Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2022

96 points Decanter: "Pommard, Wadenswil (50%) and a bit of Dijon, the youngest vines on the Maresh estate, are from 1997, as well as plantings from 1991, 83, and 70, all of it own-rooted. Earth and rose petals announce gorgeous aromatics. Winemaker Jim Maresh destems 100%. It sees 18-24 months in barrel. At $33.50, this may be the best deal in American wine. Earthen aromatics, pine bough, and blood orange spritz. The palate is fresh with blue and red bramble fruits, spicy clove and savoury herbaceousness."

A Dundee Hills late October harvest under sunny skies yields exactly this kind of beauty—loooong in flavor while being ultra elegant. A classic Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot noir drinking beautifully now.

From Jim Maresh: Red plum, cinnamon, and raspberry liqueur. Seamless red nectar hits a wall of fine tannin. Has the high toned concentration of fruit leather at under 13%.

2021 vintage notes

As noted above, while all of Jim's wines continue to grow in sophistication, his 2021 Dundee Hills bottling is the most notable in its evolution from "this is outstanding for the price" to "this is outstanding!" A silken robe of Maresh and Weber woven together for 32 bones?! Load up the truck. -Marcus

A blend of Maresh and Weber. This was the most difficult blend to put together as the worst barrel from 21 would have been the best barrel in the cellar 5 or 6 vintages. Excellent growing season with small and loose cluster formation. The color of the wine is bright red but the essence of the fruit is a darker red, very complex and concentrated. Bright polished Dundee Hills nectar with firm tannins and almost no discernible alcohol.

2019 vintage notes

93 points Wine Spectator, "Smart Buy": "Shows class and elegance, with an almost effortless complexity that offers floral cherry and cranberry flavors laced with notes of black tea and dusky spice, gliding on the polished finish. Drink now through 2029."

94 points Wine Advocate: "The 2019 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is ethereal and perfumed this vintage. It offers pure scents of raspberry preserves, bergamot, tangerine and Angostura with wafts of sweet balsamic. The palate is soft, bright and super silky, with layer after layer of sweet fruit, spice and citrus, and it finishes long and perfumed."

High tones of strawberry, currant, pomegranate, soy sauce and white pepper. Likes a few minutes in the glass to get silky and integrate. Bright, crisp and pure. Red fruits that lean more toward savory than to sweet fruit. Fine tannins, very classic Dundee Hills structure.

2018 vintage notes

The fruit intensity and substance of a warmer vintage plus the purity and elegance of a cooler vintage. In Goldilocks terms, this is just right. I've had it open three days and it is drinking absolutely perfectly right now–I'm not ashamed to say that I'm drinking a glass of it right now as I'm writing this and when I'm done, I'll pour myself another! 

It spent a full 18 months in barrel because Jim felt like it needed it. Whether or not it did, it's impossible to taste it without noticing the extended aging having worked its magic in the texture, the feel of it.

The 2018 sports serious old vine pedigree: 55% Maresh, 25% Dux, 20% Anderson Family vineyards. - Marcus 

2017 vintage notes

Utterly crushable. Fresh strawberry and cherry aromas and flavors are everywhere, and impossible to resist (hence, the crushable part). The first bottle I opened at the house was gone in 15 minutes...and there were only three of us! It's that kind of juice, similar to the Old Vines, that's pure, fresh, silky, sexy -- why we seek Pinot noir. - Marcus

2016 vintage notes

93 points Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills has a lovely open nose of warm cinnamon stick, cranberry and baked red cherry pie with black tea leaf and potpourri spice. Light to medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with warm red fruit and layers of baking spice, earth and mineral—dried leaves, oolong tea, warm earth—with a good frame of fine-grained tannins and plenty of juicy acidity, finishing long and spicy."

2014 vintage notes

Wines like this don't often get made, especially in tremendous vintages like 2014. It's so tempting to keep all the juice in the higher-priced single vineyard bottling, but Jim Maresh's Dundee Hills is the ultimate gateway wine. Experience the Arterberry Maresh style for a bargain. It over delivers on fruit and complexity. 

90 points Wine Advocate: "The 2014 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is a blend of Maresh, Juliard, Weber, Gehrts and Folie Hill vineyards. It has a fresh and vibrant bouquet with red cherry and wild strawberry fruit, touches of blood orange with fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin - a mixture here of red and black fruit, meaty in style with a Pommard-like finish that lingers in the mouth. For $25, it's probably the bargain of the vintage."

2013 vintage notes

Jim Maresh's loss is your gain. He declassified ALL but 7 barrels of Maresh Vineyard, for its own bottling. Everything else he liked went into Dundee Hills. Free-run juice from coveted old vine sites: Maresh, Juliard, Weber, and Winderlea, alongside Gehrts and Foley Hill. 

At first I thought, "this is better than the 2012." And then I retasted it and said, "this is better than the 2012!" Yet another fantastic bargain from Jim Maresh. - Marcus

2012 vintage notes: an incredible bargain. A beautiful fan of aromas - red fruit, cinnamon, dried flowers, minerals, white pepper and a pinch of brown sugar that reappears towards the finish. Cherry, red currant and fleshy strawberry make for a juicy, slightly spicy array of flavors that engage you with Pinot noir magic. Incredible vineyard sources including Maresh, Juliard, Winderlea, Weber, and Gehrts that spent 22 months in barrel and developed a super silkiness. I saw it put on weight after only a few hours open - I expect it will do the same in a cool cellar over the next 2-4 years. - Marcus