(L-R) Jay Boberg and Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

If life is a journey, then winemaking is that times three.  Domaine Nicolas-Jay of Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the culmination of a friendship that began over thirty years ago.  And for the two co-founders, Jean-Nicolas Méo and Jay Boberg, it’s also the beginning of a wine business that encapsulates their hopes and dreams in bottles of elegant Pinot Noir.

Jay Boberg and Jean-Nicolas Méo, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Jean-Nicolas Méo, a famous Burgundy winemaker, and Jay Boberg, a music industry executive/entrepreneur, forged their friendship through a chance encounter in Philadelphia; from there, a bond ignited over similar views on life, music, and wine.  Méo’s wine pedigree is impeccable, hailing from his renowned family estate Méo-Camuzet in Burgundy.  Benefitting from the depth of Burgundian winegrowing and making expertise that he was surrounded with in the storied commune of Vosne-Romanée, Méo brought his own ambitions to the cellar.   Boberg, the co-founder of IRS Records and president of MCA/Universal Records, helped shape music in the 1980s and ‘90s, launching bands like R.E.M, The Bangles and Black Sabbath at IRS Records, and managing talent like Mary J. Blige at MCA/Universal Records.  The two men remained in touch for decades, Méo evolving his family winery into an international presence, while Boberg dabbled in wine alongside his full-time music career.

Bishop Creek Vineyard, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

In 2012, Boberg approached Méo about making wine in Oregon, and recognizing there were many similarities between Burgundy and Oregon in climate and soils, the men made a plan.  They spent two years in Oregon, visiting wineries and critically tasting the wines, in total, they tasted over 200 vineyards and chose their personal favorites.  They purchased Bishop Creek Vineyard, their top choice, and made their first vintage under Nicolas-Jay in 2014.  Méo’s expertise in crafting Burgundian grands crus came in handy, with the focus on vineyards and winegrowing that coaxes the best from the grapes.

A handful of wine writers met with the duo last year in Los Angeles, with a discussion on Oregon’s wine potential and their future while sampling the 2015 vintages of two Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir wines.

(L-R) Jean-Nicolas Méo, Jay Boberg, and Tracy Kendall, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Boberg is passionate about their project, feeling that “the potential for Oregon is limitless”.  The buzz within the winemaking community fuels their commitment to the brand, as Boberg states, “There’s a group of people that really believe that Oregon terroir and climate can create a wine that is competitive with any Pinot Noir around the world.  There’s a real belief that the Oregon region is capable of making world-class wines, that’s what makes it exciting, to be a part of something up and coming versus something that’s already established.”  And the excitement seems to have spread to wine consumers as well, today it’s all about Oregon Pinots and how they compare and contrast to other great Pinot Noirs of the world.  Nicolas-Jay’s timing is excellent, getting lots of traction from interest in Oregon wines, with a critical mass of expertise and choice converging upon the region.  Boberg has channeled his familiarity with building a brand, and his business acumen in taking a creative process mainstream, and charted a course for success, leaving the winemaking brilliance and decisions to Méo and an associate winemaker, Tracy Kendall.

For Méo, “the winemaking canvas is really the same, the same process and techniques that I use at home applies here.”  Yet there are differences, as Méo observed, “In Burgundy, ripening is the challenge, Oregon is the reverse, ripeness is always there, preserving acidity and freshness is the challenge.”  Méo believes, “Both can make wines which are true to their region, and not overly manipulated.  You can work with natural conditions in both regions to create something that will be true to the region and to the vintage.”  For Nicolas-Jay, the focus is on the integrity of the fruit, although farmed organic with biodynamic principles, the vineyards aren’t registered or certified as either.  Méo is striving to fine-tune the winegrowing, so that the fruit is where he wants it, and doing as little winemaking techniques as possible.

While there are many Pinot Noir wines coming out of Willamette Valley, Nicolas-Jay sets themselves apart from the crowd.  Their flagship wine is the Willamette Valley cuvée, a blend of several different vineyards.  Most wineries put their emphasis on single-vineyard wines, elevating them to premium status.  Yet, as Meo observes, “We’re kind of opposite in that our cuvée is something that we put the most effort into, most people’s Willamette Valley is what’s left over after they’re done with single vineyards.  Our Willamette Valley is the result of the very best vineyards that we have, then we blend them together, to end up with the wine we think has the best balance, that is the most interesting, the wine that reflects the vintage, and the best wine we can put forward for that year.”

The 2015 vintage was cooler for Oregon, resulting in wines with higher acidity.  Méo picked the grapes when he thought they were ripe, “resulting in a wine that is the most Burgundian vintage” they’ve made, more restrained in its leanness, structure and tannins, more Old World than New World.  The 2015 Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Willamette Valley definitely reflected this, a fresh and vibrant Pinot Noir that is savory, more light on its feet than fruit forward, mineral notes with an ethereal quality that swirled within the glass.  The 2015 Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Bishop Creek Yamhill-Carlton is elegant, with dark fruit and spice, while floral and smoke hues float on a long, mineral-driven finish.

Nysa Vineyard, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Bishop Creek Vineyard, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Momtazi Vineyard, Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

While branching out into Chardonnay, another Burgundian darling, in a small way, they’ve doubled down on Pinot Noir, grafting over existing vineyards while planting new ones, offering very small lots of three single vineyard Pinots, Bishop Creek, Nysa, and Momtazi.  Still the thrust is the Willamette Valley cuvée, showcasing the best of the year, made with one-third of their Bishop Creek estate vineyard fruit.  For Boberg, this is a passion project, he hopes to strike gold twice in his life, “when you are able to successfully have your avocation be your vocation”, but it’s more than money for him and Méo.  They hope to create something lasting, a legacy for their children and the world.

Jean-Nicolas Méo (L) and Jay Boberg (R), Courtesy of Domaine Nicolas-Jay

Combining Burgundian artisan winemaking with Oregon’s dynamic winegrowing terroir, Boberg and Méo are looking to the future, growing a small Nicolas-Jay winery into a major force among Oregon’s burgeoning wine scene.  And in May, they purchased a site in the Dundee Hills, where new vineyards will be planted, and a gravity-flow winery and tasting room will be built.  They’ve created wines of finesse and elegance that are the best of both worlds, a bridge from the Old World to the New World.