The star-studded series brings some of America’s greatest restaurants to the Willamette Valley for five intimate wine dinners beginning May 17
Newberg, Oregon (March 25, 2025) — Celebrating their 10th vintage in 2025, Nicolas-Jay, an Oregon wine partnership between Jean-Nicolas Méo of Burgundy’s Méo-Camuzet and visionary music entrepreneur Jay Boberg, has announced a new dinner series with five luminary chefs at its estate winery and vineyard in the Willamette Valley beginning in May.
The young winery has unquestionably established itself as one of the Willamette Valley’s top producers of ultra-premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Over the last decade, wines from Nicolas-Jay have garnered praise from some of the world’s most respected writers and publications, appearing on Wine Spectator’s “Top 100” wines list, and the winery on Wine & Spirits Magazine’s “Top 100 Wineries” list.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” said Boberg, who has been the winery’s primary ambassador. “Nicolas-Jay has taken me around the globe—from Oregon across the U.S. and to the U.K., China, Japan, and South Korea. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing superb culinary talent, much like I did when discovering emerging artists in the music industry. This series is an extension of that passion—curating a lineup that blends marquee names with rising stars, bringing together chefs who, like great musicians, have a unique voice and a powerful ability to connect with people. This series is our way of inviting some of the most exciting culinary talents I know back to our Estate to share in the artistry of food, wine, and collaboration.”
The Nicolas-Jay Restaurant Series features five stand-out chefs including: California-based Chefs Dom Crisp (Dom’s Taverna, The Lonely Oyster) and Martin Fabre (Chez Panisse), Arizona Chef Mark Tarbell (Tarbell’s), Chef Josh Harkins of the historic Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, and Chef Michael Anthony of New York City’s Gramercy Tavern.
Dinner guests will have the opportunity to dine with Boberg and to watch the acclaimed chefs in action in Nicolas-Jay’s brightly lit tasting room, an inviting space with an open kitchen, lounge, and fireplace. The full series details, including event dates and further background on featured chefs are provided below.
Nicolas-Jay Restaurant Series Details:
All dinners are hosted at the Nicolas-Jay Estate (11905 NE Dudley Road, Newberg, OR 97132). Tickets are available HERE. Dinners are priced individually, with tickets starting at $250/person. Special pricing is available for members of the Nicolas-Jay Confrérie.
Saturday, May 17: Chef Dom Crisp – Dom’s Taverna, Santa Barbara, CA
Dominique Crisp will soon open his swan song restaurant, Dom’s Taverna, in Santa Barbara after helming popular spots The Lonely Oyster & Saso. Dom’s, like Saso, is a Basque-inspired restaurant, hyper focused on local and sustainable coastal cuisine. Born on his family’s 150-acre Lumos Vineyard in the rural community of Wren, Oregon, and the descendant of three generations of farmers, Crisp has always felt a kinship to the land. At an early age, he learned from his father, visionary Oregon vineyard manager Dai Crisp, the importance of building relationships with farmers, something he carries through his close friendships with fishermen and purveyors.
Saturday, June 21: Chef Martin Fabre – Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA
Chef Martin Fabre began his culinary journey in his native Paris nearly 20 years ago, honing his skills in Michelin-starred restaurants and building a strong foundation in French gastronomy. His passion for exploration led him to work in Australia and New Zealand. Following his heart, Martin relocated to the Bay Area and joined the esteemed Chez Panisse restaurant as a cook. His talent and dedication quickly led to his promotion to Sous Chef, and shortly thereafter, he became Chef de Cuisine. Chez Panisse is a Berkeley, California restaurant that’s known as one of the originators of California cuisine and the farm-to-table movement, opened and owned by Alice Waters.
Saturday, September 8: Chef Mark Tarbell – Tarbell’s, Phoenix, AZ
The Chef/Owner of Tarbell’s, Barmouche, The Oven, The Wine Store, and The Tavern restaurants in Arizona, Chef Mark Tarbell is a James Beard Award-nominated chef, whose restaurants have won over 50 awards, including “Best Restaurant” from Food & Wine Magazine. Tarbell is a two-time inductee into the The Arizona Hall of Culinary Fame and a proud member of the Jacques Pépin Foundation. A passionate oenophile and winemaker himself, Mark operates a small wine brand called Cha Cha Mouche Wine Provisions.
Saturday, October 4: Chef Josh Harkins – Yellowstone Club, Big Sky, MT
Joshua Harkins serves as Chef De Cuisine at Yellowstone Club’s newest French fine dining restaurant, Eglise. Located 9,000 feet up Lone Mountain and only accessible via gondola, opening the restaurant had its share of challenges, but Harkins took them in stride. Harkins trained under Chef Freddy Money at Atlas & The Garden Room in Buckhead, Atlanta, starting as a hungry line cook and working his way up to sous chef. With a successful Eglise opening to celebrate, Josh aims to surround himself with like minded chefs, whose mission is to curate memories and work with the best possible ingredients. He is extremely excited to be collaborating with Nicolas-Jay and honored to be part of such a talented line-up of American chefs.
Coming in 2026: Chef Michael Anthony – Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Michael Anthony has been the Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern since 2006. Under his leadership, the restaurant has earned a three-star New York Times review (2007) and James Beard Awards for “Outstanding Restaurant” (2008) and “Best Chef: New York City” (2012). In 2015, Anthony won the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Chef,” a meaningful national recognition. His book, V is for Vegetables, won the 2015 James Beard Award for Best
Vegetable-Focused Cookbook.
The Nicolas-Jay Restaurant Series is open to the public and is expected to sell out.
Tickets are on-sale now via Tock.
ABOUT NICOLAS-JAY
Nicolas-Jay is the story born from the longtime friendship of Jean-Nicolas Méo of the famed Domaine Méo-Camuzet, and visionary music entrepreneur Jay Boberg. After researching the region for years, in 2013, Méo and Boberg purchased Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA, thereby launching them in the Oregon wine business. Nicolas-Jay’s regional cuvées are a thoughtful collection of single vineyards, and the winery has four single vineyard designate bottlings: Bishop Creek, Nysa, Temperance Hill, and Momtazi. Chardonnay was added to Nicolas-Jay’s offerings in 2017, both an estate bottling and a cuvée called Affinités. With the 2021 vintage, a new single vineyard designate from Spirit Hill Vineyard joined the collection of fine Willamette Valley Chardonnay from the winery. In 2019, Méo and Boberg purchased a 53-acre site in the Dundee Hills AVA, a location with some of the deepest Jory soils in the region, and began converting the existing barn to a winery and tasting room. In 2021, Nicolas-Jay planted its first vines on its estate vineyard and launched a new tasting room, open to the public by appointment only. Nicolas-Jay wines are distributed nationally and available in overseas markets like Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit nicolas-jay.com.
