Hello and Welcome,
The heady scent of pollination is
in the air at Amalie Robert Estate.
We are going to get it on, now! Actually, it will be the vines that will be
getting their wine berries on over the next few days, right at the end of their
collective pedicels. Here’s how they do it.
First the protective cap, or
Calyptra, is cut off from the vascular tissue at the pedicel. As the cap dries
up and falls away, the flower is exposed. Pollen grains from the Anther find
their way into the Stigma, just as they have for centuries. Wine berries are
self pollinating, so the only variable here is Mother Nature.
And it just so happens we are in
for a nice warm dry spell which should see uniform pollination and a whole lot
of it. This is better than the alternative, at least from a wine growing point
of view.
We spied the first flower on the
first vine on Friday, May 27th (Julian calendar day 148) in a lovely
little block of Pommard clone Pinot Noir grafted onto our beloved 5C rootstock.
5C is the most deeply rooted of all the rootstocks we grow. It most closely
resembles the rooting proclivities of own rooted vines.
This is “YUGE!” as a dry farmed
vineyard. We like deep rooting rootstocks that can tap into the last of the
available soil moisture at the end of the growing season. Because, as everyone
knows, irrigation cheats you out of the true character of the vintage.
So, now we have the answer to the
first riddle of the 2016 growing season: When are we going to harvest? The
answer is “it depends.” But we should certainly have a harvest window starting
to open around Julian
calendar day 253. In typical Oregon
vintages, we need about 105 days from flowering to develop expressive aroma and
flavor before The Great Cluster Pluck.
However, any and all manner of
atrocities may befall us on the road to harvest. We could even get schlonged. Or
it could be nice all the way through, just don’t bet the farm on it. And bear
in mind, this is a leap year - it’s “YUGE!”
As summer descends upon us, we
would like to remind everyone that we grow and produce an assortment of wines
including White, Blanc and Rosé for your enjoyment. All of these wines
are fermented in stainless steel and provide a crisp and tight finish.
Collectively, when short on
space, we refer to them as our “Tight Asstd. Wines.”
Varietally speaking, we offer the
2015
Her Silhouette Chardonnay and 2014 Our Muse
Viognier.
Stylistically, we offer a Blanc
de Noir wine, 2015
Bellpine Pearl and our dry Rosé is the 2015
Pinot in Pink Rosé of Pinot Noir.
Follow this link to shop for some Tight Asstd. Wines.
Follow this link to shop for some Tight Asstd. Wines.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
Dena & Ernie
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