Winemaker's Dinner: The Eyrie Vineyards

Jason Lett took over from his famous father David to become Eyrie’s proprietor, winemaker, and vineyard manager in 2005. He has since gained the moniker “the Dylan of Oregon” from the Wine Advocate, continuing to elevate winemaking and vineyard practices at Eyrie, while introducing new varieties to the Willamette Valley such as Trousseau and Chasselas doré.

Today Eyrie is an estate-driven winery, making wine exclusively from its five small, organically certified Dundee Hills vineyards. Sisters, Outcrop, The Eyrie, Roland Green, and Daphne plantings all contribute both to single-variety blends and to single vineyard Pinot noir bottlings each year.  Vineyard elevations range from 180’ to 870’ and capture the range of soils and elevations of the Dundee Hills.

Under Jason, Eyrie has continued to push for deeply sustainable practices in its vineyards, including no-till viticulture to capture atmospheric carbon.  As another benefit, by not tilling the ground or introducing artificial irrigation, natural cycles of nutrient exchange in the soil act to promote the most profound expressions of terroir in the wines. Jason has presented on sustainable viticulture to industry symposiums as well as groups at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the Institute of Masters of Wine, and regional events.

Jason’s releases are diverse, with 21 different bottlings.  He has also gained a considerable history of top marks for his wines. Eyrie also annually releases a handful of cellar-certified library wines directly from its deep collection.