The 2021 Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot Noir took home a 97-point score from the Wine Advocate. I know this isn't the '21, BUT if you do just a bit of research, you'll find that Willamette Valley producers are over the moon about the high quality of the 2023 vintage. While the '23 of this has not been reviewed yet, I would not at all be surprised if it garnered a similar rating.
Jim Maresh makes some of Oregon's most deliciously complex and pretty Pinot Noirs, and I am so glad to have his Dundee Hills Pinot Noir back in the shop. I am also proud that I helped him get his wines back into distribution in North Carolina. More on that later....
This is graceful, elegant, sensual, and complex Pinot Noir that personifies why the Dundee Hills is one of the great spots in our country to grown and make Pinot Noir. I got to taste his newly released 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir last week, and it totally blew me away. It's amazing to me that this is his entry-level Pinot Noir because there is nothing basic about it.
2023 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
Ethereal, perfumed, velvety, and delightful. - 95 points Yours Truly
On Deal: $33.99/bottle and over 20% off by the bottle!
Regular Price: $42.99/bottle
10 cases (120 bottles) available at deal pricing.
After bemoaning the absence of Arterberry Maresh's wines in North Carolina for a few years, I finally gave Jim Maresh a call. Lynn and I met and tasted with him on a visit to his winery back in 2015, so I figured there was nothing to lose. Surprisingly, he picked up his phone, remembered me, and was thankful I called, as he was looking for distributor representation in North Carolina. Divine timing, and I guided him to a great distributor partner, and all of those efforts have now come to fruition, as we just got a big drop of Arterberry Maresh!
If you shopped with us between 2014 and 2020 and love Oregon Pinot Noir, I'm sure you have very fond memories of this wine. It possesses that magical combination of factors -- it is very easy-to-drink yet simultaneously stimulating and cerebral. I guess if you know the history of Arterberry Maresh, that should come as no surprise.
Jim Maresh is the 3rd generation of his family to tend vines and make wines in the Dundee Hills AVA, one of Oregon's true sweet spots for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His grandfather and dad preceded him, planting their famed Maresh Vineyard in 1970, one of the earliest plantings of Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley. They were early proponents of organic farming and minimal intervention winemaking in the Valley, and that remains the case to this day. Jim grew up in his family's and neighbor's vineyards, and today, he is regarded as a living legend and one of the top vignerons in our country.
The Wine Advocate really summed up Jim's prowess perfectly. "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.”
I love this about Jim, as all of those kind words and big scores have not gone to his head. I have very fond memories of tasting with him several years back at his family's red barn, perched atop the Dundee Hills. We hit it off immediately, as we blissfully tasted through current and back vintages of Arterberry Maresh Pinots and Chards. Let's just say I wasn't spitting much wine out that day....because the wines were so good. I left that meeting feeling no pain and very thankful for my wife, who abstained from drinking so she could drive my silly ass around : )
One of my favorite parts of meeting and tasting with Jim came when I asked him what his secret was to making such compelling wines. In true Jim fashion, he chuckled and said it wasn't hard -- farm cleanly, take good care of your vineyards, and you'll harvest healthy fruit. He went on to say that with healthy fruit, you don't need to mess with the wine that much during the winemaking process. Let it be seems to be Jim's overriding philosophy, and as a winemaker, he is the attentive parent, but not the overly intrusive one.
This minimalist philosophy is one Jim continues to live by, and it seems to be working quite well for him. One sniff and sip of his 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, and that becomes abundantly obvious. A blend of grapes from a handful of top Dundee Hills sites, including some of that majestic, old vine Maresh Vineyard fruit, this is my idea of what top-notch Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is supposed to look, smell, and taste like.
It pours a lovely translucent-ruby color, and while it is wonderfully concentrated, it is almost weightless on the palate. Heavenly aromas of cranberry, pomegranate, rhubarb, dried rose petal, orange zest, and complex spice set off all of the pleasure sensors in your brain. Just as enjoyable on the palate, the texture is silky and seamless, and the finish is long and ponderous.
It really is joy-in-a-glass, and I can't think of a better wine to serve with salmon, roast chicken, or earthy vegetarian dishes. Despite it's prettiness, this wine also has a great track record for aging and improving. Drink 2025 through 2035.
