The Willamette Valley is Eyrie
It was 1985 and Grando and his brother Ned were in the backseat of a light blue Volkswagen Bus leaving Dundee and heading down the 5 freeway on their way to Dana Point in Orange County, when it was not as fancy as it is today. After experiencing their toddler and part of their school-age years in Dundee, his parents had enough of the rain and were on their way to Southern California for the sun and so their dad could work in Long Beach where he could take his electrical skills to the commercial level rather than the small town of Dundee. Grando left his birth town in the 2nd grade and him and his brother met friends like Leo and Jad. They played on the swings, doing flips and acrobatics standing out from the other kids at Summercreek Elementary. Grando and Ned were really close but fought all the time. Physically, verbally and mentally they tore each other apart. When Ned got older he moved back to the Willamette Vally where he was the best chef in the region. During his dark years, his mask was kind, but his heart was cold. He lived on a horse that was high, but his spirit seemed low. Overall, bright and dark times, he was an incredible guy and an extremely talented chef who was a master of his palate and sharp knives.
It was now 45 years later and Grando lived, grew and made Pinot Noir in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley in Oregon’s wine country. Grando spent years in coastal Orange County, San Luis Obispo and UC Davis where he went back to school to get a second degree in Viticulture and Enology to add to his Cal Poly degree in Art. He missed the coast, but was willing to make sacrifices for his true passion, growing grapes and making Pinot Noir in his true home, Dundee. When he was a kid, he met a man nicknamed Papa Pinot but as a vintner and winemaker he never had the chance to learn from the true pioneer of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. So, here is a story about a legend named David Lett and those who followed him in the quest to make world-class Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley.
When Grando got started in the wine business, he thought that his wine brand Grandoza was going to be hot from the start. He thought that his reputation as a successful artist with a significant network would set the world on fire. That was not the case. He didn’t realize what he was competing against. “Dude, just because you think you’re the guy, doesn’t mean you can make wine like these Willamette Valley legends. You have no chance right now. David Lett started growing grapes in 1965, why do you think your first vines and vintages will do anything in the market.” Ned said, speaking very real with his brother. Grando sold his marketing services company for millions of dollars and the first thing he did was buy ten acres of Willamette Valley land to plant his first Pinot Noir vines…
