heaviness but in a good way, like really awesome crème brûlée or some such thing. Sneaky tannins on the very back but not ever soft. Entirely delicious and certainly no crime in enjoying it now but I would imagine this has another several years of unfurling the sails.
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I thought 2012 and 2016 stood out. Also 2014. Folks at the winery also dug 2013 and 2010. There is nothing here but interest and preference. Good stuff. I would say she’s a better winemaker now than 15 years ago but that also seems painfully obvious.
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Nothing like having an inside track. I’ve been sadly remiss in not trying her wines. I do have a bottle of 2014 Maresh Red Barn Blocks that someone gifted me that now that I read this I may wait a few more years on.
That’s fascinating and something I wondered about these wines. Yes, we have all had wines that drink on their exuberant fruit in youth and then later reveal their structure. But the Kelley Fox Maresh wines I’ve tried are so delicate (almost juice-like), I wondered how they would age. On CT you have some people saying these wines are for drinking now, in the next 1-2 years, based on that same general observation. Then you have John Gilman saying not to open these for 10 years! Always wondered how to reconcile those drink recommendations.
I did crack open a few 2018’s on release to get a sense for the house style, but I will save the rest.
Kelley did a NY tasting in 2018 or 2019. At the tasting she lamented how everyone drinks Oregon young/ages Burgundy and then says Burgundy is the more age-able wine. And the potential for contemporary Oregon to improve with age - but it would be a time-will-tell sort of thing.
There’s no bias when all the wines are KF wines, I mean, unless you’ve got some conflict with calendar year! Interesting to hear your thoughts and very much looking forward to trying my 17-19 KF in a decade or more.