Elevation: 260’– 410’ Yrs Age: 40 – 49 Acres: 7
Eyrie’s original vineyard, and the home of the hawks that grace our label, the 7 acres of Pinot here were planted from 1965 to 1974 to Wadenswil, Pommard and Upright clones. The elevation runs from 260’ up to 410’ and faces south rolling east and west. The wines from this site are our most fragrant and complex. This is the original planting of Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley.
Our five vineyards are all remarkable examples of Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. Not only has each been farmed organically since inception, each vineyard contains ungrafted, pre-Phylloxera plantings that are vanishingly rare in the world of wine.
These five cuvées are produced identically, with the same fermentation regimes of wild yeast and small fermentation vessels, followed by aging in blends of cooperage with 12% new oak in each. The result is a fascinating journey up the Dundee Hills, from our lowest elevation Sisters vineyard at 220’ up to our highest elevation Daphne vineyard at 860’. Each wine reflects facets of soil, site, exposure, and vine age that together capture a precise portrait of how variations in place can influence Pinot noir.
2016 started off with a warm, wet March, and continued with warmer than
average temperatures throughout the spring and summer. Fortunately, the
extra water early in the year prevented the vines from experiencing
drought stress in the summer. As we coasted through a warm summer, we
prepared for a harvest more than a month ahead of what we’d consider
normal. In September, just as harvest started, moderate temperatures
moved in. With cooler weather, fruit ripened at a leisurely pace. This
provided winemakers an unhurried opportunity to choose their fruit for
perfect ripeness.
