My comment about Oregon wine is just that there are many other Oregon Pinots that I like a lot that are quite a bit cheaper. Of course, there are plenty of other Oregon Pinots in the $75 range, but I haven’t tried many of those.
Ok thanks. I read too much into your comment. My mistake.
Has anyone had both the 17 and 19 Maresh ? I’m thinking of trying 17 shortly and interested in any experiences and how the 2 vintages might compare. Recent CT notes are very positive. I’ve been a fan of Kelley’s wines since her Scott Paul days but for some reason I can’t remember I stopped buying a few years ago.
thank you
I’ve had them both, but haven’t had the 17 recently. Whichever you plan to open, I’d suggest opening hours in advance and doing a quick taste, then decant if it’s closed.
If you forced me to choose one to open now, I’d go with the 19, expecting it to need more than an hour in the decanter to really open.
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This wine remains one of my favorites from Oregon in the recent past. I have had some Patty Green Notorious wines when completely mature that have blown me away. Eyrie. Panther Creek. Those are different beasts and equally wonderful.
I love this wine. Great job Kelley.
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This wine is just incredibly good. So light, but with the deep fresh fruit. I may already need more.
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I’m gonna have to break down and buy some Kelley Fox.
Also, welcome to the board!
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Has anyone tasted the new 2021 Maresh bottling from the release email last week?
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Didn’t want to start a new thread, so tacking on here. Just had the '19 Maresh Royal Ann Block after partaking in the killer BD deal 6-pack.
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2019 Kelley Fox Wines Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Royal Ann Block - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (2/24/2023)
What a beautiful wine. Bright translucent ruby color. Is this a white wine lover’s red? Pomegranate, cherry, and strawberry fruits, but the finish is full of salinity and even some firmness suggesting that this wine has some years to show more. Light in bodied, but the flavor somehow is still quite concentrated. Loved this and one of the best QPR deals I can recall in the last 5 years since I started in this hobby. (93 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
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Yes. You could have taken those words right out of Kelley’s mouth. She makes her reds as if they are whites. I think her Maresh bottlings will evolve for ten years easily. And the Royal Anne is at least a 94. 
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The interesting thing is that the “entry-level” pinot Mirabai is often a slightly bigger wine than most of the Maresh vineyard bottlings. Though not bigger than the Weber vineyard pinot.
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If anyone has opened any of the 2013s from previous berserkerday library offerings, they are still going strong. and thats not just Maresh: even Mirabai/Ahurani are still getting better at this point.
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I’ve had the 08 Maresh recently and many more years to go. Had a 19 Royal Anne recently and seems like it has shut down honestly. Wasn’t nearly as expressive as when I had it a year ago. Kelley’s wine have great longevity so don’t be afraid to age them.
I love Kelley Fox wines in general, and her 2019 Maresh in particular. But I’m genuinely curious about @Mattstolz and @Cody_S 's comments about 2008 and 2013 Kelley Fox wines.
My question is are they just surviving or starting to transform into something greater for those who love aged wine?
These wines are so delicious young, I’m tempted to drink most, and stick a few bottles in the back of the cellar for the future. Would this be a mistake?
Ok, I’ve talked myself out of it. I’ll bury half for later.
Thanks for the help.
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If you didn’t see this, check out Jim Anderson’s comments on a KF Maresh vertical. about how they put on weight and ideally shouldn’t be touched for ten years. Post #4.
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I too love the 2019’s and when I tasted at the winery last year they were our favorite wines of our entire trip. In general I love the 2019 vintage. When discussing Kelley’s 2008 specifically I feel like this wine has improved greatly over the last few years. There was more oak on this particular vintage than usual and I feel like it has integrated very well now and is really starting to open up. Since her first vintage was 2007 I believe and I’ve only had that wine once, it’s hard for me to tell what real time (20+ yrs) will bring. Obviously 2007 and 2008 were very different growing seasons and the 07 was showing much leaner than the 08 but equally impressive. I completely understand and agree with you that these wines show incredibly well young so it’s hard to not drink them quickly. I think this is due to the elegant style and deft touch Kelley uses. I can say that the 07 and 08 have improved a good bit since release but they have not done anything crazy in terms of transitioning to secondary or tertiary flavors yet. They are still elegant, perfumed and everything they show in their youth but with even more grace and silkiness. I’m not sure if they will ever transition they way 20-30 yr old Cameron Clos Electrique or Thomas wines do but I have no reason to doubt that as talented as Kelley is. I can tell you that I typically try to start drinking Maresh bottlings with 8 yrs of age on them (2015 now) and see where they are before determining how much to hold back. I try not to touch them until this point and it has served me well so far. I scratch the itch with opening her Mirabai wines young while I age the single vineyard stuff. That Mirabai in an insane value and is not far off the higher end wines in terms of quality.
In short, I’d hold back a few of the more structured vintages to see for yourself. If you enjoy them young, drink the crap out of them and don’t look back. There is no wrong answer when to enjoy these incredible wines! I do enjoy aged wines more than young so for my personal taste I think there is absolutely a benefit to aging some for my palate.
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A couple of other points regarding comparing 2019 to previous years.
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2007/2008, Kelley used 30% or less new oak. Since 2012 she has used zero.
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Up through 2015 she used screw tops rather than cork. Those have the potential to change the aging curve to the upside, She now uses natural cork. I hope she switches to Diam one day.
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She had always used 30-100% whole cluster. In 2019, she used zero for everything as far as I can tell. You can draw your own conclusions about the affect of that from the “Whole Cluster” thread.
I have not had older KF wines, but I’ve had Scott Paul wines where she was the winemaker with much the same techniques and vineyard sources. The 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2013 were all notably young and fresh in the last few years.
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I wish I found her wines much earlier. I’ve had a bottle here and there since the 2016 vintage, but only started to buy to cellar with 2019.
I bought six 2019 and six 2021 Mirabai as cellar defenders, alas the 2019’s did their job already. I’ll short term the 2021’s and maybe two of each of the other SVD’s, and bury the rest.
Thanks, @ChrisJames and @Cody_S
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Hello all. If there are any questions that pop up regarding these lovelies, I am more than happy to help. It seems like the 2019s are getting discussed the most and especially the Maresh vineyard designates. Don’t hesitate to throw one out and I’ll do my best to answer it thoroughly.
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