The photo above shows the pressing of the Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir.
The wines are made and handled
only by the winemaker, who is very determined to produce wines that are
genuine, truth-telling, and pleasure-giving.
The wines are made to reflect the
land, the vines, and the fruit of the vines. That said, then, the wines are not
really "made" at all. The cold soaks are cold because the fruit was
picked early in the morning, for example. The yeasts that ferment the wines are
the ones that came in with the grapes and that are ever-present in the winery.
That is not to say that if technical intervention is ever necessary, that it
would not be done. Principles alone do not always, in every year and under
every circumstance, guarantee a beautiful wine.
As fun and as satisfying it is to
engineer pretty (and huge) wines, after so many years it becomes boring
compared to making wines that are produced by responding to the fruit itself. Being receptive to the fruit is not the same thing as being passive. Human nature dictates that it takes work and self-mastery to exercise restraint. Timing is everything.
Even though the truth may not match preconceived romantic notions, the realness of it imbues a living quality
to a thing somehow. The truth can sometimes be so beautiful that our dreams
seem flat in comparison. Or sometimes, not so much. That is what makes this
kind of winemaking so..."exhilarating". It definitely requires a constant
presence with the wine.
Winemaking is an exchange: I make the wine and it makes me.
My first Pinot of 2009.
new release
2009 Mirabai Pinot Noir
Both playful and serious, exotic and approachable. In 2009 this wine is a blend of mostly twenty-year-old self-rooted vines from Maresh Vineyard and a few barrels of wine from ten-year-old vines from the Demeter-certified (biodynamic) Momtazi Vineyard.Medium red colour, translucent. Nose of mid-summer fresh-picked berries after a rain shower. A hint of wet stones and sandalwood and a summer garden somewhere far away. The body is springy and supple. In the mouth the tannins are lively-like Chinese sparklers somehow, carrying nicely the juicy, perfectly-ripe red fruit. Long and silky. Seductive but only in a fresh, insouciant way. Maybe the best kind.
Review by Josh Raynolds, “Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar” (July/August 2011)
Rating: 91
“Light red. High-pitched aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and gingerbread, with a hint of musky rhubarb. Taut and incisive on the entry, then silkier and broad on the middle palate, offering sappy red fruit flavors that show a refreshingly bitter edge. Dry, precise and focused on the finish, which echoes the strawberry note. Very nicely balanced wine that could be drunk now or held for a couple more years.”
The Numbers
Appellation: McMinnville Foothills
Picking Dates:
12 October 2009 for the Maresh Vineyard self-rooted Pommard, planted in 1978
6 October 2009 for the Momtazi Vineyard 115 and 114, planted in 1998
Barrels: about 10% new and 90% once-filled and multiple-use French forests (mainly Nevers, Bertranges, and Chatillon medium toast) custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari.
Bottling Date: 25 August 2010
Cases Produced: 160
Release Date: early summer 2011
Suggested Retail: $35.00
This new label shows the view looking east from the retreat house at Maresh Vineyard. Casey Burns is both my friend and the artist. Please click on his name to see his amazing work.
The spring was ideal, but the summer was rather hot. 2009 was warmer overall than 2007 and 2008, with significant fluctuations throughout the year. Warm and dry through most of the ripening, the weather became cooler than expected in late September into early October. A good thing that it cooled for a while-this allowed both full ripeness from the summer and appropriate flavour development without sugars spiking out of control. That said, this was a lush vintage, apparently closer to 2005 with regard to heat accumulation but feeling more close to 2006 when the fruit was in the door. Compared to 2006, though, the ripeness was more fresh in general and not as over-the-top. I picked about two weeks earlier than in 2008. In any case, I felt exceptionally good and at peace during my work with the fruit this harvest, so I love 2009 for that reason, too. And the wine knows, maybe.Vintage 2008
1999 was the only vintage in many years with a growing season cooler than 2008. 1999 was a great vintage for Oregon. As is 2008. The fruit had tremendous stuffing, yet with sugars under well under control. A beautiful vintage for a powerful yet graceful Pinot. The yields were quite a bit lower than average. Though the picking dates were later than average, rain was not an issue. A gorgeous harvest.
Vintage 2007
The weather was cooler than in 2006 and the picking dates had to be chosen wisely due to intermittent rains. Thankfully, the yields matched the weather, and though not hugely concentrated, the fruit was very balanced coming in the door. It was a sheer joy to work with the 2007 fruit as it needed nothing at all other than well-timed handling.
new release
2009 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir
If opened within the next six months or so, this will need decanting. Still quite youthful, this wine is complicated. Right now (written in June 2011) it wears the little new barrel it has-less than twenty percent new-like sheer mantle at first. Not a bad thing, really, these delicious spices, but after some time in the glass, one gradually becomes better acquainted with the fruit from those self-rooted vines planted in 1970. Medium red in colour, the Maresh gives way to fine red Oregon strawberries (I must write this because the strawberries here are singularly fine and delicious, often thimble-sized, and without that watery white appearance or taste). And eventually, to violets. Deep, round violet perfume with those little red strawberries. It has the classic Maresh red velvet frame and long, silken finish. Many layers in the glass. I am still not sure who this is. And I like that. I like to think in archetypes and this wine reminds me of a noble, beautiful lady-of-the-forest. In springtime. Both dark and light. Dappled.
The Numbers
Appellation: Dundee Hills
Picking Date: 12 October 2009
Clones: self-rooted Wadensvil and Pommard
Average Vine Age: 40 years plus
Barrels: 30% new and 70% multiple-use barrels, all French oak. The new barrels were custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari with oak he selected from the best forests in France.
Bottling Date: 25 August 2010
Cases Produced: 93
Release Date: summer 2011
Suggested Retail: $60.00
2008 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 2008 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir is a wine of reserved opulence. It is lush but only after it unfurls in the glass. It is medium-to-dark red in colour with a multi-faceted appearance. Underneath its youthful, almost coiled tension, are heady red fruits and delicate floral topnotes. Raspberries and cream in the mouth. Silky. Some subtle spices. It feels fresh, focused, and kaleidoscopic. It is like a secret garden. It is bare and transparent but impossible to know directly and it has power. It is always changing. The finish is very, very long but needs time to gather itself. It has a presence and a wild vitality that reflects the fruit of self-rooted, 40-year-old vines.
This wine is sold out.
The Numbers
Appellation: Dundee Hills
Picking Date: 24 October 2008
Clones: self-rooted Wadensvil and Pommard
Average Vine Age: 40 years plus
Barrels: 30% new and 70% multiple-use barrels, all French oak. The new barrels were custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari with oak he selected from the best forests in France.
Bottling Date: 17 July 2009
Cases Produced: 55
Release Date: late winter 2011
Suggested Retail: $50.00
"Wine Advocate" #191 (October 2010) Review by Jay Miller
Rating: 94
The 2008 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is sourced from one of the oldest and finest sites in Willamette Valley. Medium ruby red, it surrenders an ethereal perfume of cinnamon, clove, incense, cherry blossom, and raspberry. The epitome of elegance, it also has intense flavors, outstanding depth, and superb volume. Although tempting to drink in its seductive youth, it will have much more to offer as it rounds out into maturity. As I write this note nearly a month after tasting the wine, I can't help but think of Jimi Hendrix' great tune, Foxy Lady. "
2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir speaks to the vintage. It has a pureness that reflects the fruit of self-rooted, 30-year-old vines. This silky Pinot has a nose initially showing hints of barrel spices and brown sugar. These aromas quickly give way to that unmistakeable, pure red fruit character so familiar to those who know these hills. In the mouth the juicy, ripe, lush-yet-weightless red cherries are supported on a velvety frame. The body is nice but far from heavy or clumsy. The finish is persistent and stretches itself on the palate. This precise wine reminds me of lots of little mirrors. As if one could taste shimmering or dappled light. In time this young Pinot will fill out and bring much pleasure.
This wine is sold out.
The Numbers
Appellation: Dundee Hills
Picking Date: 8 October 2007
Clones: self-rooted Wadensvil
Average Vine Age: 30 years plus
Barrels: 30% new and 70% multiple-use barrels, all French oak. The new barrels were custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari with oak he selected from the best forests in France.
Bottling Date: 8 September 2008
Cases Produced: 69
Release Date: late spring 2009
Suggested Retail: $50.00
"PinotFile" Volume 8, Issue 6, 29 November 2009
http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/807/
Light garnet color in glass. Showy
nose of strawberries and cherries with a hint of brown spice. Delicately
composed, yet delivers plenty of pleasure. Delicate fruit core of strawberries
and red cherries accented by spice, clove and graham, gossamer tannins, bright
acidity, finishing with impressive aromatic persistence. A well perfumed Dundee
Hills debutante that grabs your attention.
Paul Gregutt, "Return of Elegance" 20 January 2010
http://www.paulgregutt.com/2010/01/return-of-elegance.html
The Kelley Fox 2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir opens up with vanilla cream flavors over soft, seductive raspberry fruit...Nine hours after it was poured, this gorgeous wine had continued to develop aromatically,and added some caramel to the vanilla, but remained indescribably delicate and proportioned.
I took this photo a couple of years ago of Rick toasting one of our barrels. Beautiful.
new release
2008 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir
Review by Jay Miller, “Wine Advocate” #191 (Oct 2010)
Rating: 93
Drink 2014-2025
“The 2008 Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard features considerably darker fruit. Black cherry and black raspberry aromas and flavors merge into blueberry and black currant with hints of toast and violets in the background. It has greater density and structure than the Maresh cuvee but not quite the subtlety or elegance. Even so, it is a large-scaled super-savory offering that will evolve nicely for 4-5 years and have a drinking window extending form 2014 to 2025.”
The Numbers
Appellation: McMinnville Foothills
Picking Date: 14 October 2008
Clones: 115
Average Vine Age: 10 years plus
Barrels: 30% new and 70% multiple-use barrels, all French oak. The new barrels were custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari with oak he selected from the best forests in France.
Bottling Date: 17 July 2009
Cases Produced: 42
Release Date: summer 2011
Suggested Retail: $40.00
2007 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 2007 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir is true to the vintage. It has a certain laciness and focus. The nose expresses the place with distinct minerality. I believe this is the result of Moe Momtazi's biodynamic farming. Aromas and flavours of dark red cherries and black currants are supported by a tightly woven frame of fine tannins. There is a beautiful tension in this Pinot-a playful tension. This wine will grow out of its slight nervousness in a couple of years and show its full beauty.
This wine is almost sold out.
The Numbers
Appellation: McMinnville Foothills
Picking Date: 12 October 2007
Clones: 115 and 113
Average Vine Age: 10 years plus
Barrels: 30% new and 70% multiple-use barrels, all French oak. The new barrels were custom-made by cooper Rick DeFerrari with oak he selected from the best forests in France.
Bottling Date: 8 September 2008
Cases Produced: 133
Release Date: late spring 2009
Suggested Retail: $40.00
"PinotFile" Volume 8, Issue 6, 29 November 2009
http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/807/
Light garnet color in glass.
Mineral-infused aromas of cherries with a whiff of iron, wet stone and funk.
Discreetly composed core of earth-dusted dark red fruits, especially bright,
juicy cherries. Moderate tannins with balancing acidity. Very good and
recommended.
Paul Gregutt, "Return of Elegance" 20 January 2010
http://www.paulgregutt.com/2010/01/return-of-elegance.html
Here there is more minerality; along with somewhat muted biodynamic earthiness and funk. Cranberry and raspberry flavors gain focus and concentration in the mouth. Again after being open for nine hours, it had become a more graceful wine with more stem and grip to the tannins than the Maresh.
Samuel Savaria-Chevalier, JJ Cliffton, and Sean Files helping sort the 2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot in the photo below:
