Introduction

Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®

Welcome to the Amalie Robert Estate Farming Blog, aka FLOG. By subscribing, you will receive regular FLOGGINGS throughout the growing season. The FLOGGING will begin with the Spring Cellar Report in April. FLOGGINGS will continue each month and detail how the vintage is shaping up. You may also be FLOGGED directly after the big Cluster Pluck with the yearly Harvest After Action Report. Subscribe now and let the FLOGGINGS begin!

Rusty

"This is one of the Willamette Valley’s most distinguished wineries, but not one that is widely known."

- Rusty Gaffney, PinotFile - September 2016

Josh

"Dena Drews and Ernie Pink have been quietly producing some of Oregon's most elegant and perfumed Pinots since the 2004 vintage. Their 30-acre vineyard outside the town of Dallas, abutting the famed Freedom Hill vineyard where Drews and Pink live, is painstakingly farmed and yields are kept low so production of these wines is limited. Winemaking includes abundant use of whole clusters, which is no doubt responsible for the wines' exotic bouquets and sneaky structure…"

- Josh Raynolds, Vinous - October 2015

David

"...Dallas growers Dena Drews and Ernie Pink... showed me this July three of their reserve bottlings and thereby altered my perception of their endeavors. Since these are produced in only one- or two-barrel quantities, they offer an extreme instance of a phenomenon encountered at numerous Willamette addresses, whose really exciting releases are extremely limited. But they also testify, importantly, to what is possible; and what’s possible from this site in these hands revealed itself to be extraordinary!... And what a Syrah!"

- David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate - October 2013

Wine & Spirits

"Finding that their whole-cluster tannins take some time to integrate, Pink and Drews hold their wines in barrel for up to 18 months - so Amalie Robert is just releasing its 2008s. And what a stellar group of wines: Bright and tart, they possess both transparency and substance, emphasizing notes of rosehips and sandalwood as much as red berries. The pinot noirs alone would likely have earned Amalie Robert a top 100 nod this year. But the winery also produces cool-climate syrah that rivals the best examples from the Sonoma Coast. And the 2009 Heirloom Cameo, their first attempt at a barrel-fermented chardonnay, turned out to be one of our favorite Oregon chardonnays of the year. Ten vintages in, Amalie Robert has hit its stride."

- Luke Sykora, Wine & Spirits Magazine – September 2011

Copyright

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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: 2007 July

Good day and welcome to August,

The strategy in the vineyard has been implemented and we now begin the long march to harvest under Mother Nature's watchful eye. I have heard tell that the valley is looking to experience an early year. All I know is that here on the farm, we are a bit cooler than last year at this point, and drier. Also in 2006, we spied the first PINK berries on August 2nd. No such luck this year.

We have recorded about 557 degree days for the month of July, providing a total of 1,054 degree days since the beginning of the growing season on April 1st . This compares with 590 degree days last July and comparative total of 1,246 degree days for 2006. In 2005 we had accumulated 1,062 degree days through the end of July.

During July, our highest high was 102.6 and our lowest high was 97.1. Our lowest low was 45.4 and our highest low was 49.0 degrees Fahrenheit. The rainfall for July was 0.39 inches and was 0.21 inches over last July's rain of 0.18. Rainfall since April 1st through July 31st was 5.22 inches, and is 0.78 inches less than last year's growing season to date rainfall of 6.00 inches. So, we are 192 degree days short of last year and just under an inch less of rainfall.

While doing cluster weights, I am noticing random clusters with hens and chicks. I suspect this is due to the heat spike at the end of May followed by a couple weeks of cool damp weather. I have checked the smaller berries and found they contain a single seed, and it is hardening off. I will let you know when we start to see color change.

Ernie