The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Meunier 2019

In another first for the Lett family, David Lett planted the original Willamette Valley Meunier vines. Plantings are spread across two of the five sites—Daphne and Sisters, the highest and the lowest on the property. Daphne Vineyard is on the crest of a hill and is one of the oldest and highest sites (260m) in the Dundee Hills AVA. The soils are shallow, averaging less than 10 inches on top of the volcanic bedrock. The site is windy and cool, and as a result, the vines are small and the fruit intense. Sisters Vineyard, planted in 1989, is the youngest of the five Eyrie sites. It sits at 67 metres, faces south and has more sedimentary soils. Jason Lett describes the 2019 autumn as one of the most Burgundian he has ever seen in the Valley, meaning the rain and cooler days that usually occur in the winter arrived earlier and were more evenly spread. The moderate conditions facilitated great retention of acidity across the board. Hand-picked fruit was destemmed and fermented naturally in small vessels, ranging from one-tonne bins to five-tonne wooden cuve. Ferments were hand-plunged twice daily before being lightly pressed and aged in primarily old oak (8% new) for 22 months.