Nicolas-Jay was created in 2014 from a 30-year friendship between Burgundian wine maker Jean-Nicolas Meo and music entrepreneur Jay Boberg. Their love of Oregon Pinot Noir brought them to the Willamette Valley where they are crafting Burgundian-style wines that are expressive, structured and incredibly delicious. Their organically farmed Bishop’s Creek vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton appellation grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that were our favorites from their lineup. The estate also grows grapes from other famed Willamette Vineyards such as Nysa, Momtazi, Hyland and La Colina.
The current tasting room is located in a quaint older home situated in the heart of Dundee Oregon, but we were treated to a tour of their new winery and tasting room facility that will open in November 2020 and will be well worth a visit. A unique idea that they are incorporating into the design of the facility is the ability to watch the production of wine from a walkway above, right as you enter the building. The large tasting room facility is reminiscent of a beautiful hand-crafted Oregon home with large reclaimed wood beams and old cedar siding that they were able to recycle from the old barn on the property. Soon they will be planting several acres of Pinot Noir on the slopes of the mountain surrounding the building.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with the Associate Winemaker Tracy Kendall, who walked us through her latest wines and the past several vintages. Tracy has been in Oregon making wine for about a decade and was taught by famed winemaker Dave Paige at Adelshiem. She strives to craft wines that show an old-world sensibility, with an Oregon sense of place, which she performs perfectly. The estate’s philosophy rests in their inability to ever accept the status quo but also to not reinvent the wheel every year. They don’t innovate in technology as they have seen everything in terms of what to expect in wine making, but they push themselves every single year in the vineyard to produce the most quality and delicious wine they can – year after year. All of their Pinot Noir is destemmed before fermentation as they feel that their wines already have enough structure, tannin and body without the need to add whole clusters to the fermentation process.
2018 NICOLAS-JAY Chardonnay, ‘Bishop Creek’
This racy but elegant Chardonnay from Nicolas-Jay’s Bishop Creek vineyard opens with aromas of ripe peach, tropical pineapple, sage and lightly charred oak. The front pallet hits you with a mouthwatering but rich acidity and flavors of fresh nectarine, lemon peel and roasted hazelnuts. The wine contains 20% new French oak and is reminiscent of a beautiful French Meursault, which coincides with their Burgundian style of wine making. This wine has what it takes to age beautifully for 10 years or more.
2017 NICOLAS-JAY Pinot Noir, ‘Bishop Creek’
The stunning 2017 Bishop Creek vineyard, Pinot Noir from Nicolas-Jay is a gem of a wine. Fresh blueberries, red currants, toasted hazelnuts and dried thyme explode from the gorgeous ruby core. The nose is so perfectly poised that I spent 15 minutes enjoying it unfolding in the glass before I could dare take a sip. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and sits in your mouth as if you are walking a tightrope, but staying perfectly balanced throughout. Flavors of ripe marionberries, huckleberries, dried mushroom, and a bit of smoked earth coat your palate to a long, textured finish. This wine is serious – seriously delicious.
2017 NICOLAS-JAY Pinot Noir, ‘Momtazi’
The 2017 Momtazi Pinot Noir from Nicolas-Jay spends 12 months in 50% new French oak, and sits on volcanic and marine sedimentary soils. Higher elevation, cool evenings, and wind all design a rich and silky wine. The nose bursts with macerated blackberries and ripe red cherries. Flavors of concentrated dark red fruits melt into lucious baking spices, while the lingering acid keeps the palate juicy. Floral notes dance throughout while the tannins slowly build for a long and lively finish.
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