Never say never, huh, but I am pretty confident we'll never be able to offer this wine at this price ever again. It should be $70+, the following vintage was on our shelves for $93, and I expect that the 2021 will be $100+. When I found I could get this deal, I did not hesitate.
Anything from Arterberry-Maresh is worth your attention. I've yet to have a bottle from them that doesn't thoroughly impress. Their "Maresh" bottling comes from vines planted in 1970, 1972, 1974, and 1983, some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the Willamette Valley. It is a bottle that deserves to be expensive. The bottle we offer today is not from a middling vintage, 2018 was warm, sunny and balanced, and yielded powerful and concentrated wines with great potential to age. It's made by one of Oregon's most acclaimed talents, Jim Maresh. The vines are old, own-rooted, tended with the utmost care, and cultivated with organic methods.... there's just no reason to discount this wine, but here we are...
I have not yet tasted the 2018 Maresh Vineyard, but will do so soon. I will paste my notes from two other special 2018 Arterberry-Maresh Pinots tasted in the past year.
Aterberry-Maresh Pinot Noir 'Weber Vineyard' 2018 - not available
This was delicate and subtle yesterday, and after 24 hours of air it is far from a powerhouse, but it is exploding on the nose and not at all shy. Intense aromas of dark cherry juice and distillate, strawberry, raspberry, sweet almond candy, roses, dried pine needles, roasted mushrooms, bloody lamb... medium to full on the palate, serious structure, great floral and herbal inner perfume, vivacious and energetic, coats the palate with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins and washes it clean with a beguiling spicy/tart/floral complex that lingers beautifully. This is going to be magnificent when it is mature, but that will probably take 10+. Feel very lucky if you have enough of this to follow it for couple decades.
Arterberry-Maresh Pinot Noir Winemaker Reserve 2018 - not available
Compared to the 2018 Weber, this is inviting and open, with a darker and riper fruit profile, as well as a broader spectrum of spice notes. Aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, cola, fennel pollen, cedar, cinnamon, sassafras, violets... On the palate it is dense and layered, full-bodied and supple, tannins are soft and plush, acid is buried but adequate to keep everything fresh, this may be the least acidic Arterberry-Maresh I've had. Long finish has liqueur-like tones next to intriguing meaty and spicy/piney nuances, the tannins remain refined and smooth, and the acid really comes through as everything fades, which makes me wonder if I'm wrong about it being less acidic than others I've had from A-M. Powerful stuff, I think it will be more interesting when the savory/earthy element has developed, which might take 10 or 20 years, but if you're into a fruit-forward style you shouldn't deprive yourself in the short term. I'm certainly enjoying it immensely tonight.
Arterberry-Maresh Pinot Noir 'Maresh Vineyard' 2018 - $55 (reg. $70)
Can't wait to meet you!
As usual, this wine will combine with others to get 10% off a mix of 6 bottles, or 12% off a mix of 12 bottles, but if you buy 6 bottles of 2018 Maresh, we'll knock 15% off.
Please ask questions or place orders by emailing orders@craftandcru.com