There was extra reason for merrymaking in McMinnville, Oregon, at this year's International Pinot Noir Celebration, which wraps up this weekend: 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the planting of the first pinot noir vines in the Willamette Valley. David Lett, known to many as "Papa Pinot," was a UC Davis graduate who saw similarities between the climates of Burgundy and the Willamette Valley outside Portland.