Appellation Willamette Valley AVA First vintage 1970 Phone +1 503-472-6315 | Founded 1965 Key people David Lett | |
Location McMinnville, Oregon, USA Known for Pinot noir Original Vines Address 935 NE 10th Ave, McMinnville, OR 97128, USA Hours Open today · 12–5PMSunday12–5PMMonday12–5PMTuesday12–5PMWednesday12–5PMThursday12–5PMFriday12–5PMSaturday12–5PMSuggest an edit Similar Sokol Blosser Winery, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Erath Winery, Willamette Valley Vineyard, Stoller Vineyards Profiles | ||
Pinot noir at the eyrie vineyards with jason lett
The Eyrie Vineyards is an American winery in Oregon that consists of 60 acres (24 ha) in five different vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. The vineyards and winery were established by owner and winemaker David Lett, who produced the first Pinot gris in the United States. Against the advice of viticultural professors at the University of California, Davis, Lett and his wife, Diana, moved to Oregon to plant Pinot noir. They founded Eyrie Vineyards in 1965, and their first vintage was 1970.
Contents
- Pinot noir at the eyrie vineyards with jason lett
- Wine is serious business 179 estate pinot noir from the eyrie vineyards
- References
The 1975 Eyrie Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir won tenth place among Pinot noirs in blind tasting at the Wine Olympics in 1979.
Burgundy winemaker Robert Drouhin organized a re-match at Maison Joseph Drouhin in France. The 1975 Eyrie Vineyards Reserve won second place, losing to Drouhin's 1959 Chambolle-Musigny by only two tenths of a point. Drouhin later purchased land in Oregon and built Domaine Drouhin Oregon.
Over the years, David Lett (known locally as "Papa Pinot") maintained a light-handed style of Pinot noir that did not follow the trend toward greater flavor, tannin, and color extraction, believing color not to be an indicator of quality in Pinot noir. This put him at odds with some of the wine critics. David Lett died on October 9, 2008 from heart failure. David's son Jason Lett is now the head winemaker for the winery.
The Eyrie Vineyards estate vineyards are part of the sub-American Viticultural Area (AVA) of Willamette Valley AVA known as the Dundee Hills. The winery itself is in McMinnville, which annually hosts the International Pinot Noir Celebration on the last weekend in July on the campus of Linfield College.