Willamette Valley Domaine Brings on New Talent for National Expansion
Portland, Ore. (February 11, 2020) — Nicolas-Jay, the Willamette Valley partnership between Jean-Nicolas Méo of Burgundy’s Méo-Camuzet and visionary music entrepreneur Jay Boberg, announces the appointment of Kevin Schlachter as National Sales Director. Schlachter leads Nicolas-Jay’s national sales efforts in existing markets and expansion into new territory.
Schlachter comes to the Willamette Valley domaine after a seven-year tenure as Regional Sales Manager at Kobrand Corporation. Previously, Schlachter was the Division Sales Manager at the Wine Group LLC and the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Young’s Market Company. He is a Certified Specialist of Wine by the Society of Wine Educators and a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
“As Nicolas-Jay grows and interest in the region continues to soar, we felt the time was right to bring on a devoted and accomplished sales director,” says Nicolas-Jay co-founder Jay Boberg. “Our domestic sales were up more than 40% last year and we are debuting our premium Chardonnay this fall, all of which requires more sales effort to maximize the partnership with our 19 distributors and continue our torrid pace of growth,” he continued.
Nicolas-Jay’s current portfolio includes a regional Pinot Noir cuvée and four single vineyard designates. In addition to a new Chardonnay and Own-Rooted Pinot Noir launching in 2020, Nicolas-Jay will move into a new winery on a new estate vineyard, a site purchased in 2019. Currently under construction, the Nicolas-Jay Estate will include a winery and tasting room sitting on a slope stretching from 450 feet to the top of the Dundee Hills. A future vineyard planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will be rooted in some of the deepest Jory soils surveyed in the Dundee Hills AVA.
“I’ve admired Nicolas-Jay from afar as a prime example of the exceptional Pinot Noir being produced in the Willamette Valley,” explains Schlachter. “The opportunity to work with such a dynamic brand, especially during an incredibly significant year of growth, is a very exciting prospect.”
Nicolas-Jay wines are currently distributed in New York (David Bowler Wine), Oregon (Oregon Brand Management), California (True North), Washington (Cru Selections), Illinois (Tenzig Wine and Spirits), Colorado (CS Wine Imports), Arizona (Stem Wine Company), Texas (Serendipity Wines), Florida (Terroir Selections), Georgia (Prime Wine and Spirits), Maryland (Bacchus Importers), Montana (Winegardner’s), Nevada (Southern Glazers), and Pennsylvania (PA Liquor Control Board).
