2016 Nicolas Jay, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Critics reviews
The 2016 Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with a nose of warm red and black cherries and cranberry plus touches of crushed blueberries, cinnamon stick, charcuterie and underbrush. Light to medium-bodied, it has good concentration of warm red and black fruits in the mouth with earthy and spicy layers, soft, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long. 3,000 cases produced.
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (August 2018)
About this WINE
Domaine Nicolas-Jay
Domaine Nicolas-Jay is a winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon. It is a collaboration between Jean-Nicolas Méo of Burgundy’s Domaine Méo-Camuzet and Jay Boberg, an American music producer. Established in 2013, Nicolas-Jay produces a range of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from several distinct sub-regions around Oregon, notably the AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) of Yamhill-Carlton, McMinnville and Dundee Hills. Their first vintage was 2014.
The co-founders had been friends for over 30 years when they established Nicolas-Jay. They started out using other producers’ winemaking facilities before buying a vineyard and constructing a winery of their own. They purchased Bishop Creek, a seven-hectare, organically farmed vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, which became their estate vineyard. They also source fruit from high-quality growers. The range includes single-vineyard bottlings as well as a Willamette Valley blend. All of Nicolas-Jay’s estate vines are farmed organically, and most of the grapes they purchased are organic or biodynamic.
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley Viticultural Area lies in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. At 5,200 square miles (13,500 km2), it is the largest AVA in the state, and contains most of the state's wineries; The Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1984, and since then six smaller AVAs have been created within the northern portion of Willamette Valley (Dundee Hills, probably the best known, Chehalem Mountains, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill Carlton ).
Its soils, rich in volcanic and glacial deposits are ideal for wine-growing. This combines with the Willamette Valley’s relatively mild climate: cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers.
The region's terroir provides some of the best conditions for growing Pinot Noir. Although Williamette Valley is worldwide acclaimed for their production of Pinot Noir wines, it also produces such varietals as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and limited quantities of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
With its deep, dark blackberry colour, this gorgeous Pinot Noir still looks and feels impressively youthful. The nose is fabulous, full of sweet red cherry and fresh raspberry with a volcanic, granitic lift to the aroma. It is aromatically pure with subtle, savoury touches of charcutérie and fresh leather, but all are held in check by a wonderful minerality and fresh fruit.
The palate is gorgeously vibrant. It absolutely has the precision and focus of Nicolas-Jay’s subsequent L’Ensemble cuvées. Almost quartz-like, it is so pure, clear, and alive. The tannins are chalky-fine, and the long length continues on and on. This is brilliant now, but I would certainly benefit from some more time before it really starts to sing.
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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