Page 33 - Grapevine JanFeb 2022

In The Winery

tural outcome. This to me is an old world approach starting harvest at the end of August or early
to winemaking and I’ve been excited to see the suc- September.” Also, they left more leaf canopy in the
cess it has with Oregon Pinot Noir.” vineyard to protect the grapes from sun and heat,
which helps to delay ripening as much as possible.
A key difference they noticed between Méo’s
wines produced in Burgundy versus Oregon is the As part of their commitment to farming their vine-
amount of new oak used. While Méo uses some- yards using organic and sustainable means, they
where between 50% and 100% new oak in his will be introducing Oregon’s first electric self-driv-
Burgundian wines, they found the terroir of Oregon ing tractor from Monarch. In addition to reducing
meant they needed to use 30% new oak in order to their fossil fuel consumption, this tractor brings a
get the taste they desired for their Oregon wines. software system into play that will enable them to
have more control and precision in terms of their
According to Kendall, Nicolas-Jay’s use of a grav- farming practices.
ity flow passive winery means that from the time
the grapes reach the winery to the time they get In 2021, Nicolas-Jay produced over 4,000 cases.
to their fermentation vat they are not pumped The winery can make up to 7,500 cases, a goal
anywhere or mechanically moved from location Boberg thinks they might reach in five years.
to location. “This allows for a gentle, reductive However, they do not intend to expand their wine-
process that keeps the grapes and juice protected making production beyond this capacity, choosing
prior to fermentation,” she observes. Their winery instead to remain a boutique winery catering to
is designed appropriately with an upper deck where those who share Boberg and Méo’s tastes in wine.
the fruit is received and sent down the sorting line
where it drops into the destemmer and then into
the fermentation vat in a seamless manner.

Moving Forward Post Covid

When Covid-19 began impacting Oregon busi-
nesses in 2020, Nicolas-Jay began offering virtual
wine tastings. Initially, they focused on Méo who
led masterclass tastings on topics such as winemak-
ing techniques and soil types. Then they pivoted
to joint community tastings with other Pinot Noir
winemakers.

Like some other local vintners, they chose not to
release a red Pinot Noir in 2020 due to the smoke
caused by multiple Oregon wildfires. However, they
did take their Pinot Noir grapes and crush them
immediately and not give them any skin contact,
which resulted in a white Pinot Noir. Also, in 2020
they produced a Chardonnay and a Rosé.

According to Kendall, they harvested earlier in
2021 than they did historically to fight the cumu-
lative heat that caused the grapes to ripen sooner
than usual. “We always strive to make a wine with
lower alcohol, higher acidity and more overall
balance and in this new climate that often means

877-892-5332 The Grapevine • January - February 2022 Page 31

Grapevine Main Pages GV111221_Layout 1-1 copy.indd 31 12/16/21 3:29 PM