Hello and Welcome,
The Dog Days of summer appear to be upon us. Sunny warm days
and cool crisp nights are the reason Pinot Noir ripens so exceptionally well in
the Willamette Valley
A well groomed vineyard is a
beautiful thing. We spend much of the month of July tending to the vines’ every
need with an eye toward harvest. Our first battle is getting their shoots
tucked into the trellis and then clipped into place. They put up a pretty good
fight, but at the end of the day we lock them in. This activity alone takes
about 2 minutes of hand labor per vine over the course of 3 visits – repeat
45,000 times.
Then Ernie wheels out
the hedger for a whole lotta “tough love.” He runs though the vineyard with the
sole purpose of removing the growing tips from the shoots. The goal here is to
get the vine to redirect its energy into ripening its seeds. At first they
don’t get it and just produce more shoots and leaves. Fine.
A second pass starts to bend the
curve, but they just keep on pushing. Now the third pass, that one can achieve
the result we are looking for. And so it goes, by the end of July the vines
have mostly stopped producing new foliage and have begun to direct more energy
into ripening their wineberries. And we like it like that!
July is also the time of the
growing season when we can impact the “tannin structure,” “mid-palate texture” or
“phenolic profile” of our wines. This is all just crazy wine talk for how the
wine feels in your mouth. But you can use real words like smooth, elegant, pure,
very nice, and yum! The “yum factor” is a real thing and sometimes that’s all
you need to say. People may give you the “confused dog look” but we know what
you mean: “Amalie’s Cuvée – Yum!”
We get the yum factor
in our Pinot Noirs by leaving most of the leaves around the little wineberries
attached to the plant. Sure we take some of the bigger leaves off to allow for
air circulation and some sun exposure, but not very many. These well positioned
leaves also protect our developing wineberries from harsh heat spikes that can
come and go depending on Mama’s mood. And if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody
happy…
The alternative is to strip the
leaves out of the fruit zone to maximize the sun exposure and “phenolic
development” in the wineberries’ skin The resulting wine can be more harsh,
bitter and less pleasant to be around. This is kind of like you falling asleep
at the beach and not noticing that the umbrella you were napping under was
horked by some passing kid. And the dog got your bottoms. Doggone it…
This is part of the “Enhanced
Extraction Technique” school of viticulture. And how do you handle those harsh
flavors in the winery? Get out the toasty oak barrels, aka burn cream. The oak’s
sweetness will temper the wine’s harshness and if done well, this approach can
make a very exciting Syrah. May the yum factor be with you.
Numbers:
You can never tell for sure ‘til
it’s over, but 2014 is shaping up to be building on the 2006, 2007, 2009 and
2013 warm July vintages. We’ll do the numbers, and then you can do the math.
We logged 624 degree days for the
month of July, 2014, with a high of 98.1 and a low of 44.8 degrees Fahrenheit
with 0.80 inches of rain. The total degree days for the 2014 growing season now
stand at 1,271 with total rainfall at 6.68 inches (that was close!)
Have a look at this Degree Day
comparison (which way does the hockey stick go?):
Vintage
|
April-June
|
July
|
YTD - July
|
Total
|
2014
|
647
|
624
|
1,271
|
TBFD*
|
2013
|
669
|
543
|
1,212
|
2,143
|
2012
|
480
|
449
|
929
|
2,068
|
2011
|
308
|
381
|
689
|
1,794
|
2010
|
464
|
334
|
798
|
1,722
|
2009
|
714
|
532
|
1,246
|
2,095
|
2008
|
462
|
531
|
993
|
1,929
|
2007
|
497
|
557
|
1,054
|
1,890
|
2006
|
656
|
590
|
1,246
|
2,176
|
* To Be Farming Determined
Lots and lots of ways to look at
this. 2014 has one of the warmer Springs on record at Amalie Robert Estate at
1,271 degree days, and holds the top spot for July at 624 degree days. However,
at this point in the growing season, we look a lot like 2006, 2009 and a bit
like 2013. Also interesting to note 2007 was ahead of 2008 in July, but that
didn’t hold through harvest.
Further detailed analytical and
subjective analysis is an exercise left for the reader. If you are missing
exemplars of a particular vintage, please contact Dena to secure your
specimens. If you are not sure which wine you need, check out the Amalie Robert Estate Scorecard.
And what about 2010? That vintage
was so farming cold that the birds got here ahead of schedule - and they
stayed. Yep, they feasted on wineberries while we waited for them to ripen.
Every day a few more vines were denuded. We estimate our loss to be about 300
cases of wine that just flew right out of the vineyard. Others were hit harder and
everyone lost some. But we saved a bunch of money on bottles and corks!
The growing season was a
rollercoaster ride with a very nice October. Here is what we said in our 2010
“Harvest After Action Report.”
“The challenge we faced was bringing in 65 tons in
short order. While the harvest window looked really nice, it was not going to
last forever. There is a funny story about someone who made a substantial sum
in the stock market. He was asked how he did it; what was his
"secret?" He replied "I sold too soon!"
And so it was as harvest began. People wanted to pick,
but they thought it was too soon. The sugars were rising (Brix) and the acids
were falling. The planets were beginning to align. The cold 2010 vintage was
being redeemed! The weather was stunning and Ernie understood the temptation to
wait. But Ernie has lived through the "Dot.Com" bust, and the thought
of waiting was never seriously considered. He learned the hard way that those
"gains" are not yours until you bring them home.”
You can read the full 2010
“Harvest After Action Report” on our FLOG (Farming bLOG) right here:
So, did we make the right call starting harvest “too soon?”
Well, we think it worked out just fine. As most of you know, we like to hold
our wines until we think they are drinking well, and providing a substantial “yum
factor.” The latest reviews from our most respected Pinot Noir reviewer, Josh
Raynolds for Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, were published at the
beginning of July. (All reviews: ©2014 WineAccess.
All Rights Reserved.) Whaddya think?
2010 Pinot Noir The Reserve Willamette Valley Light, bright red. Highly perfumed aromas of fresh
red berries, potpourri, cinnamon and sandalwood are complemented by
deeper-pitched notes of cola and black cardamom. Shows excellent clarity
and lift on the palate, offering spicy raspberry and bitter rhubarb flavors that
gain sweetness with air. Distinctly pure and focused pinot with silky
tannins coming on late and adding grip to the long finish. 93
2010 Pinot Noir Amalie's Cuvee Willamette Valley Bright ruby-red. A complex, expressive bouquet
evokes fresh red berries, Asian spices and potpourri, with a hint of smoky
minerals emerging with aeration. Offers juicy, incisive black raspberry
and bitter cherry flavors that stretch out and deepen with air while picking up
a suave rose pastille nuance. Shows excellent clarity and drive on the
persistent finish, which is firmed by dusty, harmonious tannins and a jolt of
blood orange. 93
2010 Pinot Noir Pommard Clone Willamette Valley Bright red. Vibrant mineral- and spice-laced red
berry and floral pastille scents are given depth by notes of licorice and cola.
Lithe and sharply focused on the palate, offering gently sweet strawberry
and cherry flavors that put on weight and gain spiciness with aeration.
Pure, focused and lively on the strikingly long finish, which is framed by
silky tannins and brightened by a tangy blood orange note. 93
2010 Pinot Noir Estate Selection Willamette Valley Bright red. Expressive spicy, floral bouquet
evokes fresh rose, red berries and incense, with a subtle orange zest note
adding lift. Silky, tangy and precise, offering nervy redcurrant and
raspberry flavors that slowly flesh out with air. Shows outstanding
clarity and lift on the long, spicy finish, which betrays just a hint of
fine-grained tannins. 92
2010 Pinot Noir Dijon Clones Willamette Valley Bright red. Heady, exotic aromas of fresh red
berries, Asian spices and potpourri, with subtle smoke and mineral nuances
adding complexity. Silky, expansive and appealingly sweet, offering
intense raspberry and rose pastille flavors and a strong spicecake quality that
builds on the back half. Pure, focused and strikingly persistent on the
finish, which is firmed by fine-grained, harmonious tannins. 92
2010 Ipinot Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Light, bright red. High-pitched redcurrant, strawberry
and orange zest aromas, along with suggestions of dusty minerals and white
pepper. Shows very good clarity and lift to its light-bodied bitter
cherry and red berry flavors. Closes with lingering spiciness, a touch of
rose pastille and silky, fine-grained tannins that stay hidden in the
background. 91
2012 Pinot Meunier Willamette Valley Vivid red. Musky red berries and cherry on the
fragrant nose, with subtle herbal and floral qualities adding complexity.
Chewy bitter cherry and licorice flavors become sweeter with air while picking
up a peppery nuance. Closes with very good energy, grip and length,
leaving a note of white pepper behind. Shows good delineation for the
vintage, with no excess fat. 90
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
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