by the lapels
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
vintage posters
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad
photography
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet
By The Lapels
David Lett moved up to Oregon from California in the mid 60s after traveling the world to find the perfect place to grow his grapes. He is revered by the Oregon winemaking community as being a true pioneer, shaping what we know today as the Oregon wine industry. He planted vines, using material from UC Davis’ plant foundation services as a nursery plot in 1965, while he meticulously searched for the absolute perfect site. Within the plant material he hauled north were 160 cuttings of pinot gris, taken from just four plants that were at the University. In 1966, he landed on a neglected 20 acre orchard in the south end of the Dundee Hills, and shortly after, the first block of The Eyrie Vineyards was laid out. With that initial plot, David had planted the very first commercial pinot gris in North America.
Through the decades, The Eyrie Vineyards has steadily been looked up to in awe from newer waves of winemakers and grape growers alike, as the institution has maintained the very pioneering spirit it had from the outset. In 2005, the operations were taken over by David’s son Jason, who continues to make some of the most exciting wines in Oregon.
After a long discussion about our shared love for pinot gris, its changing place in Oregon wine, and the fears that the future could hold, Jason offered us the chance to work with some of the fruit from that original plot, making us the first winery other than Eyrie themselves to produce wine from the oldest pinot gris planting in North America. The vineyard is a truly special place to us, to Jason, and to Oregon. We are beyond humbled, and truly terrified to have such an absurd opportunity.
The wine is called “by the lapels” because in the part of our gris-centric discussion with Jason, where we were speculating the fate of pinot gris, and more specifically bottle values in the market, Jason kindly reminded us how in the 90s no one knew how to sell Chardonnay from Oregon, and that much of the Chardonnay plantings at the time were grafted over, many of which to pinot gris. In talking about this continuous race from one end of the canoe to the other, and how each year we see less and less pinot gris take up serious vineyard land in Oregon, Jason told us that sometimes you just need to “Grab people by the lapels, and let them know what something is worth.”
I cannot help but feel now that success will be ours – there seems such a harmony between the earth, the sun, the cool breezes, the ranging predators which have so far kept injury from my vines, and myself and feeble scratching to keep away thirsty weeds and produce an occasional wetting. The vines seem now to be individual beings, each possessing for itself the same confidence which I have in them. I hope that pervading spirit never leaves either of us.”
David Lett Journal Entry, 1965
Lett’s “Thoughts on Pinot Gris” piece
Lett’s “The Emergence of Pinot Gris” speech in 1992
Brief intro on artist... cu uctor. Volutpat placerat odio vitae malesuada nisi, at. In diam commodo, rhoncus in mauris at. Volutpat nisi massa in se. Augue elit, arcu massa auctor. Volutpat placerat odio vitae malesuada nisi, at. In diam commodo, rhoncus in mauris at. Volutpat nisi massa in se. Blag indo toLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea com.
“Fun quote here relating to article written in contrasting bold font to stand out”
Vintage Posters
Each vintage, we edition special multi color screen-printed poster artwork. These are available in 18x24 and 24x36 format. Please contact us about pricing and availability.
2018
The Eyrie Vineyards
Augue elit, arcu massa auctor. Volutpat placerat odio vitae malesuada nisi, at. In diam commodo, rhoncus in mauris at. Volutpat nisi massa in se. Augue elit, arcu massa auctor. Volutpat placerat odio vitae malesuada nisi, at. In diam commodo, rhoncus in mauris at. Volutpat nisi massa in se. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Consequat placerat blandit sed pellentesque et. Augue elit, arcu massa auctor. Volutpat placerat odio vitae malesuada nisi, at.
Main Heading For Section
Our pal from back east Joe Beddia came out again this year to spend some time with us around harvest so we could collaborate on some wine to bring back to his pizza joint in Phila (Pizzeria Beddia). Carbonic chard, and a little bit of barrel fermented gris. Baba booey!
“Let’s go hunting blackbirds
Let’s throw snowballs from the bridge
Fireplace burns backwards
Let’s not and say we did
There’s a trapdoor in the country
Where we can disappear
These giant evergreens
Are promise revines
Let’s walk down the glassy top of a frozen pasture dream
Our minds can dream like soda machines
And that’s exactly what we did
Let’s ride down the ridge
To the military bridge
You can’t be against forever
Let’s not and say we did
There’s a party in the country
Where we can disappear
Dig if you will
A picture of you, girl
Finding the fiercest way to live
We could ride all day in a one horse open sleigh
And that’s exactly what we did
And that’s exactly what we did”
-David Berman
