What are your thoughts on aging your wines? Is there a time frame youre aiming for a drinking window?
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Between 2 and 5pm
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That’s a little early for me, gotta put the kids to bed first
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Cough syrup works wonders.
Just sayin
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@Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m inspired me to dig around in the deep corners till I found my stash of this from last Berserker Day. OMFG this is good! Very light petrol, lychee, fresh flowers, and a texture that was so light and caressing. Dry without being shrill or austere. Perfectly balanced.
If this is what she made as a one-off, Kelly needs to find another source of Riesling grapes!
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I’m excited to see how massively this thread is going to blow up after the Berserker Day sales. That was insane pricing on tremendous wines.
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Yyyyyep!
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No kidding, looking forward to deinking some new KF wines…
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100% agree. Got 2 cases 
. Excited to pop a 22 weber! Same with the durabt chard
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Hi Max! I was out of range for a while (I often feel that way mentally, lol). Hm. My way has been to bottle my wines with as much life and freshness as possible. It seems they are often quite young for their ages the first five or so years. This question is a general one. Pinot noir? Whites? Chardonnay or Albariño? Etc.? My answer depends on which wine we’re talking about. Generally, I would say my Pinots really start becoming their true selves after about 5 years. They have often aged very well for at least 10+ years. The aging windows would vary with the vintage (hot? cool? other vintage factors?); the vineyard itself; and many other variables known and unknown. I never push my wines. They are part of time (Kronos) and I respect that.
The Chardonnays need time, too, I’ve observed. Maybe 2-3 years to really show what they’re about. And finally, I’m not aiming for a drinking window per se, but entirely on delivering as wine with as much life and freshness and good energy as I can. 
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Thank you, Marcus. I’ve written this several times elsewhere, but I want my wines to be as accessible as I can manage. Always felt that way. I love the Berserker community, a number of whom have been my customers (often thanks to you 
) and this is one way of showing it. On another note: I’m running out of your Blanc de Blanc and am trying to be patient waiting for the pink stuff!!
Thank you so much, Zachary! I saw your orders this week when I was doing the bookkeeping. I usually see everyone’s. I hope you enjoy them!
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I drank a 2023 Mirabai Pinot Noir the other night. It was incredibly fresh, pure, and vibrant. No need to wait five years on this one. Great to drink while holding the SVD.
Thank you so much for your words, Chris
I don’t know how to produce Riesling, but I was inspired by these being the 1970 vines that Loie and Jim Maresh Sr. planted on their farm-and by the OG Oregon “White riesling” I used to drink in my “Swiss chalet” double-wide rental in the coast range (North Fork of the Alsea River) in the late ‘80s/early’90s. White riesling and “Twin Peaks” on the tv with aluminum foil rabbit ears.
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Cant wait!
2023 Gruner Veltliner - a bright and high acid prelude to Spring. And it cuts like a knife through spicy Tortilla soup.
This is on the web site for $24. Worth every penny.
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2015 Ahurani Pinot Noir.
A delightful example of Oregon PN, velvety cherries and a little toast. Actually settled down a day later under simple bottle evacuation and became more cheerful. More accessible to me than the 2016 we had a few months ago.
I had two main reflections from tasting this:
- this is nowhere near decline. Might even improve for a few years. Another example of how OR PN can have excellent structure and aging potential.
- as much as I enjoyed this — and I really did — it’s not as good (well, not as complex) as more recent Kelley Fox wines I have had, and that goes for Mirabai as well as Red Barn and Star of Bethlehem (of which I have had examples from 2017-19 vintages).
Upshot — I believe the best wines KF has made are the ones she’s making right now.
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Nice. Very thoughtful notes.
What kind of toast? Wheat? Rye?
Interesting. Old drunk that I am, I went through a case of the 2016 Ahurani a few years ago and never found it to be lacking in accessability or cheerfulness.
Perhaps you are comparing celery to asparagus? Ahurani is from Momtazi in the McMinnville AVA. Everything else you cite are from the Maresh Vineyard (or a bit of Weber) in Dundee Hills. Some have argued that the McMinnville AVA is the glass bead among the crown jewels of the Willamette Valley. I also entirely agree with you. I am just saying that it might be less a more recent thing than a better vineyard thing.
Edit to add: I do think Hyland vineyard by KF and PGC is pretty damn awesome.
Yep. And how awesome is it that her skills continue to grow? This can really be seen in the whites especially over the last couple of years.
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Thanks, Chris! You know, when I saw your question about what kind of toast I laughed, because I was going to write “whole wheat toast” (since that’s what I honestly thought) but self-censored to avoid getting referred to the “critic bingo” thread. I know as a non-professional rando I am sheltered from such a destiny but … why take chances?
You may well be right regarding the differences in vineyards. I don’t have a complete matrix of comparisons. I’ve just noticed in the wines I have tried that there seems to be an ongoing refinement in the wines, fwiw. KF has a special place in my cellar as the winemaker who showed me just how world class and special Oregon wines can be.
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These are the best of times for Oregon wines and we are very lucky to have Ms. Fox adding her special magic.
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