About Erath

Dick Erath is one of the original wine pioneers of Oregon. His story alone could fill up a book - and in fact it doesThe Boys Up North - Dick Erath and the Early Oregon Winemakers by Paul Pintarich, published by The Wyatt Group). As a home winemaker in San Francisco, Dick first fell in love with Pinot Noir when he tasted some old French Burgundies.

In the 1960s Dick traveled up and down the west coast in search of an ideal place to grow Pinot Noir. He was determined to make elegant, food friendly Pinot Noir and he finally found what he was looking for in 1967. Dick had chosen to grow grapes and make wine in the then unproven northern Willamette Valley of Oregon. Dick had made extensive studies of the soil and climate, and was convinced that this was the place where he could make his dream of world-class, affordable pinot noir a reality.

Two years later he planted his first vines in the Chehalem Mountain. His 1972 vintage consisted of a modest 216 cases of Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer which were sold under the Erath label. By 1972 word was going around about the exciting Pinot Noirs coming from Oregon. Dick’s 1972 Pinot Noir and Riesling both won Gold Medals at the Seattle Enologoical Society wine judging. That same year, Dick planted a vineyard in the iron-rich red soils of the landmark Dundee Hills for his new business partner, Cal Knudsen. The winery became known as Knudsen Erath in 1975. After a dozen years together, Dick bought out Cal’s interest in the winery and by 1993 reverted the wine brand back to Erath Winery.

Today, Erath farms 118 acres, purchases grapes from another 130 acres in Oregon and produces around 65,000 cases of wine per year. Almost two thirds of our wine is Pinot Noir, but we also produce Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and smaller amounts of Dry Riesling, Dry Gewürztraminer and Dolcetto.

Three distinct styles of Pinot Noir are produced. The largest volume, most affordable and first to be bottled and released each year is the 'Oregon'. It tends to be light in color and body, straight forwardly fruity, and is low in tannins for early drinking and enjoyment. 'Estate Selection' is blended from our finest barrels, showing plenty of stuffing while still presenting great finesse, balance and complexity. At the top are our single vineyard wines – Prince Hill, Leland, and Juliard. These cellar quality wines, produced in extremely limited quantities of 100 to 500 cases each, rank with some of the finest Pinot Noirs in the world. They are only bottled when they display the hallmarks of their pedigree and "terroir."

Erath's Pinot Gris is fermented in stainless steel at a very cool temperature and is bottled early to highlight its delicious fruit. The style is opulent and spicy with excellent balancing acidity. The Pinot Blanc is handled much like the Gris yet shows softer and more creamy, spicy on the palate. Since the focus on both these whites is their mouthwatering fruit qualities, neither sees any oak barrel treatment. The results are versatile, food-friendly whites that taste wonderful with meals or all by themselves.

Erath's Dry Riesling and Dry Gewürztraminer are inspired by Alsace and are made in limited quantities only available at the winery and online. These graceful wines are amazingly food friendly with a broad array of seafoods, poultry, pork dishes, spicy foods, and fruit with cheese.

A trip to Italy inspired Dick Erath to plant Dolcetto vines on his Prince Hill Vineyard. Made in tiny quantities, this rich, exotic red sells out quickly every year.