Hello and Welcome,
We would like to start this 2005
Harvest Review by introducing you to “The Torch” at Amalie Robert Estate. As
near as we can tell, “The Torch” grew out of an abandoned squirrel’s nest. What
grew from that nest is 6 trunks that form a single root system and a
magnificent tree. During the summer, this giant of a tree leafs out a full
canopy that is deep green. As harvest approaches, the leaves turn to yellow and
“The Torch” is revealed. It is a reminder to us not to harvest our grapes until
the flavors in the fruit are fully developed.
Let’s start with the numbers. The
2005 growing season at Amalie Robert Estate was significantly cooler than past
vintages. Our heat units this year registered just over 2,000 degree days. This
is about 250 degree days less than 2004, and 700 degree days less than 2003. I
am not sure what this says about global warming, but the 2005 growing season is
a return to cool climate viticulture.
Regarding rainfall and soil
moisture, 2005 started off very dry. With very little rain in the winter, the
soil was not fully recharged (19.10 inches v 39.76 inches, historical average).
From the vines point of view, this is like starting a cross country journey
with only half a tank! For a dry farmed vineyard, this was not very good news.
Please see the table below:
|
Rainfall
|
Q1
|
Q2
|
Q3
|
Q4
|
|
Historical Average: 28.38” thru Q3
(1961-1990)
|
19.72”
|
5.91”
|
2.75”
|
20.04”
|
|
2005 Growing Season: 21.76”
|
9.52”
|
10.35”
|
1.89”
|
---
|
|
Delta
|
(10.20”)
|
4.44”
|
(0.86)
|
---
|
|
Note: One inch of rainfall is 27,200 gallons
per acre.
|
|
|
|
|
|
2004 Growing Season: 23.64” (for comparison)
|
14.38”
|
6.36”
|
2.90”
|
9.58”
|
Well, not to worry. As Ernie
reached out to some of the “veterans” in the Willamette Valley, he heard some
calming words: “Oregon gets about the same amount of moisture every year. You
just don’t know what month you are going to get it”. It was true! We had a
surplus of rain during bloom that filled the tank. We were good to go, nearly
spot on for rainfall as compared to the 2004 growing season. It’s nice to have
friends that have been doing this for a long time.
For the ultra-technical among us,
here are the key dates for this year: budbreak March 15th, Bloom
June 11th, Veraison August 10th, and harvest began in
earnest on September 30th and was finished on October18th.
Now let’s talk about the grapes.
As we close our 7th year, we have learned a few things. One of those
things is to listen to good advice when it comes along. Our good friend Dick
Erath said “Wait to remove the “double shoots” this year. The vines are packed
with nitrogen and will not set fruit if you remove these “energy sinks” too
early”. He was right, of course.
Our Pinot Noir fruit set this
year was just about 1.7 tons per acre. We thinned excess clusters from the
“double shoots” and wings from all the main clusters. We removed the portion of
the crop that would be a burden to the vine and not fully ripen in this cool
vintage. Mother Nature provided her one/two combination of rain and heat at
just the right times. Even though we do not understand her timing, we are
confident she got it right. The rest, as they say, is history.
The wines are now all barreled
down for a long winter’s rest. Once again, we made the Dijon Clones Pinot Noir
blend in the field. We have 7 specific blocks in the vineyard planted to Dijon
Clones of Pinot Noir. Since we farm the vineyard, we have intimate knowledge of
how these blocks are progressing and more importantly how their flavors are
maturing. This year we chose to base the wine on Dijon Clone 777. There will
also be Dena’s favorite, Clone 115 as a major part of the blend. We will round
out this wine with clones 667 and 113.
There is also something very
special in the winery this year. Ernie’s favorite Dijon Clone of Pinot Noir is
114. Block 11 is planted to 114 on 5C rootstock, all 891 vines worth. Due to
poor set last year, we only had 200 pounds of 114. The fruit was stunning in
the vineyard this year, and there was enough for a couple of barrels. We will
have more on these wines, the Chardonnay, and Amalie’s Cuvée, in the spring.
We end this 2005 Harvest Review
with some exciting news. We are planting “The North Orchard” to Pinot Noir in
the Spring of 2006. The North Orchard is about 8 ½ acres of our highest
elevation vineyard site. The soil is Bellpine, a well drained silty clay loam,
much like the rest of the vineyard. There are two slopes, one facing due south
and the other with a predominantly east facing aspect. We have tracked
temperatures on these two slopes for last couple of years. The south facing
slope is about 200 degree days warmer. Good to know…
For those of you wondering why we
would name a vineyard block “The North Orchard”, here is the inside story. We
purchased our vineyard site from an older gentleman who had farmed this ground
for 30 years. When we found our vineyard, he was growing Montmorency cherries
on it. The last cherry block he had put into production was in 1982. He called
it The North Orchard, and so do we. Thanks Bob.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
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