Kelley Fox: A Shot of Bio-Dynamism in the Willamette Valley
2/1/17 -
We've never hesitated to shout our praises of Kelley Fox's wines. Kelley works biodynamically in her parcels at Maresh Vineyard, a historic source for Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley's Dundee Hills AVA. The rest of her fruit comes from the certified biodynamic Momtazi Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA.
Last summer, I met up with Kelley outside the house of the family that owns the Maresh Vineyard. As we sipped a tank sample of her newest bottling, the 2014 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Red Barn Block Maresh Vineyard, Kelley remarked how the hundred-year old chestnut trees overhead subtly communicated with each other through various microbial interactions. Later, as we walked through the Maresh Vineyard, she pointed out the vines that she oversaw and discussed the various pruning methods she used to care for them. As a group of butterflies fluttered several feet away and an eagle soared overhead, she remarked that these insects and animals in the vineyard reflected well on the vineyard's health, and subsequently the quality of the wines.
There are few winemakers who are as deeply in touch with viticulture and winemaking as Kelley Fox. Despite her rigorous academic background (dual degrees in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Oregon State University), Kelley Fox's wines are truly soulful: her wines not only capture the special nature of the vineyards she sources grapes from, they also embody the spiritual attunement she has to her grapes, vines, and winemaking.
2014 was an exceptional vintage for Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley: the Pinots are ripe, lush, and opulent with generous and ample fruit that will provide immediate drinking pleasure. With Kelley's wines, there's an additional lithe texture and deep core of fruit that runs through her wines. Good winemakers can make good wines in great vintages; however it takes a special winemaker to add that additional shot of dynamism to reflect nature providing those exceptional conditions. Jonas Mendoza
