John Lenyo - Twelve
“Passion for Pinot”

In a winemaker's story, there's often a recollection of the sip that swayed you. For John Lenyo it was a 1983 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. This transformational taste forever converted him from imbibing the "Romanian equivalent of two-buck Chuck."

"That was the first time I understood what wine was supposed to taste like. Then I took a Pinot class and I was permanently hooked." A leap of faith (or mid-life crisis followed) and the Lenyo clan moved onto a vineyard in 1998.

Now Lenyo sips, grows and crafts wines cultivated from his 11 acres of Pinot noir and 2 acres of Pinot blanc, all dry-farmed near Carlton, Oregon. In true Indie spirit, he and his family have built their vineyard and business from the ground up.

"We're on year eight of our three-year plan which pretty sums up the challenges of being an Indie. There's a lot to learn. One really memorable moment from the early years was crashing our truck while we were on the way to deliver some grapes. The people behind us said the grape bins flying through the air was a spectacular sight."

Romanced by the vine, Lenyo embraces it all: flying grapes, paperwork, permits and the knowledge that it would be cheaper to just buy the wine he likes and cellar it.

"It's really all about doing something you're passionate about. When you're really into it, standing out in the rain pulling wire for a trellis or sorting grapes at 1 a.m. is actually fun. There's something really fulfilling and amazing about participating in the whole cycle from a bud on the cane all the way to a finished bottle of wine."

At the 2006 festival, Lenyo poured their 2004 Pinot Blanc. "We tried to get our 2003 Pinot Noir in, but it probably just scared the judges, or they thought someone slipped in a Petite Syrah."

For the 2007 festival, Lenyo will be pouring their 2005 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir 144 (their reserve wine) and 2005 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Blanc. "My wife and I blended the 144 on our dining room table one Saturday morning last year. That was another highlight, putting together a selection of your favorite barrels."