About Erath Winery
Dick Erath planted his first Pinot Noir vines in the Dundee Hills in 1969, making Erath one of the earliest commercial wine estates in Oregon. Along with David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards and David Adelsheim, Erath helped establish the Willamette Valley as a serious Pinot Noir-producing region at a time when the idea was still considered eccentric.
The Dundee Hills estate sits on volcanic Jory soil at elevations between 200 and 1,000 feet, with vineyards looking across the valley toward the Coast Range. Dick Erath sold the winery to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 2006, but the estate vineyards remain in production and the winery continues to produce wines in the style that Dick established over four decades.
Erath today offers one of the most accessible premium tasting experiences in the Willamette Valley, no routine public tasting currently offered without reservations, with a range of Pinot Noir bottlings from the entry-level Oregon Pinot Noir to the single-vineyard estate bottlings. The winery is an ideal introduction to Dundee Hills wine for first-time Willamette Valley visitors.
