Robert Drouhin had his eye on Oregon since the 1960s, when he met some of the region's pioneers, including David Lett (Eyrie) and David Adelsheim (Adelsheim). Véronique Drouhin had opted to follow in her father's footsteps and completed her oenology degree in 1986, working at Adelsheim, Eyrie, and Bethel Heights in the same year. Robert mentioned to David Adelsheim that he would be interested in planting vines in Oregon, and David directed him to a location in Dundee Hills; by the end of 1987, the documents had been signed, and Véronique had been chosen as the winemaker for this new estate. Significantly, they did not come to Oregon with the purpose of making Burgundian wine: the stylistic influence is evident, but their cuvées also reflect the diversity of their many vineyards. Véronique also works as a consultant winemaker on the Cloudline estate, whose Pinot Noir is crafted in a maison/négociant style with grapes sourced from all around Oregon.Oregon's wine history as a state is very new, especially on the international scene. David Lett's Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir is widely regarded as a defining moment for Oregon, having won first place at the Gault-Millau "Olympics of the Wines of the World" in Paris in 1979. Drouhin was one of the first established producers to enter the scene in terms of international influence in the 1980s; since then, the link between Burgundy and the Willamette Valley has become clear to the world, and the latter is widely regarded as one of the great New World bases for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.