The Eyrie Vineyards – Snail Award
935 NE 10th Avenue
McMinnville, OR 97128
(503) 472-6315
eyrievineyards.com
57 ac – 108,096 bt
To drink Eyrie is to drink history. In 1965 David Lett planted the first Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in the Willamette Valley in a temporary nursery plot near Corvallis, Oregon.
PEOPLE
In 1966 Lett discovered a spot in the Dundee Hills with the perfect combination of climate, soils, slope, exposure and elevation. His wife Diana helped him plant the vines as a pair of red-tailed hawks soared overhead, thus giving them a name to put on the label of their first wine in 1970: Eyrie. David Lett passed away in 2008 and Eyrie’s wines are now made by his son, Jason Lett, along with love and support from his mother, wife Dianne and their three daughters.
VINEYARD
The Eyrie Vineyard is home to the grapes Lett uses to make his Original Vines and South Block wines. The 1975 South Block Pinot Noir was the wine that first put Oregon on the map by successfully competing against Burgundy in two international competitions. The Letts have added four more estate vineyards in the Dundee Hills since then: Sisters, Outcrop, Roland Green and Daphne. They range from 220 feet to 900 feet above sea level and are comprised of Nekia and Jory soils in varying depths.
WINES
The Original Vines Pinot Gris 2015 is made from the first Pinot Gris plantings in America. It combines aromas and flavors of lime, kiwi and lemon zest with bracing acidity. The Original Vines Pinot Noir 2015 (Great Wine) bouquet includes briary red fruit, espresso, balsa wood and a mild savory note. The palate has beautiful acidity, modest tannins and black fruit flavors. The South Block Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 is a tribute to those 52-year old vines. It is a lithe, lean combination of earth, tobacco, red and blue fruit, hibiscus and sassafras that will likely age for many, many decades.
FERTILIZERS manure
PLANT PROTECTION copper and sulphur
WEED CONTROL mowing
YEASTS commercial cultured yeasts, spontaneous fermentation
GRAPES 100% estate-grown
CERTIFICATION organic
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