After a 5 year hiatus, winemaker Jason Lett released a Pinot noir from Eyrie’s most storied patch of ground – the South Block – in 2013. This year he is once again capturing the magic of this part of the vineyard.
Planted in 1968, the South Block occupies a small corner of the first vines planted at Eyrie – a mere 10 rows of Pinot noir. As Jason’s father, Eyrie founder David Lett discovered, these ten rows came to express a magical spot on Oregon’s Dundee Hills – a place where 6 different soil types converge. The unique presence of the wine so captivated David that he first bottled it as a single block selection in 1975.
Placing in the top ranks of back-to-back French competitions in 1979 and 1980, The Eyrie Vineyards’ 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot noir further revealed its merit. It was the first American Pinot noir to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of Burgundy’s best vintages in competition. Not only did the results bring acclaim to The Eyrie Vineyards – it showed Oregon’s potential as a wine-producing region to the world.
Planted in 1968, the South Block occupies a small corner of the first vines planted at Eyrie – a mere 10 rows of Pinot noir. As Jason’s father, Eyrie founder David Lett discovered, these ten rows came to express a magical spot on Oregon’s Dundee Hills – a place where 6 different soil types converge. The unique presence of the wine so captivated David that he first bottled it as a single block selection in 1975.
Placing in the top ranks of back-to-back French competitions in 1979 and 1980, The Eyrie Vineyards’ 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot noir further revealed its merit. It was the first American Pinot noir to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of Burgundy’s best vintages in competition. Not only did the results bring acclaim to The Eyrie Vineyards – it showed Oregon’s potential as a wine-producing region to the world.
David continued to craft his South Block Reserve for four decades. When Jason assumed winemaking duties from his ailing father in 2005, he requested that David continue to make the South Block. 2007 was David’s last vintage. Following his father’s passing, Jason decided to stop making new South Block wines in tribute to his father.
The original vines planted at Eyrie continue to produce stunning wines. Unfortunately, time has also brought the progression of phylloxera in the vineyard, a tiny blight that over the last two centuries has been causing devastation worldwide by attacking the roots of ungrafted grape vines. Seeing the slow demise of the South Block, Jason has chosen to make the most of the limited time this treasure has left. The best tribute to this unique site is the wine it creates. Jason Lett and The Eyrie Vineyards are proud to introduce the 2016 South Block Reserve Pinot noir.
Winemaker Notes
Fermentation: Wild yeast, hand punched
Production in cases: 75
Bottling date: April, 2018
Appellation: Dundee Hills
pH: 3.76
Total acidity: 5.0
Alcohol % by volume 13.9%
Production in cases: 75
Bottling date: April, 2018
Appellation: Dundee Hills
pH: 3.76
Total acidity: 5.0
Alcohol % by volume 13.9%
