Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay
Maresh Vineyard
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+
The 2019 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard was matured for 22 months—16 months in one-year-old Damy barrels and six months in stainless steel. It’s deeply scented of roasted almonds, honey and beeswax with perfumed quince fruits and hints of flint and mushroom. Satiny in texture, pure and youthfully tangy, it has tremendous energy and textural presence, and it will continue to develop well in bottle over the next decade.
2018 Vintage
Wine Advocate 96
The 2018 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard manages power and elegance, with gunflint notes that flush out to pure roasted almonds, saline, white flowers and apple fruit on the nose. The palate offers intense, savory flavor layers in an elegant, satin-like frame, with dynamic acidity and a long, ethereal finish. This has the flesh and structure to age very well in bottle.
2017 Vintage
Vinous 96 pts
Drink Date 2018 – 2028
Reviewed by Josh Raynolds
Issue Date September 2020
Pale gold. An expressive, highly perfumed nose displays fresh pear, tarragon and iodine qualities, and lemon pith and floral nuances build in the glass. Shows impressive depth as well as vivacity on the palate, offering mineral-tinged Meyer lemon, pear nectar, white peach and honeysuckle flavors that pick up a minerally accent on the back half. Emphatically repeats the floral and mineral notes on the impressively long, finely etched finish, which shows powerful thrust and a hint of smoky lees. Drinking window: 2021 – 2027
2016 Vintage
VINOUS
Rating 95
Drinking window: 2021 – 2027
“Pale gold. An expressive, highly perfumed nose displays fresh pear, tarragon and iodine qualities, and lemon pith and floral nuances build in the glass. Shows impressive depth as well as vivacity on the palate, offering mineral-tinged Meyer lemon, pear nectar, white peach and honeysuckle flavors that pick up a minerally accent on the back half. Emphatically repeats the floral and mineral notes on the impressively long, finely etched finish, which shows powerful thrust and a hint of smoky lees.”
Wine Advocate
Rating 93
Drink Date 2018 – 2028
Reviewed by Erin Brooks
Issue Date 31st Aug 2018
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
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
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