Interview
With a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, David Lett moved to Oregon in 1965 in pursuit of the perfect vineyard site. The Eyrie Vineyards, were founded in 1966 by David and Diana Lett in the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon. The Letts made Oregon wine history, earning a little fame for the state after making the first American Pinot Noir to compete successfully with the renowned wines of Burgundy in 1980. Jason Lett took on the positions of winemaker and vineyard manager in 2005, continuing the family legacy.
In this interview, David talks about the excitement of growing Pinot Noir in Oregon. He also addresses wine industry history regarding land use laws and regional innovations.
Interview
With a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, David Lett moved to Oregon in 1965 in pursuit of the perfect vineyard site. The Eyrie Vineyards, were founded in 1966 by David and Diana Lett in the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon. The Letts made Oregon Wine history, earning a little fame for the state after making the first American Pinot noir to compete successfully with the renowned Pinot Noirs of Burgundy in 1980. Jason Lett took on the positions of winemaker and vineyard manager in 2005, maintaining the family legacy.
In this interview, Diana Lett tells her side of the story; how she met David and what it was like to be a pioneer. She also addresses the community values of the Oregon industry and events such as Oregon Pinot Camp and the International Pinot Noir Celebration.
Diana was interviewed as part of the “Bringing the Vines to the Valley” project with the Linfield College Center for the Northwest.
Interview
Jason Lett was interviewed as part of the project, “The Pinot Chronicles: 25 Years of Oregon’s International Pinot Noir Celebration.” This video was sponsored and conducted by the Linfield College Center for the Northwest.
This video was conducted in the Summer of 2010.
Interview
The Eyrie Vineyards were founded by David and Diana Lett in 1966. The philosophy at Eyrie Vineyards “is to interfere as little as possible with the processes of Nature”. After years of making award winning wines, Jason Lett (son), took over as winemaker.
In this interview with David and Jason Lett, we hear from David about the early days in the industry and what it took to find success in an industry that did not yet exist.
This interview was conducted by Janis Miglavs on October 5, 2007.
Interview
Jason Lett is the winemaker at Eyrie Vineyards, following the footsteps of his late pioneer father, David Lett. In this interview, Jason Lett discusses the process of fermentation in wine. He talks about details of the cellar, laboratory work and more.
This interview was conducted by Janis Miglavs on October 5, 2007.
Historical Photos
Historical Documents
This collection features archival documents from The Eyrie Vineyards as part of the Oregon Wine History Archive. Some items were initially digitized as part of the Oregon Wine History Project™, a collaborative research venture from the Linfield Center for the Northwest.
