Introduction

Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®

Welcome to the Amalie Robert Estate Farming Blog, aka FLOG. By subscribing, you will receive regular FLOGGINGS throughout the growing season. The FLOGGING will begin with the Spring Cellar Report in April. FLOGGINGS will continue each month and detail how the vintage is shaping up. You may also be FLOGGED directly after the big Cluster Pluck with the yearly Harvest After Action Report. Subscribe now and let the FLOGGINGS begin!

Rusty

"This is one of the Willamette Valley’s most distinguished wineries, but not one that is widely known."

- Rusty Gaffney, PinotFile - September 2016

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

Copyright

© 2005 – 2021 Amalie Robert Estate, LLC

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Amalie Robert Update: 2019 Pinot Meunier Release!

Hello and Welcome, 

 
This is an Amalie Robert Estate Trade Update: 2019 Pinot Meunier Release! A FLOG communication (Farming bLOG) from Dena & Ernie @AmalieRobert Estate. Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 
 

We like to release Pinot Meunier just before the holidays. There is not a more festive, entertaining and food friendly wine than Pinot Meunier. It goes with EVERYTHING! Have a glass and a little pâté waiting for Santa this year, and just see what you find under the tree Christmas morning! We are sure you will not be disappointed, and you may even make up some points from last year’s gag of beer and doughnuts. Even though the maple bars were a nice touch… They really didn't agree with the dog.

Tasting Notes: Jolly Rancher cherry red. Translucent transcends to scents of Christmas past, dark chocolate covered cherries, freshly grated cinnamon stick and a waft of allspice from a still cooling pumpkin pie. Elegant and lithe, playful on the palate with intention and discipline providing virtuous restraint. That’s as far as I go. And just as pretty as the day is long. Unfined, Unfiltered and Unrepentant.
 
Culinary Inclinations: Roasted steelhead steaks seasoned with savory, thyme, white pepper, smoked paprika and a dusting of ground ginger alongside steamed artichoke hearts with fresh dill aioli and herbed red potatoes sautéed in duck fat. And then, a little chèvre with raspberry preserves.


 
But this year is a bittersweet release. The 2019 vintage saw a light fruit set which directly impacts wine production. We typically ferment and bottle about 100 cases of Pinot Meunier each vintage. In 2019, we produced just under 70 cases. But wait, it gets worse. There will be no 2020 vintage Pinot Meunier. Or any other 2020 vintage wines from Amalie Robert.
 
Just last week we got word from Gordon Burns, Technical Director at ETS Laboratories. While it was nice of him to write, he was not bearing good news. Our smoke taint theories have just been confirmed. Kind of like the last election, most folks have a pretty good idea how things are going to end up, it just has yet to be confirmed.
 
Many October winery visitors took advantage of tasting our fermenting 2020 vintage Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Meunier. That is all we harvested as we knew vintage 2020 was a forgone conclusion. Some tasters said yes, I get a little hit of smoke, others did not and some were not sure. What was consistent across all tasters was that something was askew. (Google “askew” and see what that page looks like. That’s the hi-tech guys and gals, having you on.)
 


And Gordon was kind enough to put together this handy dandy interpretative chart. Free Guaiacol is the compound he tests for and we’ve got it. The first graphic is for wine berries. The second graphic is for fermented wine. As you can clearly see that the graphic stops at 6. Our result came back at 8. We smoked that test! While we are not speaking for anyone else in the Willamette, Ernie can frequently be heard saying Damnit!
 
So, what does that mean for you? If you are currently working with, or leaning toward adding, the Pinot Meunier, you may want to consider stocking up. It is going to be a long, dry spell before we see any 2021 Amalie Robert Pinot Meunier.
   

Kindest Regards,
 
Dena & Ernie
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