The Eyrie Vineyards was founded on February 22, 1965 when David Lett planted the first Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in the Willamette Valley, having left California at 24 with 3,000 grape cuttings and a conviction that Oregon's Dundee Hills could rival Burgundy for the variety. David and his wife Diana established their estate on south-facing Jory volcanic soils in the Dundee Hills, and also planted the first Pinot Gris commercially grown outside of Europe. The Original Vines Reserve is produced from the oldest blocks of the estate, dating to David Lett's original 1965 plantings on the Dundee Hills.