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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Sunday, June 22, 2008

Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: 2008 Flowers aka Bloom

Hello,

I wanted to let everyone know that we in fact do have flowers in the vineyard this year. I spotted the first flowers of the year on June 21, in the Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir. This is certainly behind the historical average of June 15, and about 2 weeks later than 2007.  The weather forecast is looking to be warm to very warm over the next 10 days. Hopefully this will result in a bountiful fruit set, that we can ripen within a reasonable harvest window.

To this point in the growing season, I think the conditions have favored Powdery Mildew. If the weather continues to be warm and muggy, we may have elevated risk of not only Powdery Mildew, but also Botrytis. We are continuing with Sulfur applications every 7 days. Toward the end of bloom, we will tank mix sulfur with a product such as Flint, Pristine, or Scala to provide control of both pathogens.

Our first set of catch wires are up and clipped into place. We have begun removing suckers from our least vigorous and coolest blocks. The attempted mutiny by the Wild Garlic has been put down. Last year’s report is below for comparison.

Ernie