2023 Kelley Fox Wines Maresh Vineyard Liminal Pinot Noir

The Maresh bottling is one I feel very deeply entrained with each year, and more so with each vintage. These vines planted on their own roots in 1970. This time spent each year working in these blocks has changed me. I have the utmost love and respect for these plants of great and sometimes mischievous character. Taken from the back label: “The wine from these vines leads me to imagine a beautiful threshold of Earth and stars, and its essence and mystery is this living edge.” Sadly, 2023 is my final walk with these wise ones, and it was a wonder-filled, life-changing 15-year relationship for me. The Maresh Liminal is a lightish-medium, youthful and rich red with shimmering light and transparency. The nose begins with powdery minerals and fresh, sun-ripe strawberries and subtle spices. The mouth is a deeper, richer version of the nose supported by restrained power. The Liminal has the silky texture that the Dundee Hills is known for, and there is this feeling of winged verticality. The 2023 is finely structured and sublime, and I’m honored to have worked closely with these plants since 2008.

Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.

Picking Date: 24 September 2023 (the Long Rows block- these vines were planted on their own roots in 1970)

Barrels: neutral Burgundy barrels (228L) made from tight-grain French forests Bottling Date: 11 June 2024

Alcohol: 13.0 %

Whole Cluster: none

Cases Produced: 202 cases

"Remarkably fresh and perfumed in the glass, the 2023 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Liminal wafts up with a collage of dried herbs, dusty earth, wildflowers and stemmed strawberries. This is a model of balance, seamless and silken in form with an energetic, lively core that offsets its crisp wild berry fruits, all elevated by tantalizing acidity. Citrus and spicy notes saturate the palate, along with a nervous feel that slowly recedes into a lingering harmonious inner sweetness. The 2023 is pure magic. Sadly, this will be the last vintage of Maresh from Kelley Fox." - Eric Guido, Vinous 7/25

98 JD, 97 V (#37 Top 100 - 2025)

Kelley Fox Wines, established in 2007 in Oregon by Kelley Fox and her father, Gus Sterns, is a small winery known for its small-production, single-vineyard wines. Starting with just over 100 cases, it sources grapes from top vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Kelley Fox is a hands-on winemaker involved in every step of the process, emphasizing the unique characteristics of each vineyard.

The winery follows a natural winemaking philosophy that highlights the grapes and their growing conditions through biodynamic and organic practices. They use native yeasts for fermentation and age the wines in used French oak barrels to enhance each vineyard’s unique character. Kelley Fox Wines is dedicated to transparency, aiming to reflect the distinctiveness of each site.