I'm sitting here looking at Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and it's amazing that every vintage of Arterberry Maresh's Dundee Hills Pinot Noir back to 2015 has scored at least 93 points! I just noticed that the 2023 recently scored 93 points with Wine Spectator too, and I can guarantee you more big ratings are coming....
For me, this is the greatest Willamette Valley Pinot Noir value, and that point is really driven home when I see that the 2021 vintage scored 97 points. Vintage 2023 was of a similar high quality, and after enjoying a glass of this last night, I personally think it's deserving of a 95-point rating : )
Jim Maresh crafts some of the prettiest and most deliciously complex Pinot Noirs in the Valley, and I'm enamored with his 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir. You will be too!
2023 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
93 points Wine Spectator, 95 points Yours Truly
I know $34 isn't exactly an everyday price, but trust me, nothing about this wine tastes "basic." This is graceful, elegant, and sensual Pinot Noir made by Jim Maresh, one of our country's most capable and skilled vignerons. He's the 3rd generation of his family to grow grapes and make wines in the Dundee Hills, succeeding his grandpa and dad, who planted one of the the first Pinot Noir vineyards in the state.
Unsurprisingly, Jim's 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir includes grapes from his family's famed Maresh Vineyard along with fruit from some other top Dundee Hills sites. What I love about it is its magical combination of factors -- it's very easy to drink, but it's simultaneously thought-provoking and stimulating. That's a trait I find to be present in all of the greatest wines in the world, but the "price of entry" for most wines of this quality is easily $50 to $75 and up.
That impeccable quality of fruit along with Jim's intuitive and minimalist winemaking approach all come together to create a wine of serious substance. It pours a gorgeous, ruby-translucent color, and it smells of perfectly ripened cherry and pomegranate, with rose petal, orange zest, and complex spice notes in the background. Totally poised, composed, and seamless on the palate, with juicy acids carrying that perfectly ripened fruit throughout, it finishes with sneaky power and length.
Wine Spectator loved it just as much as I did, rating it 93 points. "Dynamic yet sleek, with brisk acidity framed by vibrant cherry, cranberry, green tea and dusky spice flavors that zip along the snappy finish. Drink now through 2033. 1,880 cases made." More big scores are coming, I can promise you that!
All in all, this is a joyful wine that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Enjoy with wild salmon, roast chicken, and earthy vegetarian dishes, but no food is required whatsoever.
