Domaine Nicolas-Jay - Pinot Noir 2023

Nicolas-Jay is a collaboration between two long-time friends: famed Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet and music entrepreneur and wine lover Jay Boberg. In 2011, Jay approached Jean-Nicolas with the idea of starting a small winery in Oregon. At the time, Jean-Nicolas had been making wine at Méo-Camuzet for nearly 25 years and was intrigued by the prospect of working with Pinot Noir in a new terroir.

Recognizing that the wines of Nicolas-Jay would be defined by their vineyards, Jean-Nicolas and Jay embarked on an extensive exploration of the Willamette Valley. They built relationships with some of the region's finest vineyards and eventually took ownership of Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, after being captivated by the expressiveness of the site. The vineyard, planted in the late 1980s on ungrafted rootstock, contributes to every multisite wine, imparting a savory quality and tight-knit structure that is consistent throughout the Nicolas-Jay range.

In the cellar, Jean-Nicolas uses spontaneous native yeast fermentations. The grapes are 100% destemmed and pressed very slowly at low pressure to emphasize pure fruit flavors and achieve a silky mouthfeel. The wines are aged in François Frères barrels (25-50% new) and are left unfined and unfiltered. Since their first vintage in 2014, Nicolas-Jay has quickly earned recognition as one of the premier producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley.

The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is the original wine of the Nicolas-Jay Estate and the first they produced. The vineyard sources have evolved since that inaugural vintage, but the essence remains the same: seek out the most expressive vineyards in the valley, farm them gently and sustainably, and produce a Pinot Noir that is pure, fresh, and expressive. The 2023 bottling is composed in nearly equal parts of fruit from the Eola–Amity Hills, Dundee Hills, and Yamhill-Carlton AVAs, combining bright, lifted Pinot Noir with the denser, mineral-driven character of the Bishop Creek estate vineyard. The fruit was 100% destemmed and fermented with native yeasts, then matured for 15 months in French oak (30% new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Winemaker Tasting Notes: A beautiful, vibrant colored wine with a light purple edge and medium+ density at its core. Another great version of Willamette Valley purity with its ethereal freshness and aromatic intensity. Black cherries arrive first on the nose, then a distinctive brambly quality that promises something very interesting in short order. Gentle baking spices, raspberries, fresh gala apples and a splash of old-fashioned draft cherry cola. Its light on the palate initially and so very pretty, with fine-grained tannins that twist into hints of cocoa and sweet cedar. This wine ignites the palate with ease, a swirling range of acidity that sweetens and reveals pomegranate, fresh herbs and an invigorating root beer essence. The tannin structure is delicate, but everlasting, all the while shows plenty of restraint in this youthful state. On the second pass you can sense the wine's willingness to engage, as though it’s wanting to explain further its composition, its diversity and its overall brilliance. This wine is enchanting now, but with more than enough complexity to improve over the years ahead.

Producer: Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Country: USA

Region: Oregon

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Oregon

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml