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Jim Maresh Sr. swears, to this day, that back in 1959 he and his wife Lois were only searching for a ‘view lot in the country’ when they discovered a barren but beautiful 27-acre hilltop farm in the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon. The owner of the property, though, refused to sell just the prime lot to the couple so, throwing caution to the wind, the Mareshes agreed to buy the whole thing. Over the next few years, those 27 acres eventually blossomed to 140 and, in 1970, at the urging of another pioneer of Oregon viticulture, Dick Erath, Jim planted Pinot Noir, making the Maresh Vineyard the state’s third oldest vineyard and the very first in the Dundee Hills.

In 1980, Jim and Lois’ daughter married Fred Arterberry, one of the first of Oregon’s winemakers to boast an actual degree in winemaking, having graduated from viticulture school at UC Davis before returning to the Willamette Valley. Fred was an acclaimed winemaker in the 1970s and used his in-laws’ Maresh grapes in scores of Oregon’s early classics, including his own at his eponymous winery. When Fred died in 1990, the Arterberry label he owned died with him. But, in 2005, Fred and Martha’s son Jim revived the name and appended it with his mother’s, and subsequently dedicated his life to making great Pinot Noir from the Red Hills of Dundee.

We celebrate this three-generation Oregon winegrowing family with the 2023 Arterberry Maresh Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir. Sourced from non-irrigated blocks of Pinot planted in 1970, 1972 and 1983 on own-rooted (as in no rootstock) Pommard and Wadenswil clones—the two oldest in Oregon—the wine fermented on its own yeast and aged for two years in mostly older barrels. The 2023 may be one of the best ever! This is an old-school, classic Oregon Pinot with a core of juicy blue and red fruits, nuances of chopped herbs and baking spices and a zesty, almost citrusy finish. Deep and rich but very elegant at the same time, this wine harkens back to those fabulous (at least in our memories) old days …

James Suckling, 98 points: Tense and savory, with layers of spicy herbs and black pepper, together with pure, elegant fruit wrapped in blood-orange zest. The structure is tightly wound, with firm, deeply rooted tannins and almost endless length. The mid-palate unfolds with bitter oranges, seashells, iron and crushed bricks, adding complexity. This is built for the cellar and needs some time.

Vinous, 96 points: The 2023 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is impossible to ignore, offering an array of crushed cherries and minty herbs, along with a hint of clove and stone dust that tempt the senses. Elegance defines the feel, as velvety textures are supported by cool-toned acidity while red and blue fruits swirl across the palate, leaving a crunchy mineral tinge toward the close. A web of fine-grained tannin adds structure and poise as the 2023 finishes with outstanding length and energy, leaving inner rose tones and a pleasantly bitter twang to linger. Fabulous.