From the Vine

In 1965, David Lett established the Eyrie Vineyards, becoming the first person to produce Pinot noir in Oregon, and the first person to produce Pinot gris in the country. He had spent time studying Pinot grapes in Europe, and theorized that the Willammette Valley would perfectly offer the marginal climate that the grapes require to properly achieve their desired expression. Lett took his Pinots to the Wine Olympics in France in 1979 and 1980, where they finished third and second, respectively, and put Oregon on the map as a serious Pinot-producing region. Eyrie continues bottling quality Pinots to this day, and has been producing Pinot noir from a single vineyard longer than any other winery in the country.