Kelley Fox Maresh Vineyard Royal Ann Block Pinot Noir 2018

“Limpid magenta. Expansive aromas of ripe red fruits, incense and Asian spices carry smoky mineral and floral overtones. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering alluringly sweet raspberry preserve, rose pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen and spread out slowly with air. Delivers a compelling blend of power and elegance, finishing with silky, polished tannins and superb clarity and floral-driven persistence. 50% whole clusters. Drinking window: 2022-2030. 95 points

Kelley Fox has successfully navigated the 2018 vintage, which often produced large-scale, dark-fruited wines, crafting a set of graceful, exotically perfumed and balanced wines that in no way suggest that they’re the product of a ripe year. Her ‘18s lean toward her 2016s, 2015s and 2014s in style for their relative depth and power, with plenty of whole cluster influence and an unadorned personality, thanks no doubt to the use of neutral oak.”

Josh Raynolds, Vinous (07/20)