The discovery (or invention) of the Willamette Valley as a modern wine region dates back to the late 1970s in Dundee, near Lafayette, Yamhill County, by David Lett and his Eyrie Vineyards. If Lett had planted chardonnay and cabernet, fame would have been slow in coming. He turned instead to pinot noir and, in fact, since 1970 Oregon and pinot noir have been inextricably linked. Almost half of the Willamette Valley vineyards are reserved for this whimsical grape. The second most popular grape in Oregon, chardonnay, is now rapidly being supplanted by the white grape most similar to pinot noir, pinot grigio, and there is also growing interest in pinot blanc. At the same time, riesling and gewurztraminer are being explanted in response to market disinterest, a pity since especially in the north of the valley these varieties are much better suited than the pale relatives of pinot noir.