In Memoriam – Papa Pinot

David Russell Lett
July 5, 1939  October 9, 2008
The Lett family regrets to announce that David Lett passed away yesterday evening.  He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family. 
We are deeply appreciative of the support of our colleagues and friends at this time.
We welcome your notes of condolence – David loved to reach out to [...]

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The return of vitis sylvestris

They say all modern European winegrapes (vitis vinifera) are descendents of an ancient ancestor known as vitis sylvestris (grapevine of the woods), which used trees as its trellis system.  It grabbed onto branches with its tendrils so it could climb into the sunshine to ripen its fruit, which was much enjoyed by our own Neolithic [...]

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Pinot Blanc appreciation

Our good friend Jacques called our attention to this word of appreciation for our Pinot  Blanc from Bill Daley’s column in the Chicago Tribune on Sept. 3:  
The best domestic pinot blancs I have tasted have been when I visited Oregon. St. Innocent, Witness Tree, Bethel Heights all have pinot blanc, but often they are only [...]

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When wine came to Oregon –

Unlike Terry’s tall tale, vines really came to the Willamette Valley in the mid 1800’s, but vinifera was not as popular as table grapes or the native labrusca.  Fruit and berry wines flourished, however, with Honeywood Winery in Salem operating continuously since 1933.  After the repeal of Prohibition a host of “farmer wineries” got a [...]

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Champion of Chardonnay, Lonnie Lister

Lonnie Lister, wine buyer for the Skyline Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, visited Bethel Heights during a recent trip to Oregon. He liked our Estate Chardonnay so much he decided to offer it by the glass when the club reopens in October. Hooray for Lonnie! So nice to meet a wine buyer [...]

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What’s in a Name? Lore and History of the Eola Hills

The name “Eola” was adapted from the word, “Aeolus”, a minor deity of the ancient Greeks who was in charge of the winds. Local lore suggests the name was put forward by Lindsay Robbins, a pioneer musician who appreciated the powerful, predictable afternoon marine breeze coming straight from the coast through the Van Duzer [...]

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A Winemaker’s Fable on the origins of the ancient grape, Pinot noir

 
 

The following fable (Tall Tale) occurred to me one morning in the shower. It is best told as if it were true.  When I have done a good job of introducing it, I have managed to keep the audience with me until near the end. I suspect that’s true because most of the audience, especially [...]

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Who Owns the Family Farm?

Every now and then Bethel Heights Vineyard Inc. has to to send a list of its stockholders to various federal and state alcohol control agencies, so they can keep an eye out for dangerous mobsters who may be operating behind our innocent facade.  At latest count we have eleven stockholders.  Most of them are headquartered [...]

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Scenes from Steamboat

 

Steamboat Conference at work, 2000. 

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Steamboat Twenty Years Ago

Here is what I wrote in Quoi de Neuf? (the Oregon wine gossip column) back in August of 1988, when everyone was going off to the Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference and I was staying home with the kids:  
“Among the Burgundians in attendance were last year’s three most eligible Grand Cru bachelors – Dominique Lafon, Christophe Roumier and Etienne Grivot… 
People who [...]

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