Oregon patriarch of pinot has passed the torch

How do you replace a legend? And if that legend is your father — and the father of an entire wine industry as well — how do you fill those shoes?

Such a daunting challenge was handed to Jason Lett, whose parents David and Diana Lett founded The Eyrie Vineyards in 1965, planted the first pinot gris in the country, came in second in the 1979 Wine Olympics in Paris (beating out all but one Burgundy with the now-legendary 1975 'South Block' pinot noir), and played a vital role in attracting the world-class winemaking Drouhin family of Burgundy to Oregon a few years later.

Apart from his considerable achievements, David Lett was a man of strong opinions — "a visionary iconoclast who breaks meaningful ground by breaking meaningless rules," I said of him in a 1996 profile. His restrained, elegant style of pinot noir — the very wines that had put Oregon pinot on the global map — fell out of favor as newcomers to the Willamette Valley increasingly favored supersaturated, fruit-powered wines that brought big scores from influential critics. "I don't make dark-color, high-alcohol wines; I never have," was Lett's reply to his own critics. "I want finesse."

I met Jason Lett some years ago, at a Seattle tasting with his father, and at the time he seemed a bit uneasy standing in his father's shadow. He had the good sense to make wines on his own for a while, a project he called Black Cap (still going); but he began taking more and more of a winemaking role at Eyrie as his father's health declined, and Jason became the full-time winemaker in 2005.

David Lett passed away this past summer, and a few weeks ago Jason Lett was in town to show some of the last wines his father had made from start to finish, as well as new releases of his own. I have been critical of some Oregon pinots lately, as I am not a fan of ripening this delicate, elegant and stylish grape so that it tastes like a twin of California zinfandel. On the other hand, at times the Eyrie pinots have been so light, and sometimes a bit green in flavor, that they were difficult to love.

David Lett's 35th and final vintage was 2004, and the Eyrie Vineyards 2004 Reserve Pinot Noir ($58) is as fine a tribute to his career as anyone could hope for. While capturing the finesse and restraint that great pinot demands, it is also so immediately appealing that it is going to be a difficult wine to keep your hands off, should you wish to cellar it. A 1994 reserve was poured alongside it; still quite tight and with plenty of life ahead. I have no doubt that the 2004 reserve will age gracefully for at least another two decades.

It's not just the Eyrie reds that age well. Jason Lett's 2007 Reserve Chardonnay ($33) was served with his father's 1985. As Jason noted, who expects chardonnay (other than great Burgundy) to last this long? The older wine was the color of ambergris, with flavors of dried apricot and papaya, and a lingering hint of honey. The new release, along with the 2007 Pinot Gris that was also presented, confirms that Jason Lett has as sure a touch with whites as his 2007 Estate Pinot Noir ($28) showed with red.

Introducing his father's 2004, he called it "a landmark wine made by someone who understood pinot noir better than anyone in the country." The early evidence suggests that the torch has been successfully passed.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines & Wineries." Find him at www.paulgregutt.com or write to paulgwine@me.com.