Jim Maresh makes my favorite Oregon Pinot Noirs, and in the excellent 2023 Willamette Valley vintage, he worked his magic to create one of the best values of the year.
Maresh's Pinot Noirs have a style that can best be characterized as pretty, silky, complex, and Burgundian, and this is a guy who knows the ins and the outs of the Dundee Hills, the place where Pinot Noir first took root in Oregon.
I'm lucky, as I've had the chance to hang out with and drink with Jim. He reminds me of vignerons I've met in Burgundy....a bit stand-offish at first, but once he realizes that you appreciate his wines and have half a clue, he's as nice as they come : )
I love this wine, the critics do too, and it's a marvelous value from one of our country's great crafters of Pinot Noir.
2023 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
93 points Wine Spectator, 93 points Vinous Media
On Deal: $33.99 and over 20% off the regular price
Jim's dad (also named Jim) was one of the earliest to plant Pinot Noir in Oregon. It was 1970, the early days, a time when no one thought Pinot would fully ripen in Oregon, but Jim saw the potential of this hilly region and proceeded without hesitation. Thank God he did!
If you've ever visited the Willamette Valley, the Dundee Hills kind of look like Burgundy. It's hilly here, and like Burgundy, you can plant Pinot Noir in a variety of places and exposures to give you a variety of flavors and nuances. The Maresh's "home vineyard" is at the top of the Dundee Hills, and if Oregon's Pinot Noir vineyards were ever to be classified, the Maresh Vineyard would be one of the first named Grand Crus.
Within this bottle, you have some grapes from that site along with some other prized Dundee Hills sites, and it all adds up to a marvelous bottle of Pinot Noir. What I love most about this wine is its magical combination of traits -- it's so easy to drink, but it's also thought-provoking -- I find that to be present in all of the best Pinot Noirs, and it is clear and present in this one.
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.
I wish I could find a Red Burgundy at this price point that drank with the "seriousness" of this wine. If you find one, let me know, but I think those days are long gone. $34 is such a fair price for a wine of this caliber.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
