The Eyrie Vineyards

Long known for its Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, The Eyrie Vineyards has even more to offer. Winegrower/maker Jason Lett is producing wines in the Eyrie tradition—wine that expresses where grapes are grown and made without undue artificial influence—while experimenting with his Black Cap Pinot Noir and planting quirky varietals. An interesting future awaits Eyrie, Jason and their fans.

Photo above: Jason Lett with antique bung hammer

With a revolutionary idea that climate was more important than soil, David Lett (Jason's father) chose the Willamette Valley for its "marginal" weather. "Pinot requires a climate just warm enough to ripen grapes and no warmer," explains Jason. In 1965, David took Pinot Noir cuttings from research vines at University of California, Davis, where he received his degree in viticulture, along with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and related varieties and stuck them in a field in Corvalis while he looked for the perfect site. He found a prune orchard in Dundee demolished by the Columbus Day storm, pulled out the trees and planted grapes. He was the first to plant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and related varieties in the Willamette Valley and the first to plant Pinot Gris in the United States. It was a time of change in the Willamette Valley. Farmers and orchardists knew they had some of the best soil in the country, producing flavorful crops. But California was more efficient due to warmer weather. They wondered what was next for the Valley.

Ten rows in the south block at Eyrie express themselves differently from vines right next to them. Early on, David knew they were special. He sent this Pinot Noir to an ex pat in Burgundy who entered it in the "Wine Olympics." It placed in the top 10 of 300+ worldwide Pinots. This appalled Robert Drouhin from Burgundy who restaged the tasting, hand-picking judges. This time, Eyrie came in second. It was a turning point for Oregon Pinots. In 1987, Drouhin invested in the Willamette Valley, the first and only Burgundian producer to invest outside of Burgundy. "We're proud they invested in Oregon," says Jason. "It's great to know this family sees the same value we do."

Several things set Eyrie's Pinot Noir apart from others. Although they age in barrels, they use little new oak. "Oak contributes very yummy cocoa coffee notes and often puts the fruit on steroids," explains Jason. "Oak tannins contribute to depth of color. We feel if you cover wine with oak, you deprive it of its ability to express where the grapes come from. Our wines are lighter in color and structure than more heavily-oaked versions. Technical manipulations can be done on top of oak to increase the depth of color, but we've never subscribed to any of those. We make wine as naturally as possible. If you're hands off, it's less punchy up front." Jason thinks this may be one reason Eyrie wines age well. Grapes aren't "wrung out" to get the heavy fruit flavor up front; they may have more to give up as they age.

Jason worked in the vineyards as a child. "I always worked for my dad—it was the family business. As I got older, I worked when either he needed help or I needed a job. That's how I saved the money to go to France in 1987." He went to college at the University of New Mexico, returning in 1991 and 1992 for harvest. He worked in a lab to pay his tuition, then stayed to run field work on seed germination. He and wife Diane spent seven years in New Mexico. "I loved research and was almost 100% sure that I would go for my PhD and follow that track," he says. In 1997, David needed help and Jason returned for harvest. "It hit me like a cosmic brick," he laughs. "I loved working with plants without the statistics and I was good at fixing things. So here I was with a botany degree and the ability to fix tractors!"

Jason and Diane worked with David for three years, taking time to work a New Zealand harvest in 1999 and travel in Europe. "My dad had amazing contacts. People at my hardware store didn't know me, but in Europe we were treated like royalty." After returning, they realized they didn't know how to work together. "There was no enmity," explains Jason. "Dad loved to make wine and we didn't know how to do it together." Jason took a research job in 2000 at Oregon State University. In 2002, he returned to help David as his own research job was winding down. He had a friend, John Davidson of Bernard Machado, who kept encouraging him to create his own wine. He offered unusual terms: pick your own row of grapes; don't pay for them; if you don't like the wine you make, I'll incorporate it into my blends; if you like it, you can sell it. "I made the obvious decision and said no," laughs Jason. Eventually he gave in, named his Pinot Noir Black Cap and made 66 cases that tasted very good. "It was my second realization that I was capable of making wine, had a knack for it and really enjoyed it. Black Cap is really what gave my dad the confidence in me to ask me back."

David was having heart problems and thinking about the future. "I knew I would come back to the ground. I didn't want the land to leave the family circle. It was weird because if you scratched dad, he would bleed Pinot Noir. Yet when we made the decision that I would be the winemaker, he handed me the keys and never once offered advice unless I asked for it. I know he had to bite his tongue a lot!"

2005 was Jason's first vintage. "It was important for two reasons: the world was watching and, more importantly, Dad was watching. I left it in barrels two years before bottling. Eventually it came around to what I wanted and was a good wine." David died in 2008. Jason released David's final vintage, 2004, and his own 2007 Pinot Noir Estate at a wine dinner held at Steelhead Diner in June 2009. Shooting for 30-35 people max, he was surprised at the nearly 90 people who attended. The pairing of these classic Pinots with Chef Kevin Davis' Copper River salmon was impossible to resist.

Resting on his laurels is not an option for Jason. He has 50 acres of grapes planted, with 50 more waiting. Vines will be planted in currently fallow and hazelnut acreage. Three-to-four acres are woods that have only been logged once. Those will be left as is for wildlife habitation. He plans to continue planting quirky but successful grapes like their clone of Chardonnay (which ages well also—a 1985 was shared at the wine dinner in June) and Pinot Meunier. "There are maybe 20 recognizable varieties in the U.S.," says Jason. "There are over 500 in Italy alone. There is great potential to explore varieties that will do well in our climate." We all have much to anticipate.

Connie Adams/August-September 2009