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2016 Nicolas-Jay Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

October 8, 2023 - $46

Estimate

RATINGS

94Wine Spectator

Precise, deeply structured yet graceful, with expressive black cherry, river stone and black tea accents that build richness toward refined tannins.

93James Suckling

Really lovely cherries and brambly raspberries, graphite and red flowers on the nose, leading to a rich and dark, deep, plush and spicy palate that has a very pure core of satiny, silky fruit flavor.

92Vinous / IWC

...dark berries and cherry pit, with violet, musky rhubarb and woodsmoke... bitter cherry, black raspberry, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that show very good concentration. A snap of juicy acidity provides back-end lift. The cherry and floral notes build steadily through a very long, penetrating finish that's supported by chewy, slow-mounting tannins.

92Wine Enthusiast

...nicely-layered mix of orange peel, almond paste, black cherry, sassafras and cola, all in good proportion. Those well-integrated components are further highlighted with a streak of iron ore and graphite...

90The Wine Advocate

...warm red and black cherries and cranberry plus touches of crushed blueberries, cinnamon stick, charcuterie and underbrush. Light to medium-bodied...good concentration of warm red and black fruits in the mouth with earthy and spicy layers, soft, grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long.

16+ Jancis Robinson

Rich...quite marked tannins...ambitious and well intentioned.

REGION

United States, Oregon, Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1983, and it is the oldest appellation in Oregon. Oregon’s modern wine industry began in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s when artists, vagabond winemakers, and U.C. Davis oenology graduates looking for new territory started their own, small, off-the-grid wineries. The appellation is the state’s largest, and it extends 175 miles from Columbia River on the Washington/Oregon border to just south of Eugene, near central Oregon. The Willamette River runs through the area, helping to give the appellation a mild year-round climate. There are six smaller sub-appellations within this AVA, but altogether the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries in Oregon, as well as the majority of the state’s most famous producers. Pinot Noir is king here, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. To most admirers of Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley offers the most distinctive wine choices in the state.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.