
Oregon wine: 2018 Nicolas-Jay L’Ensemble Willamette Valley Pinot noir
Willamette Valley
Oregon
13.5% alcohol
Empty bottle weight:
24.8 ounces // 705 grams
Cork closure
1145 cases produced // native yeast
Nicolas-Jay is a unique partnership between Jay Boberg and Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet. Their shared love of wine is the glue in their decades-long friendship. After Jay retired from a successful career in the music industry (he co-founded I.R.S. Records while attending UCLA), he approached Jean-Nicolas with the idea of launching a winery in Oregon. Following that conversation, they purchased a vineyard, then property on which they planted another vineyard and built a new winery. With Jean-Nicolas in France much of the year, associate winemaker Tracy Kendall oversees the day-to-day winemaking of the small winery.
As the name suggests, this Pinot noir is a blend of grapes grown in different sub-AVAs within the Willamette Valley. Fermented using native yeast, the wine was aged in 33% new French oak barrels for 14 months. It was not fined and filtered before bottling. With many classic aromas and flavors found in Willamette Valley Pinot, it’s a versatile, food-friendly wine.
BOUQUET

forest floor

cranberry

licorice

mushrooms

brown sugar

earthy
PALATE

sour cherry

raspberry

cranberry

mushrooms

rosehips

red cherry
FOOD PAIRING
SUGGESTIONS
creamy kale chicken and gnocchi soup
beet wellington
roasted salmon with lentils and bacon
The winery is sold out of this vintage but you can buy their 2019, or look for 2018 at your favorite wine shop.
SRP $70