This is a real treat for Oregon Pinot Noir fans!
From the same producer who crafted the highest rated Oregon Pinot Noir of the vintage, The Wine Advocate called the 2014 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills “the bargain of the vintage.”
2014 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir 'Dundee Hills Cuvee'
Stunning Pinot Noir from one of the state's blue chip producers!
This vintage is sold out. To check out and buy the current release, stop by or click here to access this item in our store.
“During my stay in Oregon I was explaining to a couple of people about winemakers with “the knack.” They just get it. They know how to make great Pinot Noir seemingly effortlessly, and practice small things that make a big difference. And Jim Maresh has the knack, because despite his laidback attitude towards life, I reckon he’s not that way at all when it comes to his wines. You can’t make them this good without caring. What’s more, he told me how he sees no reason to price his wines so highly that people can’t enjoy them, a fiscal approach dichotomous to others, they make the error of setting price first and then making the wine to fit it.” – Neal Martin of The Wine Advocate summing up Jim Maresh’s philosophy and intuitive approach to making wine.
I met Jim Maresh 4 years ago for a tasting at his family’s old red barn at the top of the Dundee Hills. At this point, Jim was 27 or 28 years old, and he was already being called one of the best winemakers in the Willamette Valley. I was already a big fan of the wines, but meeting and tasting with Jim gave me an even deeper appreciation for the wines. One of my favorite parts of the meeting was when I asked Jim what he thought about all the acclaim he had been receiving as a winemaker. He chuckled and said that making great wine is easy……….just don’t mess with it. Though this might seem like a simplistic view of wine, it’s a philosophy that has been followed for hundreds of years by all of the great wineries of the world. Take care of your vineyards and you’ll get healthy grapes……….healthy grapes make great wines. The winemaker is the attentive, but not the overly intrusive parent. Jim Maresh lives by this philosophy, and it seems to be working quite well for him.
Neal Martin of The Wine Advocate described the current roster of Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noirs as “some of the best range of wines that I tasted from the 2014 vintage.” All 4 of the winery’s 2014 Pinot Noirs scored 90 points or higher, with their Maresh Vineyard bottling topping them all with a 95 point score…….we’ve got a few bottles of that one in stock for those who are interested.
The 2014 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is the estate’s entry level wine………..it is way too good to be called entry level. Neal Martin says, “The 2014 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is a blend of Maresh, Juliard, Weber, Gehrts and Folie Hill vineyards. It has a fresh and vibrant bouquet with red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, touches of blood orange with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin – a mixture here of red and black fruit, meaty in style with a Pommard-like finish that lingers in the mouth.”
A blend of grapes from 6 top vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA (including some of that majestic Maresh Vineyard fruit), the wine pours a lovely translucent-ruby color and offers up aromas of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and assorted spices to start. With about 15 minutes of air, the fruit really pops, but the secondary, savory, complex notes begin to emerge and intensify as the wine gets more air. Rhubarb, cinnamon, incense, and smoked meat come to mind. The palate is energetic and medium bodied with fine tannin and perfectly integrated acidity.
A beautifully elegant expression of the 2014 vintage, this is a wine to sip slowly and let the aromas and flavors develop, to enjoy with broiled salmon or roast chicken, or to cellar for up to 10 years.
This vintage is sold out. To check out and buy the current release, stop by or click here to access this item in our store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville