The undeniable fact is, all the cool parties seem to be focused on various art forms. Books, movies, sculptures, and of course, wine. One such party, I attended just the other night. It was the official Launch Tasting for Domaine Nicolas-Jay, a new winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon whose first vintage is being released right now. Domaine Nicolas-Jay is the latest collaboration between a Burgundy wine producer and an American. In this case, we are talking about Jean-Nicolas Méo of famed and renowned producer Méo-Camuzet, and Jay Boberg, a long-time wine aficionado and music industry veteran.
This is hardly the first collaboration between French and American, though it is one of only a handful in the Willamette Valley. It's a pretty big vote of confidence in a relatively new winemaking region. Burgundy has been producing wine for well over 1,000 years--the |
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In fact, Véronique Drouhin encouraged Jean-Nicolas and Jay to make wine together. I got a chance to talk with them--and their winemaker Tracy Kendall--and Jay related how his sister went to college with Véronique Drouhin. The two became friends and eventually Jay met Jean-Nicolas. A few years ago the old friends were all in Oregon, no doubt drinking phenomenal pinot noir, when Véronique said, "You two should make wine together." They eventually landed on a spot in the Willamette Valley because, as Jay described, it has the best climate for making Burgundy-style pinot noir. They made their first wine together at Adelsheim Vineyards where Tracy was an enologist. I guess they liked her style and offered her a job making their wine full-time.
The setting for the party was provided by La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in downtown New York, a hip and cozy wine bar that was an excellent setting and provided outstanding food. But the star was the wine, and there were plenty of people who attended, eager to taste this first release, and my wife and I, who arrived a little bit early, were anxiously waiting along with them.
The wine comes from the 2014 vintage, which by all accounts, was a great year to start as it's received a lot of praise. It was good in both quality and quantity. However, Jean-Nicolas felt that it was almost "too good." In Burgundy, the style relies on the climate being a bit cooler and a bit wetter, forcing the grapes to struggle a little more to obtain ripeness. However, the 2014 vintage in Oregon posed no such challenge. That being said, it's a really beautiful wine with lots of complexity, fruit, spice and good structure. I actually got a chance to taste it a second time the next day alongside some of the Méo-Camuzet wines and it's amazing how the two share some similarities, like you can tell they're related, like sisters. There's an understated elegance to each that makes them lovely wines.
So congratulations to Jean-Nicolas, Jay, and Tracy on their first vintage. I wish them the best of luck and am looking forward to tasting more great wine from them. Santé!