2018 Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir ‘L’Ensemble’ Willamette Valley Oregon

JS94 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.
Estate Notes: 13.5% alcohol. A selection of the most expressive barrels from each of the eight vineyards, spanning Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity, McMinville and Yamhill-Carlton. Wild yeast, unfiltered and unfined, aged 14 months in French oak (a third new). This is fresh, refined and textural with sweet black cherry and berry fruits, some nice acidity and appropriate tannic structure. It’s harmonious and silky, but also has nice brightness and a bit of grip, suggesting this could age in interesting ways. It has an Oregon stamp, but also an old world sensibility and refinement. (95 pts, Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak UK)