Nicolas Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015
- Vintage
- 2015
- Country
- USA
- Region
- Oregon,Willamette Valley
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Rating
- WE93, WS91
The second release from this impressive new project is a touch lighter than the previous vintage, but just as well built. Blending grapes from four different sub-AVAs, this shows a sleek and detailed mix of fruit—strawberry, plum and cherry—married to just the right amount of new French oak (one third of the barrels). Editors’ Choice. - WE93
A lovely and delicately complex wine, with expressive violet and raspberry aromas and harmoniously layered cherry, floral tea and stony mineral flavors that glide through a long finish. - WS91
The 2015 Willamette Valley is a rich, tight and expansive red with remarkable balance. It starts on the nose, with black cherry fruit aromas underscored by hints of smoke, fresh loamy soil, violet and cassis. On the palate, bright, almost juicy fruit is supported by intense minerality and phenomenal length. It is structural and fine, with resolved tannins and subdued density resulting in a great complexity. If consumed in the next few years, the wine will benefit from a gentle decanting one or two hours before serving. This wine will also age beautifully for 15-20 years in bottle. - Winemaker's Notes
History of Nicolas Jay
Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo and music entrepreneur Jay Boberg’s mutual love of Pinot Noir, and desire to create something lasting together, drew them to the North Willamette Valley. Our viticulture and winemaking are informed by years of working the soils of Burgundy’s Grand Crus, an understanding we bring to old-vine sites in Oregon, including our own organically farmed estate Bishop Creek vineyard, as well as our 53-acre Dundee Hills Estate. It is from these unique sites that Jean-Nicolas, Jay and associate winemaker Tracy Kendall craft Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Viens avec nous.
Jean-Nicolas and Jay became friends in 1988, when Jean-Nicolas was studying abroad in the United States. The two found that they shared similar philosophies about life, music, wine and friendship. Though Jean-Nicolas soon immersed himself in guiding his family’s renowned Domaine Meo-Camuzet, and Jay continued to build his own IRS Records into a seminal indie label, they stayed friends over the next quarter century. During this time, they also discovered a shared interest in the quality and potential of the Pinot Noirs from Oregon, which Jay has been enjoying since 1983, and Jean-Nicolas has been exploring since attending the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Willamette Valley in 1991. - Information from Nicolas Jay Website