Dundee
Dundee is where Oregon's Pinot Noir revolution began — a small Yamhill County town surrounded by Jory volcanic basalt hillsides where David Lett planted the Willamette Valley's first Pinot Noir vines in 1966.
About Dundee
The Dundee Hills rise to the west of the town, their reddish Jory soil — compressed ancient marine sediments baked by volcanic action — visible from miles away. This distinctive soil drains perfectly, forcing vines to develop deep root systems and producing wines of uncommon elegance and age-worthiness.
Eyrie Vineyards, founded here in 1966 by David Lett (known as 'Papa Pinot'), essentially created Oregon's wine industry. When Lett's 1975 Pinot Noir placed second among Burgundies at the 1979 Paris Wine Olympics, the world took notice.
Today Dundee is surrounded by some of Oregon's most celebrated estates — Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Ponzi Vineyards, Sokol Blosser, Archery Summit, and dozens of others that have made the Dundee Hills one of the New World's most revered Pinot Noir terroirs.