Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay
Dundee Hills
We are best known for our Pinot Noirs but we have a special place in our hearts for Chardonnay. Jim’s style is more Chablis than California – he makes a sophisticated, Chablis-style Chardonnay with tremendous complexity and nuanced flavors.
In 2018, Wine Advocate said: “…Jim Maresh is also crafting some beautiful Chardonnays, some of the most exciting Chardonnays I have tasted from Oregon. Jim attributes much of his success to his fruit, which comes from old vines planted by his family in the early 1970s and are entirely dry farmed”.
2019 Vintage
Wine Advocate 96 points
The 2019 Dundee Hills Chardonnay was matured for 12 months in barrel and six months in stainless steel. It has a pure perfume of white orchard fruits laced with beeswax, almonds and flint. The palate is satiny and energetic from its linear acidity and expansive, gently honeyed layers, and it finishes long and youthfully shimmery. This is an excellent candidate for some extended time in the cellar.
2018 Vintage
Wine Advocate 93 points
The 2018 Dundee Hills Chardonnay is wonderfully inviting and hedonistic! It has a perfume of spiced apples and quince, hazelnuts and beeswax, with wafts of floral perfume. The palate is broad, creamy and loaded with honeyed fruits, with juicy freshness to help carry the long, powerfully fruited finish.
2016 Vintage
Wine Advocate 93 points
This wine comes from own-rooted Chardonnay vines (Wente selection) planted in 1983. The 2016 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard has a wonderful open nose of green and yellow apple and pear with acacia flowers, crushed stone and honey accents. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is youthfully coiled, opening to ripe tree fruit, lemon confit, delicate white blossoms and honey with a wicked line of acidity, finishing very long and textured. Give this some time in bottle to flesh out. 100 cases produced.
2015 Vintage
Wine Advocate
Rating 92
Release Price $65
Drink Date 2018 – 2027
Reviewed by Erin Brooks
Issue Date 31st Aug 2018
From own-rooted Chardonnay vines (Wente selection) planted in 1983, the 2015 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard has a lovely open nose of crushed rock, baby’s breath flowers, fresh hay and perfectly ripe Red Delicious apples. Medium to full-bodied with rich, ripe, concentrated fruit in the mouth plus a touch of crème fraîche and honey toast, it’s got great juicy acidity and a long, mineral-tinged finish. 350 cases produced.
Vinous
Rating 94 points
Pale gold. Intense mineral- and smoke-accented citrus and orchard fruit scents show outstanding clarity and hints of jasmine and iodine. Displays deeper pit fruit character on the palate, offering juicy, smoke-accented nectarine, pear and Meyer lemon flavors that show excellent tension as well as concentration. The mineral quality repeats strongly on the penetrating finish, which leaves behind sappy Meyer lemon and mineral notes.
— Josh Raynolds
2014 Vintage
Vinous
Rating 94 points
(aged entirely in six- and seven-year-old barrels) Green-hued gold. Fresh, mineral-accented aromas of pear nectar and Meyer lemon; hints of smoky lees, iodine and anise emerge with air. Sappy, concentrated and seamless in texture, offering palate-staining orchard and pit fruit and brioche flavors sharpened by an intense mineral nuance. Finishes sappy, minerally and impressively long, with echoes of citrus zest and dusty minerals adding bite and focus.
— Josh Raynolds
2012 Vintage
Wine Advocate
Rating 91
Release Price $52
Drink Date 2018 – 2027
Reviewed by Neal Martin
Issue Date 3oth March 2015
From own-rooted Chardonnay vines (Wente selection) planted in 1983, the 2015 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard has a lovely open nose of crushed rock, baby’s breath flowers, fresh hay and perfectly ripe Red Delicious apples. Medium to full-bodied with rich, ripe, concentrated fruit in the mouth plus a touch of crème fraîche and honey toast, it’s got great juicy acidity and a long, mineral-tinged finish. 350 cases produced.
Vinous
Rating 93 points
(no new oak) Light bright yellow. Fresh orange, nectarine and honeydew scents are complemented by floral and dusty mineral accents. Silky and expansive in the mouth, offering poached pear and peach pit flavors that pick up subtle honey and iodine qualities as the wine opens up. Lush and seamless but energetic in style, delivering strong closing thrust and lingering suggestions of toasted brioche and candied citrus fruits.
— Josh Raynolds