Winery Spotlight: Kelley Fox

We are HUGE fans of Kelley Fox and her wines. When it comes to hands-on winemaking, this Willamette Valley artisan is in a class of her own. There's something unique about the way her mind processes information, and the result is wines that have a character, precision and finesse that sets them apart from those of her peers. While it is common technique to use tools to "punch down" the cap of wine skins during the fermentation process, Kelley likes to physically get in the tank and do this task using her arms and legs - her body, after all, is a more sensitive instrument than any temperature gauge!

When we asked why her Pinot Gris was such a uniquely bright pink color, she related the story of how this wine came to be. "I never liked Pinot Gris" she explained, but when a vineyard owning friend asked her to take a few tons as a favor she found herself in a quandary.

When she asked herself the question of why she didn't like Pinot Gris, the answer was "because it's a red grape that everyone makes as if it's white." Her solution, make Pinot Gris using red wine techniques. The resulting wine is in a class of its own.

Included is a picture of Kelley during a visit she made to Vin Chicago on what turned out to be her birthday. You'll note by the huge scores awarded to many of them, that we're not the only ones who are big fans!