Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Coast U.S.
295
Archery Summit
The Heartbreak Grape
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Pinot Noir is so notoriously difficult to cul-
tivate, it's known among winemakers as
“the heartbreak grape.” Its thin, delicate
skin means it is easily damaged by too
much sun or hail, and vulnerable to attack
by birds, insects, and disease. It is particu-
larly finicky regarding where it grows;
Pinot vines will resolutely refuse to take
hold on a certain hill or vineyard plain. In
the winery, it is supersensitive to oxygen
and oxidizes quickly. It does not like to be
overhandled and it is no friend of oak—
meaning its faults cannot be masked with
a touch of wood.
David Lett was told he was crazy to be
planting such a capricious grape in the red
hills of Dundee, Oregon, in 1966. Even the
wine experts at the wine university at UC
Davis told him it was unwise to plant such
a difficult varietal in an untested area that
had only been making wine for 40 years.
Why not go for a hardy Cabernet Sauvi-
gnon instead?
But Lett had a hunch that Oregon's
mild, temperate climate would be very
suitable for Pinot. He persisted, planting
narrow rows on steep slopes with the
grapes grown close to the soil. The canopy
was handled carefully with leaf thinning
and harvesting done by hand. The winery
called Archery Summit was 100% gravity
flow with no pumping. Such attention to
detail paid off—the vines flourished and
made exceptional wine. Lett had discov-
ered the first land in the United States that
could come to grips with temperamental
Pinot.
Located 1 hour from Portland, the win-
ery is set amid rolling hills and dirt tracks
that now hide 30 other wineries. A long,
winding gravel road leads to a large mod-
ern structure of cream-colored brick and
gray slate that looks like a large, window-
less warehouse with a bungalow attached.
There are vineyards everywhere, fringed
with rose bushes and the occasional deer.
Long, barrel-lined tunnels burrow deep
into the hill; on one underground wall, a
bare patch reveals a shiny, wet, and flaky
cross-section of the vineyard soil to dem-
onstrate why it works so well. Back on top,
a bright, modern tasting room with a small
bar leads to a canopied terrace with lovely
views of the Willamette Valley and breath-
taking Mt. Jefferson. Here you can do a
tasting of what is now Oregon's signature
wine—a phenomenally popular Pinot Noir
that is complex, big, and powerful. Mr.
Lett's hunch paid off.
Archery Summit Winery,
18599 NE
Archery Summit Rd., Dayton (
&
503/864-
4300;
www.archerysummit.com).
(
Portland International (40 miles/
64km).
L
$$$
Black Walnut Inn,
9600 NE
Worden Hill Rd., Dundee (
&
866/429-
4114;
www.blackwalnut_inn.com). $$
Dundee Manor Bed & Breakfast,
8380
NE Wordenhill Rd., Dundee (
&
503/554-
1945;
www.dundeemanor.com).
