A bright yellow gold in hue, this aromatically intriguing wine is loaded with wild pollens that give both scent and flavor a lovely dusty character. Tree fruits, clean straw and even a whiff of bread dough combine in a lingering finish, with buoyant minerally acids.Producer InformationThe Eyrie Vineyards is a wine producer based in Oregon's Dundee Hills wine region. It was founded in 1965 by David and Diana Lett, who pioneered the cultivation of Pinot Noir vines in the Willamette Valley. In addition, David Lett was among the first in the AVA to cultivate Chardonnay, and was one of the first in the New World to plant Pinot Gris. In 1966, David Lett purchased a 20 acres (8 hectare) plot with red volcanic soils and south-facing exposures in the Dundee Hills. The vineyard was named after the red-tail hawks, or Eyrie, that nested at the site. Today, this vineyard is the source of the estate's Original Vines Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay wines, as well as the South Block Pinot Noir. From this initial planting, the estate has expanded to include four additional vineyards: Daphne Vineyard, Roland Green Farm Vineyard, Sisters Vineyard and Outcrop Vineyard. All five vineyards are farmed organically and have been certified as such. In vintages when the grape harvest is particularly low, the estate also purchases fruit from other local organically farmed vineyards. Winemaking at The Eyrie Vineyards is traditional. Fermentation occurs without artificial temperature control in small fermenters that increase yeast-air contact. A 60-year-old basket press is used to crush a portion of the grapes from each vintage. In some years, a small amount of Pinot Noir is fermented in whole clusters, barreled and aged separately, and later blended with the remaining vintage. Fermentation is followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wines age in barrels that date back as far as the 1970s, and only 4 percent of the oak barrels are new. Depending on the vintage, barrel-aging can take place for up to two years. The wines are then bottled without fining and minimal filtration.
