New Releases For List Members
As a member of our mailing list, enjoy the following new releases from Kelley Fox Wines. For a list of all available wines, please see our full online store.
If there are any questions please contact Jonathan Ziemba at Jonathan@kelleyfoxwines.com
Kelley Fox Wines Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
It’s such an honour to be able to make wine from these old, organically farmed vines at this historic vineyard owned by Ken and Karen Wright of Ken Wright Cellars. The vines were planted on their own roots back in 1983. 2019 was my first year working with Carter.
The 2021 is a transparent, deep red that is youthful with blue notes. The lush, fresh nose has rich red fruits, subtle spices, and minerals. In the mouth there is a powerful presence- a stillness- a restraint and a waiting- that is weightless. It’s full of strawberries and other berries (like Marionberries). This wine feels alive and ineffably beautiful.
Appellation: Eola-Amity Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 19 September 2021
Élevage: 10 months in tight-grained, neutral French oak Burgundy barrels
Bottling Date: 27 May 2022
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Whole Cluster: 30%
Cases Produced: (322) cases
Kelley Fox Wines Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
I’m thrilled to offer you my first Pinot noir from Freedom Hill Vineyard, owned and farmed by the Dusschee family. Only seven barrels of this wine comprise this bottling. It’s deeper red than my other Pinots, and both youthful and transparent. I love the hint of violets on the nose carried by red fruits, subtle spices on ocean air. Overall, this wine is deeper than my other bottlings, and the mouth is full of just-ripe blackberries with a hint of salinity and cola. This Freedom Hill is delicious and has a fine focus that continues through the long finish. I can’t wait to make more of this wine.
Appellation: Willamette Valley A.V.A. (the 2022 bottling will bear its new sub-AVA designation)
Picking Date: 9 September 2021
Élevage: 10 months in tight-grained, neutral French oak Burgundy barrels
Bottling Date: 23 June 2022
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Whole Cluster: 50%
Cases Produced: (154) cases
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Kelley Fox Wines Weber Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
This is my third Pinot produced from Weber Vineyard, a beautiful vineyard just down Worden Hill Road from Maresh Vineyard that I have prized for a very long time. The vines in this block were planted in 1983 on their own roots. Strong, old Oregon oak trees and towering old maples guard the southern part of my block for this wine, while the eastern border of my block is a wild, mixed forest filled with unseen songbirds singing during the light hours. The Weber 2021 is a medium, youthful, and rich tone of red with brilliant transparency. The classic Dundee Hills nose is pure-fruited, inviting, and full red and blue berries and subtle spices. The mouth has beautiful, silken texture full of strawberries and raspberries. It has nice acidity and fine structure that has a long, silky, and weightless finish. When I wrote these notes, this wine felt like it should be in a fairy tale.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 24 and 26 September 2021 (from Block 5 self-rooted Pommard vines planted in 1983)
Barrels: neutral Burgundy barrels (228L) made from tight-grain French forests
Bottling Date: 23 June 2022
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Whole Cluster: 30%
Cases Produced: 466 cases
2023 Durant Vineyard Chardonnay
I love the Durant Chardonnay so much that when the opportunity arose in 2023 to increase its production, I jumped on it. The 2023 is a radiant, light sunshine yellow with shining, pale gold tones and is brilliantly transparent. The nose is very fresh and filled with layers of creamy citrus. The mouth continues the mixed citrus with some noticeable structure along with soft minerals and vanilla bean. The 2023 has beautiful texture and a lasting finish with a hint of pain grille that balances the fruit.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 9 October 2023
Élevage: concrete amphora tanks
Bottling Date: 9 April 2024
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Cases Produced: (551) cases
2023 Dux Vineyard Chardonnay
I’m thrilled to offer you my third vintage of Chardonnay from Dux Vineyard high in the Dundee Hills. I have been told that the vines in this little block were sourced from Abbey Ridge Draper clone cuttings. This is a lovely vineyard with great energy high in the Dundee Hills, and I look forward to producing Chardonnay from here for a long time if possible.
This Dux is a very pleasing pale, pastel yellow with brilliant transparency. The nose has a feeling of richness and concentration and is full of subtle creamy tropical fruits and minerals. The mouth is the same and is juicy and refreshing. This Chardonnay has a beautiful heft without the heaviness and is well-composed. The finish is long and classic Dundee Hills silky.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 19 September 2023
Barrels: after finishing primary fermentation in a stainless tank, the Dux was racked to two neutral French oak puncheons (500L) and one neutral Acacia puncheon (500L) for élevage and malolactic fermentation
Bottling Date: 9 April 2024
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Cases Produced: 149 cases
2023 Mirabai Pinot Noir
The Mirabai 2023 is medium-dark, deep youthful red with blue undertones and brilliant transparency. The nose is a heady mix of minerals, subtle spices, ripe strawberries, and other dark red berries and cherries. The mouth is juicy and classic Dundee Hills silky with forever strawberries that end in a long finish. This Mirabai has depth, richness and power without any heaviness. It’s full of movement.
Appellation: 100% Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Dates:
52% Weber Vineyard: 23 September 2023. 1983 franc de pied.
28 % Stater Vineyard: 14 September 2023: new leased farm between Eyrie and Durant. 1990 on rootstock
11% Durant Vineyard: 19 September 2023. 1974 and 1984 franc de pied.
9% Maresh Vineyard: 24 September 2023. 1970-1988 franc de pied
Barrels: neutral tight-grained Burgundy barrels (228L) made from French forests
Bottling Date: 11 and 12 June 2024
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Whole Cluster: about 15%
Cases Produced: 1808 cases
2022 Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
I’m thrilled to offer you my second Pinot noir from Freedom Hill Vineyard, owned and farmed by the Dusschee family. Only seven barrels of this wine comprise this bottling. It’s a rich, medium-dark red with youthful blue undertones and has the transparency of an eye-clean ruby. Even the nose has depth: ripe, dark red and black berries along with subtle spices, hints of violets, and ocean air minerals. Overall, this wine has more unconcealed power than my other bottlings, and the mouth is full of just-ripe boysenberries and deep red berries with a hint of dark chocolate, black tea, and cola. This Freedom Hill is everchanging in the glass while also having a powerful, still presence underneath. Back-palate pleasing tannins carry to the long finish in this wild (as in “not tame”) beauty, and this Pinot needs time.
Appellation: Willamette Valley A.V.A.
Picking Date: 8 October 2022
Élevage: 10 months in tight-grained, neutral French oak Burgundy barrels
Bottling Date: 11 July 2023
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Whole Cluster: 100%
Cases Produced: 140 cases
2022 Weber Vineyard Pinot Noir
This is my fifth Pinot produced from Weber Vineyard, a beautiful vineyard just down Worden Hill Road from Maresh Vineyard that I have prized for a very long time. The vines in this block were planted in 1983 on their own roots. Strong, old Oregon oak trees and towering big leaf maples guard the southern part of my block for this wine, while the eastern border of my block is a wild, mixed forest filled with unseen songbirds singing during the light hours. The Weber 2022 is a medium-dark, youthful, rich red with brilliant transparency. This Dundee Hills beauty has a nose of dark red and blue berries along with minerals and subtle spices. There is a cool depth and intensity from the beginning that continues in the mouth with even darker fruit. This is a serious wine that is both gorgeous and elusive, and the finish is long and silky with great composition and tension.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 15 and 16 October 2022 (from Block 5 self-rooted Pommard vines planted in 1983)
Barrels: neutral Burgundy barrels (228L) made from tight-grain French forests
Bottling Date: 11 July 2023
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Whole Cluster: 30%
Cases Produced: 427 cases
2023 Maresh Vineyard Liminal Pinot Noir
The Maresh bottling is one I feel very deeply entrained with each year, and more so with each vintage. These vines planted on their own roots in 1970. This time spent each year working in these blocks has changed me. I have the utmost love and respect for these plants of great and sometimes mischievous character. Taken from the back label: “The wine from these vines leads me to imagine a beautiful threshold of Earth and stars, and its essence and mystery is this living edge.” Sadly, 2023 is my final walk with these wise ones, and it was a wonder-filled, life-changing 15-year relationship for me.
The Maresh Liminal is a lightish-medium, youthful and rich red with shimmering light and transparency. The nose begins with powdery minerals and fresh, sun-ripe strawberries and subtle spices. The mouth is a deeper, richer version of the nose supported by restrained power. The Liminal has the silky texture that the Dundee Hills is known for, and there is this feeling of winged verticality. The 2023 is finely structured and sublime, and I’m honoured to have worked closely with these plants since 2008.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 24 September 2023 (the Long Rows block- these vines were planted on their own roots in 1970)
Barrels: neutral Burgundy barrels (228L) made from tight-grain French forests
Bottling Date: 11 June 2024
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Whole Cluster: none
Cases Produced: 202 cases
2023 Stater Vineyard Pinot Noir
2023 is my first year of leasing Stater Vineyard, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s situated directly between The Eyrie Vineyards estate vineyard and Durant Vineyard: talk about provenance! As stated on the back label, “Sylvia Stater and her late husband, Wayne Stater, whose family roots have been in Oregon for generations, founded this enchanting little vineyard in an area of Dundee that has long been considered by many to be hallowed ground for Pinot noir. Encircled by a towering grove of cedars, firs and other mixed trees and bathed in birdsong, there’s something that feels magical about it. I love being there.”
The 2023 is medium-dark red with youthful brilliance, transparency, and lovely plays of light. The gorgeous nose is filled with ripe, red berries and cherries with minerals and spices. Already, just on the nose, there is beautiful depth that continues in the mouth on a detailed frame of serious structure. This is a super-focused, high-relief Pinot that reminds me of how high pixels give more depth and richness to an image. There are some very subtle, delicious savory components that balance the fruit. It has nice acidity and a long, clean, silky finish that delivers the details to the end.
Appellation: Dundee Hills A.V.A.
Picking Date: 14 September 2023 (planted in 1990 on rootstock)
Barrels: neutral Burgundy barrels (228L) made from tight-grain French forests
Bottling Date: 11 June 2024
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Whole Cluster: about 10%
Cases Produced: 196 cases