One is a Burgundian winemaker who learned his craft at the feet of Henri Jayer, and who has spent the last 30 years working many of the great grand crus on the Cote d’Or. The other is the ex-president of MCA/Universal Records, an amateur wine aficionado and now an enthusiastic cellar rat. Nicolas-Jay is the story of the unlikely three-decade friendship between Jean-Nicolas Meo and Jay Boberg, their shared fascination for Pinot Noir, and their desire to bring Burgundian winemaking wisdom to the terroirs of one of the world’s great frontier territories for Pinot Noir. Oregon.

It was Jay’s inspiration in the first place. Fascinated by Oregon’s Willamette Valley, he approached Jean-Nicolas about the possibility of establishing a winery. Together, Jay and Jean-Nicolas began a lengthy exploration of the top winegrowing sites in the region. In particular, they were wowed by a wine made from fruit from the Bishop Creek Vineyard, and when the vineyard later came up for sale, they couldn’t resist; they bought it, and so began Nicolas-Jay. To complement the exceptional estate fruit from Bishop Creek, they have also established relationships with some of the finest vineyards and growers in the region.

Ensemble is a gorgeous barrel selection bottling, intensely Burgundian in character. Nysa is a savoury, smoky, musky style of Pinot Noir, from the volcanic soils of the Nysa vineyard. The Own-Rooted is a blend from vines on their own roots planted in the oldest vineyards Nicolas Jay work with (Hyland, Nysa, Bishop Creek). It is perfumed and complex, both floral (lavender) and herbal (thyme). Momtazi is more about cascading waves of red fruit; it is in a slightly weightier style, with impressive length and depth. The estate vineyard Bishop Creek makes a wine that is intense, profound and poised, utterly top-drawer Pinot Noir. ‘We make the kind of wines we love to drink,’ says Jay. ‘Elegant wines, with beautiful, complex aromatics and pure, lovely fruit - wines that evolve in the glass, and in the cellar.’ (NT 11/03/24)