Friends, it is my pleasure to share this very special interview with you today. Leah Adint has recently taken over at Erath for longtime winemaker Gary Homer. Leah has a background with serious range, working in viticulture from Switzerland and Australia to France before settling down in the Willamette Valley.
In 2012 she achieved her master's degree from the University of Adelaide in Australia and has been helping the Ste. Michelle team since 2015. I think you will very much enjoy to hear her story in wine. Here is my interview with Leah Adint, winemaker at Erath.

OB: How did you decide to pursue your degree in wine from WSU?

LA: WSU was the perfect fit for me. I was looking at the usual suspects (UC Davis, Cornell, WSU, OSU) knowing I was ready to leave Alaska and WSU was closer to home, a smaller more intimate program than UCD, and the cost was far more reasonable. I received scholarships from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates that really started me on the path I find myself now. I also loved that it was a state school with the full college experience out in Pullman. I only wish the Wine Science Center was built back then.

OB: What are some things that you learned at some pretty epic winemaking stops at HALL, Dutton-Goldfield and Trinchero?

LA: HALL owned the most incredible vineyards across Alexander, Pope, and Napa Valleys at that time. It was such a pleasure to scout that fruit every day, I even got to live at one of the properties. They were also in the process of moving to Organic Certification, which was great to see and hear what changed, what worked, and what didn’t. Dutton-Goldfield is still one of my favorite harvests – this was back when they were making wine at the Balletto facility. It was great to see two different winemaking techniques under one roof. And it really felt like a family, I’m still friends with some winemakers I worked with there way back in 2008. Trinchero was my first big operation and it was so impressive. They had technology I’ve still never seen anywhere else.

OB: Erath consistently makes an excellent and very well-priced Pinot Noir that tends to over-deliver for the price. What are some of the things on the winery and vineyard side that you are able to do in crafting this wine?

LA: I think people often overlook the larger producers thinking it’s just recipe wine. I never expected to enjoy working for a big brand so much, but I really do. We get to work with the latest technology, and we are always experimenting. I get to pick apart our 120-acre Eola-Amity Hills property and set up all sorts of trials. This year that includes some leafing trials and compost applications, and in the winery I’ll be looking at different levels of whole cluster, clonal ripeness, and the latest yeast strains. I love the effects that different yeast strains have on wine. I may have thrown a yeast party or two in past vintages.

OB: Oregon winemakers I have spoken to seem very excited with the 2021 vintage on both the red and white wine side. What are some of your thoughts about this vintage?

LA: What a treat to get 2021 as my first Oregon vintage! We had great ripeness, higher acids, and a cooperating autumn without rain. A lot of the rosés I’ve tasted from 2021 have a beautiful watermelon intensity. I think that Oregon as a region makes some of the best rosé out there. We’ll have to wait and see about Pinot Noir, but the tannins are already really resolved in barrel. I think 2021 might be a year that can handle a little more new barrel influence.

OB: What are some of the best wines you have ever tasted?

LA: Oh boy, what a fun question. Before I left for my Masters program in Adelaide, my dad gave me a bottle of 2006 DRC Cuvée Duvault Blochet. Of course, I had no idea where or when I would ever open such a wine. That moment eventually came sitting in the living room with my three other winemaking roommates, almost at random. And it was incredible! It lived up to the hype and I’ve been really fortunate now to have tasted a few more from DRC, always incredible.
Another special Australian moment was when I was offered to join a friend’s family Christmas dinner (I wasn’t able to fly all the way home to Alaska from Adelaide). My friend is actually the granddaughter to Max Schubert and we drank a 1989 Grange and 1999 St. Henri from their personal cellar with Christmas supper.
One more… I grew a true fondness for fortified wines while I was working in Australia. After my harvest in Switzerland, I took a couple weeks to relax down the Portuguese coast. I ended up flying from Porto to Madeira. It was the scariest flight I’ve ever been on, but getting to drink 30, 40, 50-year-old fortified wines on a volcanic island in the middle of the ocean was such a treat. I have plenty more amazing wine stories, but I’ll stop there. OK one more! While I was working at Chateau Ste. Michelle, my previous boss used to come over from Woodinville during harvest. We both loved Pinot Noir and would often surprise each other with fun bottles. There was one that was just incredible. It was from the Willamette but had no website, wevcouldn’t find anything on it, where it was made, or who made it. It blew our minds. Since then, I’ve had the absolute pleasure to meet John Thomas, walk his vineyards and taste barrels with him. Definitely an unforgettable wine moment.