Historical Marker
Pinot Noir
Douglas County · Oregon
Richard Sommer, an agronomy graduate of UC Davis, planted his first vines here in 1961 against the advice of people there who told him Oregon was too cold and wet. Pinot noir went in alongside riesling, the grape he focused on, and he bottled his first commercial pinot noir in 1967. For decades the credit went north: Forest Grove was still advertising itself in 2011 as the place Oregon pinot was born. HillCrest's owner, Dyson DeMara, pressed the case, researchers found Sommer had planted four years before David Lett and Charles Coury, and this panel followed.
Where it stands
43.27256, -123.50054 · Directions
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