Kelley's Heroes and Heroines

As we know, Kelley Fox makes profound and eloquent Pinot Noirs that ventriloquise their respective vineyards. The wines have their day, on their day, are occasionally reserved, and need coaxing. Time and patience reward them and the transparency of the wines showcase the terroir of the vineyards.

Maresh is a special place with a wild energy that manifests in the burgundy-hued, sanguine, medicinal/earthy Pinot Noirs, Mirabai and Maresh (both 2017). The wines are on unrooted vines, and farmed by hand with biodynamic treatments and pruned with care. Fermented ambiently with native yeasts in bins (100% whole bunch, free run) and aged in Burgundy barrels, the wines have true Pinot limpidity, with wild, briary red fruit and a herbal quality.

Back in stock after a brief absence, is Kelley’s truly world-class Pinot Blanc from the Freedom Hill Vineyard. She turned her hand to white wine making (a not-so-secret passion of hers), having found the ideal vineyard to produce grapes for wines of great longevity. The soils are sedimentary, uplifted seabed, and among the oldest in the region. The distinctive character of this well-drained Bellpine soil coupled with the microclimate and meticulous farming practices, provide the preconditions for wines of considerable structure. Kelley whole-cluster presses the grapes, fermenting with ambient yeasts in neutral Burgundy barrels. The wine subsequently undergoes a full malolactic which lends it yet further texture.

The resultant finished wine has a transparent brilliant pale, lemon yellow with a hint of green colour. The nose is full of ripe citrus fruit and white and yellow flowers with a suggestion of buttermilk. The texture is rich but not heavy. Excellent rippling acidity, very clean on the palate, and long lacy finish on the back of the apple and citrus spine make this a stunning example of a grape that rarely attains any great quality, other than in Alto-Adige and occasionally in Austria.

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