The story of an Oregon "Grand Cru" (First published in the Register-Guard in 2013)

From the crowded, traffic choked two lane running through Dundee it seems unlikely that one of the greatest viticultural areas in the New World lies just 5 minutes away. But after a turn up 9th street between Riteway Meats and the B and S Market, a short drive uphill takes you past new, sterile subdivisions and into another world. Flanked by rolling vineyards on all sides Worden Hill Road leads gently uphill through an undulating sea of fiery sienna, russet and gold as it meanders to the summit, where an old Red Barn flanked by 100 foot firs and a couple of ancient chestnut trees crowns an impossibly idyllic fall panorama. From this lofty vantage point Mt. Hood and the more distant Mt. Jefferson form bookends that frame the flat, misty valley to the east, and serve as a subtle reminder of the violent geologic forces that formed the basalt hearted Red Hills, the epicenter of Oregon's wine industry.

"I don't know what it is and I don't need to analyze it. I just know that fruit grown here is amazing. My grandfather had a peach orchard and those were the most incredible peaches I've ever tasted." enthused Jimmy Arteberry-Maresh when asked about the "terroir" here, the French concept of the importance of place in wine grape growing.

"And the walnuts, cherries or anything grown here" added the warm and energetic Martha Maresh, Jimmy's mom, the spark plug of the Maresh farm and the middle child of Jim Maresh Sr., the bright eyed 87 year old patriarch of Oregon's only three generation wine growing family. 

"We moved here in 1959 and I learned how to farm from my neighbors, the old farmers that settled here" explained Jim Sr. "Back then it was all cherries, walnuts and prunes. If you had 80 acres, an orchard and a prune dryer you could make a living". 

"You could say that the Columbus Day storm was the best thing that ever happened for Oregon wine" continued Jim. "Blew a lot of orchards down. And then in 1969 Dick Erath came walking up the drive, knocked on my door and said "I've looked all up and down the West Coast for a great viticultural area and I think you're sitting on it."

"Well, at the time the only thing I knew I was sitting on was 2 tons of unsold prunes." laughed Jim.

Thus was born Maresh Vineyard, one of the seminal vineyards in the Willamette Valley and what today has to be considered a true Oregon grand cru, if we had such a designation. In France only 1% of all vineyards attain such lofty status; a status bequeathed by the state based on the performance of a particular vineyard over centuries. Although planted in 1970 and still in its infancy compared to European vineyards, the fruit for a surprising number of Oregon's best pinot noir has been grown in Maresh Vineyard.

One wine in particular, the 1985 Arteberry Reserve made from Maresh fruit by Jimmy's dad Fred, was one of the Wine Spectator's highest scoring Oregon pinots ever made, and the first full case of Oregon Pinot Noir this writer purchased. A protege of Eyrie founder David Lett, whom he followed north from U.C. Davis, Fred was a brilliant and immensely talented winemaker who today would undoubtedly be mentioned alongside the Letts, Eraths, Ponzis and Adelsheims if he hadn't died tragically by his own hand in 1990. 

Gone seemingly forever, it was a shock for many who knew it well in the old days to see the Arteberry label resurrected when Martha and Fred's son Jimmy picked up the mantle of winemaker with the 2005 vintage. But instead of simply Arteberry the label is now Arteberry-Maresh. "It was an acknowledgment and appreciation for the history. Besides, I like the label. Its a little retro and very simple" replied Jim guardedly when asked about it. But after 7 vintages its clear that Jimmy inherited more than just a label. His wines show the clarity, balance and nuance of a far more experienced winemaker. But most significantly, he seems to have an intuitive understanding of winemaking that can't be taught in viticultural school or quantified by any metric. 

"What I do is what I don't do" stated Jimmy more than a little enigmatically. "I don''t measure brix (grape sugar), I don't look at numbers and I don't panic over weather. We've got deeply rooted, organically farmed old vine fruit and a great organic spray program if we need it. I also know we usually get a couple of weeks of sun in October so I'm still waiting to pick after all my neighbors have finished."

There was no arguing with that strategy as we sat in t-shirts on October 14th surrounded by beautiful, plump clusters of dark purple pinot noir towards the end of a harvest that was a struggle for most winemakers in the Willamette Valley. When asked what he makes of the lavish investment that has taken place all around the family farm over the last twenty years Jimmy answers with a shrug "I actually love it when people around here invest all this money in wineries and equipment. All of these sorting tables and fancy presses…" Jimmy trails off dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Our winery is low tech…all I do is turn great grapes into really good wine." 

But if not for Jimmy's grandfather and a group of winemakers and neighbors, Oregon's wine industry might have been crippled in its infancy and today the Red Hills would be known for paving instead of pinot. In 1982 the Yamhill County commissioners were ready to allow asphalt batch plants in the Red Hills, including one in the rock quarry visible from the deck of the Red Barn tasting room right next to Block One. Of course the manufacture of asphalt generates intense odors and particulate matter that would contaminate any fruit within miles. It took months of effort, a lot of money from 1,000 Friends of Oregon and a rousing, impromptu speech by Jim Sr. at a final meeting in front of LCDC in Salem to finally turn the tide. "I just told 'em that this kind of industry and agriculture don't go together and they could have one or the other." said Jim in his humble, matter-of-fact manner. The final vote was 6 to 1 against the plant. 

What followed were the now famous 1983 and 1985 vintages that took the wine world by storm and announced the arrival of a new source for world class pinot noir. Today the Dundee Hills is a popular destination for wealthy wine enthusiasts and is recognized by the wine industry establishment as one of the great American viticultural regions. Corporate investment has poured in and millions of dollars have been spent on state of the art wineries and equipment. The kind of tasting rooms once found only in the Napa Valley dot the hillsides and the occasional 200k sports car driven by the tanned and bejeweled is not uncommon on these back roads, jockeying with a tractor or farm truck driven by a grizzled local. 

But none of this can eclipse the importance of vineyard location and old vines, like the thigh thick trunks of the Pommard and Wadenswil pinot noir in Block One whose roots sink over 18 feet into the basalt mother rock of these ancient, volcanic hills. And no amount of money can purchase the experience, character and family history of the Mareshs. As one very experienced and talented Oregon winemaker once said to me "never underestimate the importance of genetic material." Indeed.

Asked what he thinks today as he looks around at what he began with his late, beloved wife Loie over 50 years ago, Jim Sr. says with a smile and a glint in his lively blue eyes "I can't believe it sometimes when I think about how it’s turned out. But we want to keep it going. It will never change here" he emphasizes as he waves his arm out over the eastern slope towards Mt. Hood to the eager assents of Jimmy and Martha. "All the younger people around here are committed to keeping this thing going. We'll never log those woods…that's habitat for the birds, the deer…everything here works together and is in a trust for future generations." 

On the way back down to Dundee under a brilliant blue October sky a proudly defiant Redtail hawk stood stoutly over its kill in the middle of Worden Hill Road, reluctant to give way even to a speeding Landcruiser. Like all that have staked their claim to these stunningly beautiful hills, tenacity, purpose and and a watchful strength just seem to come naturally to all who live here.