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Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir L'ensemble 2018 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
Oregon
appellation
Willamette Valley
DC
95
VM
94
WE
94
WS
94
JS
94
Additional vintages
DC
95
Rated 95 by Decanter
L'Ensemble is the selection of the best barrels from across the favoured vineyards where Nicolas-Jay sources grapes, including the estate Bishop Creek. These are not pre-selected, but chosen anew each year. The 2018 selection shows off the ripe, black fruit of the vintage with an appealing savoury, meaty character and a dense, tannic structure on the palate. Yet the sensitive winemaking has preserved freshness and elegance despite the warm, dry growing season to leave a lasting impression. This wine will age magnificently well. Drinking Window 2021 - 2031. ... More details
Image of bottle
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Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir L'ensemble 2018 750ml

SKU 901839
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$487.68
/case
$81.28
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
DC
95
VM
94
WE
94
WS
94
JS
94
DC
95
Rated 95 by Decanter
L'Ensemble is the selection of the best barrels from across the favoured vineyards where Nicolas-Jay sources grapes, including the estate Bishop Creek. These are not pre-selected, but chosen anew each year. The 2018 selection shows off the ripe, black fruit of the vintage with an appealing savoury, meaty character and a dense, tannic structure on the palate. Yet the sensitive winemaking has preserved freshness and elegance despite the warm, dry growing season to leave a lasting impression. This wine will age magnificently well. Drinking Window 2021 - 2031.
VM
94
Rated 94 by Vinous Media
Vivid ruby. Assertive aromas of blackberry, licorice, cola and exotic spices take on a sexy floral nuance as the wine opens up. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering concentrated red and dark berry liqueur flavors along with suggestions of cola and star anise. Finishes with slowly building tannins and impressive persistence, leaving a smoky mineral note behind. 33% new French oak.
WE
94
Rated 94 by Wine Enthusiast
This is a reserve-level, select-barrel blend from some of the eight sites the winery works with. Already complex and threaded with a mix of blue and black fruits, savory herbs, citrus and sharply defined barrel toast, it's a wine that may take some years to unpack. Native yeast was used, and one-third was aged in new French oak. Drink through 2033. (Cellar Selection)
WS
94
Rated 94 by Wine Spectator
Handsomely built and polished, with a vibrant core of lively acidity and tannins wrapped in vibrant cherry, savory forest floor and spice tones that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.
JS
94
Rated 94 by James Suckling
Spiced plums, cherries, rose hips, cedar and baking spices on the nose. Dried lemon zest, too. It’s medium-bodied with tightly knit tannins. Tight, textured and energetic. Excellent structure, freshness and drive. Unfiltered. Drink or hold.
Winery
After years of working with 8 of the top vineyard sites in the Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity, McMinnville and Yamhill-Carlton AVA’s, the L'Ensemble Pinot Noir was created with the idea of expressing the best parcels within these sites. L'Ensemble is a cuvée of the most expressive barrels from each vineyard, blended for extraordinary depth, complexity, ageability, and finesse. This wine receives an additional 6 months in barrel (33% new French oak) to escalate structure and lengthen its aging potential. This blend comprises either Bio-dynamic, organic or LIVE certified vineyards only. Native yeast fermentation, bottled unfined and unfiltered. A note from Nicolas-Jay on the 2018 vintage: After a cool March, a wet April made for a slightly later than average bud break. Warm and dry weather thereafter made for normal bloom and veraison timing. While summer was warm, we had no heat spikes of past years, and the grapes matured without fear of sunburn or dehydration. All vineyards were picked from the 14th of September to the 30th. For the first time, we saw almost perfect chemistry in the fruit - gorgeous ripe flavors, with ideal sugar and acid balance. The resulting wines are dense, aromatically complex wines with linear precision and age worthy tannins.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
United States
region
Oregon
appellation
Willamette Valley
Additional vintages
Overview
L'Ensemble is the selection of the best barrels from across the favoured vineyards where Nicolas-Jay sources grapes, including the estate Bishop Creek. These are not pre-selected, but chosen anew each year. The 2018 selection shows off the ripe, black fruit of the vintage with an appealing savoury, meaty character and a dense, tannic structure on the palate. Yet the sensitive winemaking has preserved freshness and elegance despite the warm, dry growing season to leave a lasting impression. This wine will age magnificently well. Drinking Window 2021 - 2031.
green grapes

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Whilst the Pinot Noir grape varietal has its origins in France, and is most closely associated with fine Burgundy wines, it is now grown in almost every wine producing country in the world. There are many reasons for this – the densely packed, deep black bunches of fruits are responsible for making a wide variety of excellent wines, generally agreed to be amongst the most drinkable and accessible one can find. With flavors ranging from currants and red and black berries, to more earthy, spicy notes, Pinot Noir is a versatile varietal which is revered for its relatively light body and beautifully vivid red color However, the grapes themselves are notoriously susceptible to various diseases, and struggle in fluctuating climates. This has not stopped wineries planting and cultivating these vines, though, as Pinot Noir, when grown carefully and treated properly, is a grape with a wide and increasing fan-base, and more often than not produces wonderful wines.
barrel

Region: Oregon

Since the 1840s, vineyards have been cultivated and wines have been produced within the beautiful state of Oregon, which is now the United States' third biggest producer of fine wines. Although best known for their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines, which have won several awards in recent years, Oregon is home to a surprisingly large range of fine grape varietals. Chardonnay, Merlot and Riesling also all flourish in the cooler areas of Oregon, and there are plenty of wineries across the state keen to experiment with all sorts of Old World classic varietals, as well as many of the hybrid grapes which characterise the country's wine industry. Oregon is also well known for its organic and biodynamic wine industry, making it a fascinating region for new ideas and new styles of wines, all of which are quickly gaining popularity around the world.
fields

Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Willamette Valley

The beautiful state of Oregon is home to many productive and important wine producing regions, and one of the most important and widely renowned is Willamette Valley, a lush and fertile region internationally famed for its high quality, flavorful and characterful Pinot Noir wines. Willamette Valley is an ideal location for the Pinot Noir grape, as the long, hot summers and balmy ripening seasons allow the grapes to reach full ripeness, and express their deliciously luxurious flavors and aromas. However, plenty of other grape varietals also thrive in Willamette Valley, and the region is renowned for its dedication to quality, experimentation and innovation, with many wineries increasingly keen to expand their portfolios and show the world just how good and varied the Oregon wine scene can be.
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More Details
Winery Nicolas-Jay
green grapes

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Whilst the Pinot Noir grape varietal has its origins in France, and is most closely associated with fine Burgundy wines, it is now grown in almost every wine producing country in the world. There are many reasons for this – the densely packed, deep black bunches of fruits are responsible for making a wide variety of excellent wines, generally agreed to be amongst the most drinkable and accessible one can find. With flavors ranging from currants and red and black berries, to more earthy, spicy notes, Pinot Noir is a versatile varietal which is revered for its relatively light body and beautifully vivid red color However, the grapes themselves are notoriously susceptible to various diseases, and struggle in fluctuating climates. This has not stopped wineries planting and cultivating these vines, though, as Pinot Noir, when grown carefully and treated properly, is a grape with a wide and increasing fan-base, and more often than not produces wonderful wines.
barrel

Region: Oregon

Since the 1840s, vineyards have been cultivated and wines have been produced within the beautiful state of Oregon, which is now the United States' third biggest producer of fine wines. Although best known for their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines, which have won several awards in recent years, Oregon is home to a surprisingly large range of fine grape varietals. Chardonnay, Merlot and Riesling also all flourish in the cooler areas of Oregon, and there are plenty of wineries across the state keen to experiment with all sorts of Old World classic varietals, as well as many of the hybrid grapes which characterise the country's wine industry. Oregon is also well known for its organic and biodynamic wine industry, making it a fascinating region for new ideas and new styles of wines, all of which are quickly gaining popularity around the world.
fields

Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Willamette Valley

The beautiful state of Oregon is home to many productive and important wine producing regions, and one of the most important and widely renowned is Willamette Valley, a lush and fertile region internationally famed for its high quality, flavorful and characterful Pinot Noir wines. Willamette Valley is an ideal location for the Pinot Noir grape, as the long, hot summers and balmy ripening seasons allow the grapes to reach full ripeness, and express their deliciously luxurious flavors and aromas. However, plenty of other grape varietals also thrive in Willamette Valley, and the region is renowned for its dedication to quality, experimentation and innovation, with many wineries increasingly keen to expand their portfolios and show the world just how good and varied the Oregon wine scene can be.