The Wine Knows

David Lett, whose 1975 Pinot Noir put Oregon on the global wine map, passed away late Thursday of heart failure. He was 69.

We've posted a story from The Associated Press.

Lett came to Oregon in 1965, one of the earliest to see the potential for Pinot Noir in the northern Willamette Valley. He settled in Dundee and launched a vineyard and winery called The Eyrie Vineyard.

His 1975 Pinot Noir ranked high in a 1979 blind judging in France against Burgundies. The judging caused the head of the famed Drouhin family to take a closer look and, ultimately, buy land, plant a vineyard and launch Domaine Drouhin Oregon - just up the hill from Eyrie.

Lett also pioneered Pinot Gris, now Oregon's No. 1 white wine.

In recent years, his son Jason has taken over the operation and winemaking at Eyrie.