2022 Arterberry Maresh 'Maresh Vineyard' Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, USA (750ml)

WINEMAKER'S NOTES:

Picked fully ripe in late October. Asian pear, coriander, apricot. Oily and dense with layers of sweet yellow fruit. A wildly perfumed wine similar to only the 2008.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich golden color with beautiful notes of mangoes, candied lemons, oranges, lots of spices, hits of toffee, peach pit, Sichuan pepper and umami, with a white truffle fragrance. Full and broad with so much depth and so many layers. Polished, pristine and super refined, with firm phenolic tension and mineral verve. Lovely texture and outstanding balance. It lasts for minutes. Drink or hold.

- James Suckling, 98 pts. 

These Wente clone vines were planted in 1983, just before second-generation winemaker Jim Maresh was born. The balance between the wine's power of this wine and the minerality is remarkable. It's at the top of Maresh Vineyard, slopes to the south, mostly east, giving them morning sun and a gentle afternoon sun. Jim always picks this last. When the Wente clone ripens, it retains its acidity. It's slow to ripen, and in 2022, the conditions were nearly tailor-made for this block. It accepts the heat without losing its freshness. Tropical fruits and ripe grilled peaches, all lifted by a gorgeous salinity. The warmest October on record made for a ‘rare creature’ that is a time capsule of that special year.

- Decanter, 97 pts. 

The 2022 growing season in the Willamette Valley was particularly long and cool, and growers worried about achieving full ripeness. Luckily, there was record-breaking heat in October, which provided the final push needed for ripening. “The 2022 vintage was perfect for this block simply because it seemed like it would never ripen,” second-generation winemaker Jim Maresh says of the Wente clone vines planted in 1983 at his family's Maresh Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. The vines sit at the top of a hill at around 750 feet on an east-facing slope, where they receive morning rather than afternoon sun. Grapes were finally harvested on October 26, and despite the wine's modest 12% alcohol, it's incredibly powerful and offers unparalleled concentration. Matured in 50% new French oak, the 2022 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard features aromatics that shift continually in the glass. Brioche, hazelnut and matchstick complement a core of peach cobbler and honey-drizzled crème fraîche. The palate is just as luxurious, its satiny, mouth-coating flavors foiled by electric, linear acidity—a feature that sets it apart from the ripe, tropical versions sometimes found in California. Just 100 cases were made. 

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 pts. 

Anjou pear, almond custard, anisette, sweet smoke, mint—this list goes on and on as the 2022 Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard seduces from the first tilt of the glass. This is velvety smooth yet energetic and cool-toned in character, with a perception of sweetness that comes only from its late-harvest origins. White peach mixes with gingery spice over a core of brilliant acidity, taking on a lovely contrast of salty minerals toward the close. The 2022 displays fantastic length and concentration, leaving the palate drenched in primary fruit as a subtle coating of tannins fades under an air of lemon oil and spice. Nearly a minute goes by, and the 2022 can still be sensed on the palate. Wow. 

- Vinous, 96 pts.