Hello and Welcome,
We have reached the end of the
beginning and are now facing the beginning of the end. Sure, things look really
nice now with the gentle breeze fondling our Pinot Noir leaves. But we can
assure you things look very different at harvest with 70 some tons of Pinot
Noir bearing down on you with the ever-present threat of rain looming in the
foreground (queue the eerie music.)
But we saw the first intrepid
wineberry today, August 2, 2014!! And wouldn’t you know, it was in the last
place we looked – and that is because once we found it, we quit looking. Same
story with the tractor keys, once you find them you get to go farming!
The Julian
Calendar date is 214, 2014. In 2013, day 213 was when we saw the first
blazing wineberry. Hmmm…. Typically the average is somewhere around day 228. In
2012 we were right on track at day 229, but it was a leap year. And that
character building vintage of 2011 held us out until day 237. Think about this,
we are 23 days ahead of where we were in 2011. That was the year we were so far
behind, we had to get up before we even had a chance to go to bed!
Back on task. The prized specimen
belongs to a Pommard Clone vine of Pinot Noir grafted onto that “Big Daddy”
rootstock 5C. The 5C rootstock is an Amalie Robert Estate favorite. We employ
several rootstocks to match our soils, but we have found when dry farming, 5C is
the dog’s bollocks:-
Of all the rootstocks used in the
Willamette Valley, 5C has a reputation for being the latest ripening of all.
For this reason most vineyards will not plant it, as they would prefer to
harvest their grapes earlier before all the bad-nasty birds and rains come a-calling.
However, as most of you know,
Ernie does not run with the traffic. In laying out the vineyard, a significant
portion of the vines are grafted onto Big Daddy 5C. In fact, 5C provides the
closest ripening curve match to own rooted (non-grafted) vines. The other
rootstocks used around the valley have a ripening curve that comes in about 5
to 7 days ahead of own rooted and 5C grafted vines.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AND WHY
SHOULD I CARE?
Our very best wines always seem
to be from blocks where the vines are grafted onto Big Daddy 5C. One thing to
consider here is that aromas and flavors are really developing in the skins of
the wineberry the last week to 10 days before harvest. With 5C we ripen a bit
more slowly, and that allows us to hang a little longer into the abyss.
Since we are building sugars more
slowly, we can hang ‘em out there a little longer without worrying about
excessive sugars and potential alcohol levels that could force an early harvest
on a lesser rootstock. Then we snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a
late harvest day when we can see the harvest window closing in our rear view
mirror.
And don’t forget the stems – they
love the extra hang time to ripen up. We love it too because whole cluster fermentation
means we are putting those clusters in whole, stem and all. What ripe stems
provide are fine grained tannins that lengthen the finish of Pinot Noir. Hmm,
where did my glass go…?
In that wonderfully cool year
2010, we produced a 2 barrel selection of Pommard Clone and a 2 barrel selection
of Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noirs. While these wines are very different, Pommard
being from France and Wadenswil from Switzerland, they do have some
similarities.
The first thing these two wines
have in common is they were both Estate grown on Big Daddy 5C rootstock.
And we just found out the second
thing they share is a 93 point rating from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine
Cellar.
Go Big Daddy!
2010 Amalie Robert
Estate 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 points
2010 Amalie Robert
Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley
Bright red. High-pitched
cherry and Asian spice aromas are deepened by notes of sassafras, woodsmoke and
cola. Stains the palate with sappy red and dark berry flavors and tangy
acidity adding lift and cut. An exotic floral nuance emerges with air and
carries through a long, sweet and persistent finish. While this energetic
pinot is built to age, it has a lot of immediate appeal. 93 points
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
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