The Value of a Life: David Lett

Yesterday I had a humbling experience while attending the memorial service for David Lett, known to some as Papa Pinot.

About 250 or more people packed the McMinnville Community Center auditorium. A quartet of string, flute and piano played Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn. Two former governors attended, including Barbara Roberts, who gave one of the personal eulogies. The current governor declared it the David Lett wine making day. At the end, we were each given cuttings from one of David's original vineyards.

I measured my own life while I heard how David went to meetings of parents with autistic kids, how he work on land reform and had the vision and courage to plant Pinot noir and Pinot gris in a place most people declared it impossible to mature.

I found myself feeling small compared to David's accomplishments.

David Lett looking at a cluster of Pinot noir from his famous South Block vineyard during the 2007 harvest..