Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®: May 2008

Introduction

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

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: 2008 May

Hello,

This is the climate update for the month of May 2008.

We have (finally) recorded about 206 degree days from April 1 through May 31. This is within tolerance (read "sampling error") of the 194 degree days recorded during the same period in 2007 and a bit short (like 30%) of the 259 degree days from 2006. However, I do not see any impairment to wine quality at this point. Unless you factor in the Euro, but more on "politi-nomics" another time.

During May, our highest high was 102.60 and our lowest high was 97.10. Our lowest low was 35.70 and our highest low was 38.70 degrees Fahrenheit. The rainfall for May was a quick 0.23 inches and was about 0.88 inches less than last May's rainfall of 1.10 inches. Year-to-date rainfall is 17.23 inches compared to last year's 16.32 inches.

We began Bud Break in the Pinot Noir on or about 3 pm, Monday, May 5, 2008. We observed the 2007 Pinot Noir break bud on Thursday, April 5 which, agriculturally speaking, is "nearly exactly" two weeks ahead of the 2006 Pinot Noir bud break of April 19. The 2005 Pinot Noir bud break was March 15.

Our first sulfur spray was the last week of May. Doubles have been thinned, but the catch wires remain on the vineyard floor with the resilient, but slowly dying Wild Garlic. A quick note to those of you looking for a nice herbicide spray that will knock back your weeds and suckers, try Rely. Look for the new and improved "Rely 200" with lower use rates.

My summer cover crop is Buckwheat and Vetch.

Ernie

It has recently come to my attention that someone's winemaking career now spans 3 decades - that's 210 dog years. At this time, I would like to point out that there is a difference between 30 years of experience and 1 year of experience 30 times. Congratulations Steve - Very Nicely Done!