2022 Nicolas-Jay, L'Ensemble, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

The 2022 Pinot Noir L’Ensemble is a total pleasure to take in. It mixes wild blueberries and cherries with sweet spice and hints of cola. This is fruit-forward yet refined, with juicy acidity and bitter tinges of clove and citrus that add contrast throughout. It tapers off at a medium length, leaving a tart cranberry crunchiness and a pleasantly chewy sensation that persists.

The 2022s at Nicolas-Jay Estate are distinctly savoury in style and quite youthful, yet they possess a core of bright fruit and tension imparted by lively acidity. I expect them to mature beautifully. The estate lost a significant portion of its Chardonnay production due to the spring frosts—around 60%. Pinot Noir was only down 10-12%. The estate-owned Bishop Creek Vineyard, along with Temperance Hill, turned out some of its most successful wines of the vintage. Frankly speaking, there are no losers in the mix.

Drink 2025 - 2031

A good bit of this wine comes from Bishop Creek, up to one-third, though it includes five to six other sites. ‘The idea of this wine is to express both the Valley and the vintage,’ says Jean Nicolas Méo. It's both a vineyard and barrel selection and 30% new oak. The aromatics are grounded in red florals, with touches of earth and a spritz of spiced blood orange.

The palate is elegant and refined, with tart berries, a silken structure and a beautiful finish of savoury spice. We make the barrel selection for this wine first before we make our single vineyard wines. ‘These are the best sites and our best barrels from the vintage,’ says partner Jay Boberg.

Drink 2024 - 2036

This is the red-wine counterpart blend to Affinités. Light and sweet/jewelly. The sweetness comes as a little shock but there is a hint of violet. (JR)