Totally psyched about this Kelley. We had such a great time visiting with you a couple of years ago and we love your wines. I can’t wait to see your offers. Your wines are incredible.
I just saw this, can’t recommend highly enough. Many of my best Oregon pinot experiences have been with Kelley Fox wines.
OK this is exciting!
Look forward to your offerings!
Lovely, distinctive wines and, based on my one visit to the winery, a lovely distinctive person.
Fellow AFWE members may buy with confidence.
Add my voice to the chorus singing excitement about Kelley Fox wines as part of BD 2020.
Many folks on this board have sung their praises; I am on a quest to give these wines a try.
Thanks to all who made this happen. Will be on the lookout for the offer.
Well they had me until the Texas A&M reference. I guess you could call this a “Cult” Winery. I jest - been reading some good things and looking forward to trying some. Thanks for participating.
Brad (Longhorn affiliation to explain the above)
Yeah, what Jay said. And confirmed with subsequent visits.
Jay (and others) Are these truly AFWE?
Yes
Thanks Scott very helpful.
For a bit more color, her Maresh bottlings are pure as the driven snow - strawberries, cherry, tea, earth - and the color is amazingly light. When I first tasted one of her wines, a 2013 Maresh, I kept exclaiming over the color. Her Momtazi wines are darker and more robust than her Maresh bottlings, but still very much AFWE reflecting that site. I prefer Maresh if I had to pick, but own many Momtazi bottlings and look forward to drinking them. IIRC, she is no longer making wine from Momtazi, so I’d grab some of her remaining stock.
Although I do own some, but not tried them yet, I’m sure her newer vineyard bottlings (Hyland Vineyard and Mirabai, which now has some Weber Vineyard with Maresh) are also AFWE.
I have drank a fair amount of her 2010-2013 PN bottlings, but as she noted in the intro above, she switched to 100% stems after those vintages. While I’ve tasted a few at the winery and they were exceptional, you may want to check notes on CT or here before PnP any of the SVD bottlings or give them ample air, if you open them at all. Her Mirabai and Ahurani bottlings, which are super delicious in their own right and insane QPRs, May be better bets to open out of the gate to get a sense of her style while your SVDs sleep.
Don’t sleep on her Pinot Blancs, which for me are an exemplar for the Willamette Valley.
Scott,
Couldn’t agree with you more. Especially regarding the Pinot Blancs. Here are a few notes from some recent KF wines:
2017 Freedom Hill PB
Popped and poured. Absolutely delicious bottle of PB that surprised and thrilled. Gorgeous color of honey-yellow that wowed with aromas of white peach, apricot, and pear. Palate was laced with an unmistakable minerality that gave structure to the exquisitely textured ripe fruit. To be honest, didn’t know a domestic PB could be this complex and taste this good. 93pts.
2018 Freedom Hill PB
ust an absolute pleasure to drink. Gorgeous yellow color immediately puts you in the mood to drink this wine. Nice combination of pear, apple, and citrus on the nose. Palate is also loaded with some ripe pear and quince accented by just enough zip to keep you going back to the glass. Not quite as much energy as the 2017, but an absolute delightful Wednesday night wine! 92pts
2017 Maresh Star of Bethlehem Flower Block Pinot
Kelley Fox tasting. If anything in the world could transform me into Flavor Flav, this wine would be it as after each drink I was literally saying, “Boyyyyyyyyyy!” Gorgeous wine filled with strawberries, currants, hints of violet, and spices all in perfect balance. Supremely long finish. Kelley Fox wines have altered my perception of what I want in a wine. 95pts.
2017 Maresh Red Barn Blocks Pinot
Decanted for an hour. The first thing this wine shows you is a gorgeous transparent ruby color, so light. The second thing it reveals is the most pretty nose of any wine I’ve ever drank – the absolute purest wild strawberries, rose petal, and earth. Red fruits galore on the palate. A stunner. 94pts.
2016 Momtazi Pinot
Slow ox’ed for about 4 hours and then left in the glass for another 45 minutes. 100% whole cluster and no new wood bottle of pure joy. After putting the glass to my nose for the fist time, all I could think about was…Strawberry fields forever. Those strawberries were buffeted by red cherry, roses, and freshly disturbed earth. I’ve written this several times in other notes but it has never been more apt in this case, I could smell this wine forever without taking a sip and be content. The palate is medium-weight with bright wild cherry, strawberry, mushroom, herbs, and a dose of minerality. The finish is long and lingers in waves on your tongue. Simply a gorgeous bottle of Pinot. 94pts
SO happy you guys are going to participate Dustin. Kelley’s wines are some of the best in Oregon. I hope I can sneak in a few BD specials.