Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
Airlie Winery 2021 Airlie Maréchal Foch
A Tale of Three
The story of Airlie is a story of three women, each of whom has a very similar tale about how they ended up in this beautiful little spot in the Willamette Valley.
It starts with Mary Olson. She was a high-powered telecom executive from Wisconsin, one of very few women. She traveled the country until her employer dropped her in Oregon. Before long, she was telling friends, “when I’m reincarnated, I’m coming back as a winemaker in Oregon.” Soon enough, her impatience won out and she decided to make it happen in this life. She bought Airlie and got busy driving a tractor and working the land.
For Elizabeth Clark, it was an accidental road trip to Oregon with a nothing but a plan to visit a cousin. A math major with a Russian minor from a small college in Maryland, Elizabeth fell in love with the wine in the Willamette Valley. From cellar rat to winemaker in just five years!
Living in San Diego, Kim Swecker wanted to try her hand at farming in retirement. They roadtripped up to Oregon and found the perfect little farm. The bad news? “I’m a terrible farmer,” she says. The good news? The farm she and her husband bought was next door to Airlie. Now, she’s the sales manager, and it’s a perfect fit.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Airlie Winery, Monmouth, Oregon
2021 Airlie Maréchal Foch
Maréchal Foch is an inter-specific hybrid French red wine grape variety. It was developed at the Oberlin Institute in Colmar-Alsace, at the beginning of the 20th century, then known as Kuhlmann 188-2, by Eugène Kuhlmann. These hybrids are typically bred in experimental vineyards at universities across Europe and in the United States for specific reasons – to weather climate variations, fight off pests, or develop new flavors.
The variety arrived in the U.S. in 1946, where it was subsequently renamed Marechal Foch in honor of Marshall Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War.
The cool nights and long summers of the Willamette Valley are perfectly suited for Maréchal Foch. This distinctive, medium-bodied wine has flavors of plum and blueberry with notes of dark currant and spice. It has lower acidity which makes it a nice match for rich pasta dishes or roasted meats.
290 Cases Produced
BACK TO SCHOOL
Fun Facts
It ripens early, is cold-hardy and resistant to fungal diseases.
It is a TEINTURIER, with pigmented juice as well as skins.
The berry size is small, which makes it prone to bird injury.
The quality of wine produced by Maréchal Foch vines is highly dependent upon vine age, and the flavor profile associated with many new-world hybrid varietals is much reduced in examples made with fruit picked from older vines.
A Cellar 503 selection in September 2025, Back to School Willamette Valley | Maréchal Foch
