Nicolas-Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2018
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Spectator
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Fantastic bright red edge with density and color saturation representative of a sound vintage. Fresh orange zest, crushed lavender, freshly picked cherry, and Christmas spices swirl gently from the glass. Immediate drive on the pallet, a beam of tart raspberry and clove saturate with granite and wet stones as the acid and grape tannins expand and broaden. This stunning mixture of citrus and density of fruit is indicative of a classic blend that will further reveal itself with rest and time in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Silky, savory and well-knit, with polished raspberry, spiced cinnamon and orange peel accents that build tension toward refined tannins. Drink now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Nicolas-Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is bright and authentic. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of bright red fruits, dried spices, earth, and wood. Enjoy it with Cantonese roast duck and jasmine rice. (Tasted: May 22, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas are completely enchanting, with notes of earth, forest floor, raspberry, mushroom and cherry, showing a lot of nuance. The flavors are full in feel, exquisitely balanced, with lightly chalky feeling tannins and juicy acidity. It's flat-out gorgeous, hard to resist now but will only get better with some time in the cellar. Best after 2025.
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Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.