Nicolas Jay Own Rooted Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2023 (750ml)

Winemaker Tasting Notes | Previewing this ungrafted, old-vine bottling every year never fails to deliver an anxious anticipation amongst the team for what haunting pleasures will be in store. The aromatics are subtle and shy at first, then on second pass the wine begins to unseal a dynamic pastiche of scents and aromas. There’s cocoa, tar and red apples that arrive first. Then lavender and zesty juniper berries shift gently into Turkish tobacco and a sweet savoriness. A fascinating antique cedar chest aroma arises followed by baskets of strawberries and cassis undertones. Texturally the wine is exquisite, displaying tight granular tannins that begin to separate as the wine warms on your palate. The fruit is dark in this vintage, boasting blackberries and blueberries with a frame of sandalwood, ocean air, and orange peels. A persistent wine, while at the same time has a gingerly pace to it with micro granular tannins and delightful savoriness that carries on for minutes. The tremendous potential of this wine cannot be understated, but duteous patience will reward those who can wait. 

 

Vintage Notes | The 2023 growing season was marked by exceptional growing conditions especially when compared to the previous few vintages. An ample amount of winter precipitation provided the vines with the energy they would require for the growing season. Spring was cold and wet and pushed back bud break by a week from the more traditional time of mid-April. Warm summer temperatures moved the growing season along giving health and abundance to the vines. Small rain events right before harvest time helped to push ripeness across the finish line as well and condensing the picking period. The Pinot noirs of 2023 show a beautiful fruit forward quality. Structured and filling tannin round out the mid-palate with a finish driven by the presence of natural acids