“Graceful, finely etched Pinots among the very best being made in the New World.” – Vinous

One of the most EPIC Pinot finds is back with a new release. Not just this year, but in our illustrious 17+ years of existence!

Most days, you’ll pay BIG for the higher-tier single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from Oregon - Eyrie, Drouhin, Soter, Beaux Freres, Ken Wright, Bergstrom, and Evening Land all come to mind. They’re all excellent and worth every penny, if you can afford, let alone find them. These Pinots drink with the very best examples from California and Burgundy.

But the cost of entry tips well north of $100 for most of those. But this isn’t most days. It’s just another day in Wine Spies world, where reality-altering deals are the norm.

And this one is hardly an exception. At $90 on Kelley’s website, it’s a worthy contender for value given what’s inside the bottle and how it stacks up against the competition. You can find it for $100 retail elsewhere, further testament to its worth.

With 96+ points from our friend Jeb Dunnuck (plus a 94 and a 94+), it comes with the reputation and makes our nearly 60% OFF price today all the more special. Yet, to be honest, impressed as we were with what’s in our glasses, we all went wandering around the panel about who Kelley Fox is. Her resume boasts Torii Mor, Hamacher, The Eyrie Vineyards, and Scott Paul. Fox is also a magna cum laude with degrees in biochemistry and biophysics! As a relative newcomer starting in 2007 with just 100 cases, she quickly rose to the upper echelons of Oregon Pinot.

Earlier this year, one of her wines was on The New York Times most memorable wines of 2024 list, where Eric Asimov praised her with “Ms. Fox tends to float under the radar compared with the more well-known Willamette producers. She offers quirky, sometimes pointed opinions. Referring to her own wines, she said, ‘These are living things and quite inscrutable.’ I’ve found them lovely, precise and detailed, each well worth scrutinizing. One riveted my attention in August with its beautiful texture and feeling of being alive in the glass.”

We love Pinot from Sonoma or the Central Coast, but there’s some magic that comes with Willamette Valley. Sourced not only from the Maresh Vineyard in the heart of Dundee Hills AVA, but from specific blocks donned the Golden-Crowned Sparrow Blocks (GCS Blocks) because visitors to the blocks are often visited by these majestic birds. Gasp-Causing Sips might be JUST as accurate. No wonder why for Eric Guido of Vinous “the vineyard bottling that first drew me in was Fox’s work with the legendary Maresh Vineyard.”

Aged in larger neutral Burgundy barrels, it preserves the natural freshness and expression of the 43-year-old Pommard clones. Fresh, deep, and vibrant, with a medium body and a whole lot of raspberry whips, just-ripening summer strawberries, forest floor dust, and hibiscus flowing freely. With 30% whole cluster, this is an elegant and rustic expression of the Willamette Valley.

Back to Vinous to sum things up, “Anyone looking for Oregon Pinot Noir purity and transparent communication of terroir from the soil to the vine to the bottle must explore Kelley Fox Wines. When thinking about a vineyard, Fox looks beyond the soils, the exposures, and the vines. She looks to the trees surrounding the vineyard, flora and fauna to create an honest wine, true to its source… the result is one of the most exciting portfolios of wines made in the United States.”

Highly limited. What are you waiting for??

96+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck “A jeweled ruby color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Golden-Crowned Sparrow Blocks is focused in the glass, bringing a more forward intensity to its notes of rosemary, bright botanicals, ripe red berries, and cedar. It has a linear feel on the palate, as well as vertical energy with a defined structure, a chiseled feel. and a long finish. With mineral drive and a savory finish, it’s structured and needs time. Drink 2026-2042.”

94+ Points – Wine Advocate “The 2022 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Golden-Crowned Sparrow Blocks comes from own-rooted vines planted in 1978 and 1991. It was fermented with around 30% whole clusters, and the wine was matured for 10 months in used French oak. It’s bursting with pomegranate, blackberry, blood orange and woodsy undertones. The light-bodied palate pairs concentrated, spicy flavors with soft, tea-like tannins and vibrant acidity, and it has a long, latent finish. 433 cases produced. Drink 2026-2042.”

94 Points – Vinous “Anyone looking for Oregon Pinot Noir purity and transparent communication of terroir from the soil to the vine to the bottle must explore Kelley Fox Wines. When thinking about a vineyard, Fox looks beyond the soils, the exposures, and the vines. She looks to the trees surrounding the vineyard, flora and fauna to create an honest wine, true to its source. In my opinion, the result is one of the most exciting portfolios of wines made in the United States. The vineyard bottling that first drew me in was Fox’s work with the legendary Maresh Vineyard. As of 2021, the portfolio consists of Maresh Vineyard Liminal, Golden Crowned Sparrow Blocks, and the Star of Bethlehem Flower Block. Each of these wines uniquely interprets the vineyard yet three different places. Exploring the range is fantastic for the wine geek in all of us. Fox also presented me with several 2022s, a vintage that played right into her hands. The ethereal fruit and perfume style beautifully match the lifted and remarkably fresh vintage character. The 2022 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Golden Crowned Sparrow Blocks is darkly alluring with crushed woodland berries complicated by blood orange and pine hints. Silky textures and stimulating acidity soothe, washing tart red fruits across the palate guided by zesty acidity. This finishes wonderfully fresh and long with a staining of red and black fruit and crunchy tannins. Drink 2024-2032.”