Amalie Robert Estate Culinary Inclinations Series Part IV: Rhône Inspires with Black Cod Palmiers and Rack of Spring Lamb

Hello and Welcome, 

 

It’s spring lamb season somewhere. And thanks to the invention of vacuum packaging and cold chain logistics, it can be spring lamb season, right here, right now! This is the fourth segment in our Culinary Inclinations Series: Rhône Inspires with Black Cod Palmiers and Rack of Spring Lamb. A FLOG communication (Farming bLOG) from Dena & Ernie @AmalieRobert Estate. Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir. 

 

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the lower 48 in particular, we have just had an election. And pretty soon they are going to tell us who won. Not all of the races everywhere of course, but most of them. Enough to get an idea of what the next couple of years might look like. The judiciary is engaged as is “de rigueur” and the electorate is warming up for January 5^th. If you live in Georgia, you don’t need us to tell you that the circus has come to town. They are all there, with lawyers in tow.

 

We are blessed to have the Christmas holiday during the winter solstice. Not so for the folks Down Under. “Chrissy” as it is known, arrives with a sleigh full of gifts in the middle of the summer. It’s shrimps on the barbie and a pint of lager!

 

To celebrate the holidays, some choose to bring the great outdoors indoors. This often takes the form of a fir, pine or spruce tree. And depending on where said tree is in its lifecycle, it could be a beautifully adorned festive tree with lights and ornaments, or a more practical yuletide log. Either way, it is nice to curl up next to your implementation of the holiday tree with a glass of wine and a nice book or FLOG post as the case may be today.

 

He who travels fastest, travels alone. And that is how Santa gets everything delivered in one night. Of course, he has several time zones strategically mapped out and works both sides of the equator at the same time. By now, you would have to believe Rudolph has the route down cold. You can even track him on Google while they track you! And check out all of the cool games.

This would seem to be the perfect segue to delve into Viognier. That beautifully textured, heady white wine from the Northern Rhône Valley that Ernie grows right here in block 12, all 297 vines worth. Block 12, as you might imagine is planted east of, and adjacent to, the Syrah block, which is lucky block 13.

 

All told this is 1,485 vines, about 1.02 acres worth of Northern Rhône inspired viticulture. These vines are surrounded by the most coveted Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir to the north in block 21 and to the east in block 10. Covering the southern flank is Dijon clone 115 and looking to the west, it is Pommard clone that provides cover from the late afternoon sun.

 

But that was not the original plan. Ernie had those vines penciled in “way the hell and gone” on the other side of the field. Fortunately, and just before it was mostly too late, Dick Erath showed Ernie the error in this thinking.

 

We didn’t have to dig up that many vines, but that is how you “move” a vineyard block. Once that chore was completed, Ernie promptly invested in a new thinking cap. Dena picked it out. It has a nice pattern but not too flashy. It fits pretty snug and has a side binder to lock it in place. That’s just in case it were to slip off as we approach a critical decision point. Farming thinking caps are different. They just are…

 

In the winery, we abbreviate Our Muse Viognier as VIOGxx where the xx reflects the vintage. So for the latest release of Viognier we have VIOG19. This is not to be confused with the COVID19 vaccine that just is being released nationwide. However, we do share the same shipping lanes, and they are about to get really busy. So if you are thinking about holiday gift giving, it’s time for you to get busy. Or your gift giving options could be less than optimal.

 

VIOG19 and smoked black cod palmiers. Our interpretation of this culinary inclination is a savory. We consider a puff pastry to be the perfect delivery vehicle for exquisite smoked black cod and herbed goat cheese.

 

This is a sheet of thawed puff pastry shmeared with herbed goat cheese and then topped with smoked black cod. Alternatively, you could use lox style smoked salmon on one side. You then roll the opposing sides to the center, much like an ancient scroll. A quick brush of egg wash, slice them about 3/8” of an inch thick, then a run through the oven with a fresh sprig of rosemary at the very end, and out they come just as pretty as you please.

 

And you can accessorize! A creamy cucumber dill sauce served chilled adds sophistication from the “afternoon high tea” theme. Pesto is a classic accoutrement, however we are not so keen on pine nuts. Our interpretation of this classic substitutes almonds, and we add sun dried tomatoes including a little of the olive oil to the mix. And then there is aioli, lots and lots of ways to go and none of them are wrong. To round out the colors we suggest a roasted red pepper and garlic aioli. Yes, that should do it, very nice indeed!

 

A note on serving Viognier. We often find Viogner to have a very narrow serving temperature range. Slightly cooler than Pinot Noir, but not so cool as to lose the scintillating aromas that only Viognier can provide. We suggest starting off cool and letting the wine warm in your glass until you achieve maximum olfactory and frontal lobe satisfaction. You will know it when you find it. “Oh, did I say that out loud?” Yeah, that happens…

 

As your guests are polishing off the palmier plate, quite literally, and have found your last stashed bottle of Our Muse Viognier, it is time to move onto the main course. Lamb rack, or crown roast of lamb for a much more stunning presentation, and Satisfaction Syrah. Often times dressing can be made and cooked separately or in the middle of the roast. We prefer cooking any dressing separately, to ensure the correct temperatures of both dishes are achieved at the proper time. Otherwise, one is left cold, waiting for the other to finish.

One of your first decisions in approaching this culinary inclination is whether to decant the wine, and if so when to do it? Whether you are contemplating our Satisfaction or Top Barrel Syrah, we encourage decanting this wine before serving. And more importantly, here is why.

 

Wine decanting and whole cluster fermentation. The decision to decant a wine is really all about exposing the wine to air to allow it to evolve into a more enjoyable experience. In most dining situations, air is defined as 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% of the stuff that is most likely going to get us all. Let’s concern ourselves with the 21%.

 

During the winemaking process, we limit the amount of air exposure in our wines. Once fermentation is complete, the wines have a high concentration of carbon dioxide. This is a preservative, and over time this will dissipate. Sulfur dioxide is also a preservative that will dissipate over time and is added to the wine as it matures in barrel. And we do not transfer or rack our wines from barrel to barrel. In the case of our Syrah, once the barrels are filled, that is their home for the next two and half years until we gently transfer the wine to tank and use gravity to bottle – no pumping.

 

That means your bottle of Amalie Robert Syrah has had very little air exposure. In fact, the only air exposure would have come through that wee little piece of tree bark we use as the cork. And that is by design, we use natural corks precisely because we want that air exchange. While each cork is unique in its air exchange properties, we do know that some oxygen is getting through the cork and interacting with the wine. As air interacts with the wine, its first target is tannin. Oxygen degrades (softens) tannin.

 

Here is where it gets interesting. Whole cluster fermentations add tannins to the wines from the stems. Stem tannin is different from skin tannin and that’s the only way to get stem tannin - from the stems. And we ferment Syrah with whole clusters. A whole lot of whole clusters, about half the fruit in the fermenter is still attached to the stem. Add about five to seven years in the bottle and that little bit of air that has been slowly softening those stem tannins, has evolved them into spice and texture and length of finish. No other winemaking technique can provide such pleasure, but you have to wait for it to happen in the bottle.

 

So we say: Hell yes, decant that wine! But do it gently. We recommend sitting the bottle upright for at least 24 hours in a slightly cool area. Pour the wine from the bottle down the side of the decanter trying not to splash the wine. Toward the end of the pour look down through the neck of the bottle for sediment and stop pouring if it becomes excessive. It is harmless, but will make the wine appear cloudy in your glass.

 

Now you must wait, or plan ahead and decant so the wine is ready when the crown roast and dressing are ready. A good place to start is about an hour before serving time. You can stopper the decanter or use cling wrap to close off the top. There is plenty of air in the decanter to achieve the desired result. They design them that way. Of course, periodic sampling is in order. Be diligent as time permits.

 

By now your lamb should be making its way to the carving station. If it is an herb encrusted rack of lamb, it should be looking something like this.

 

Roast winter squash, garlic braised broccolini and sautéed Chanterelle or Morel mushrooms are at the ready. The cheese course should be out of the refrigerator and prepared for service.

 

Internal temperature is another point of contention among diners. When is it done? How much is too much? What if it is still moving? Here is a handy visual aid to give you a guide to internal temperatures. While this is handy to look at, it is the texture of the meat that is most affected by temperature. That and let the roast set on the carvery for at least 5-10 minutes before carving.

 

Final Note: We have taken up the practice of washing the dishes and rinsing the stemware the night of, and then washing the stemware the following morning. We find we get more uses from the stemware this way. 

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

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

Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: Pinot Noir In Flagrante 2020 and 2015 Vintage Retrospective Weekend!

Hello and Welcome, 

This is an Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: Pinot Noir In Flagrante 2020 and 2015 Vintage Retrospective Weekend! We do declare, on August 2 at 2:00 pm, block 2 Pinot Noir clone 777 grafted onto 44-53 rootstock, Julian calendar day 215! (Note: this is a leap year.) A FLOG communication @AmalieRobert from Dena and Ernie. Amalie Robert Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 

It is with great joy and some trepidation, that we present to you our first blushing wine berries. While this has been a very moderate growing season to date, those little rascals have gone and gotten ahead of themselves. We typically see this sort of behavior toward the middle of August, not at the start of the month. And that means buckle up Dorothy, we are on our way to harvest - vintage 2020. 

The timing is actually very fortuitous. The delivery of Ernie’s new crystal ball that is. This free shipping and not having to drive 45 minutes to adhere to a COVID-19 protocol in a retail environment (with unfamiliar humans) is a pretty strong incentive for on-line shopping. We expect this trend to accelerate in the on-line world of wine buying, hence the reappearance of The Big Blue Button.

Press the Big Blue Button to go to Amalie Robert Direct.

And what say this new crystal ball? It say, we will have moderate temperatures for the remainder of the growing season. Mostly in the 80’s, nothing much over 90, or maybe 92. Evenings will be cooling more and more as we trail off into September. The jet stream is predicted to stay to our south, allowing the cooling forces from the Gulf of Alaska to keep a nice acid balance in our wine berries. None of that California Central Valley heat and wildfire smoke to contend with. Harvest might not actually start until October. Wouldn’t that be something? I remember when…

We are not the only ones who have noticed. Last month it was the cedar waxwings and this week we had the Chief Inspector from the Venison troop checking us out. Everybody, it seems, is making plans to do some cluster plucking.

Caught buck naked in the vines.

Fortunately, the Murder Hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are confined to Washington State – for now. This is yet another gift from the far east. In the slide below, you can see the very large exemplar pinned to the center. Forewarned is forearmed, check out his link:

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-murder-hornets

Just to the right of Vespa mandarinia, you will see one of our Oregon species of yellow jacket, Vespula pennsylvanica. And to the right of that, our mitigation strategy. We also have the Bald-faced hornet in Oregon. She is the one in the lower left corner caught busting a move. So, this new insect presents a paradigm shift. In response, we are upgrading from the full body condom to Kevlar tactical body armor. And backpack flamethrowers, with free shipping! Oddly enough, these are legal in all 50 states. And unlike wine, can be shipped to all 50 states.

While there are still a million things that could go wrong, this just might turn out to be a very typical Oregon Pinot Noir vintage. It certainly has been awhile since we have seen that. You know, a little lower in alcohol and lighter bodied with intense perfume and teasing acidity. What a little tart this vintage 2020 could turn out to be.

We have started an Instagram feed where we will be posting a cluster as it transitions from drab green to Stunning Pinot Noir! Check out the link here: https://www.instagram.com/amalierobert/

Make the journey to see Dena and Ernie Saturday & Sunday, August 15 & 16 from 10 am to 3 pm by appointment. While offering a 2020 prospective, we are tasting a 2015 retrospective with the following selections in our shaded open-air tasting space, starting with a palate teasing Pinot Noir from the cool 2011 vintage.

 

2011 iPinot Pinot Noir

2015 iPinot Pinot Noir

2015 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir

2015 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir

2015 The Reserve Pinot Noir

2015 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay

 

The tasting fee is $15 with a new Riedel tasting glass and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. You may also opt for a new Riedel Burgundy glass for $25 and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. The now christened Amalie Robert Riedel glass is yours to keep. You may also opt to bring your own glasses and the glass purchase will be waived.

You can reach Dena by email at Cuvee@amalierobert.com and by phone at 503-88-CUVEE (503-882-8833) to schedule your appointment, or to place an order if you cannot join us.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: July 2020 and Wadenswil Extravaganza Weekend!

Hello and Welcome,
 
This is an Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: July 2020 and Wadenswil Extravaganza Weekend! A FLOG communication from @AmalieRobert Dena and Ernie. Amalie Robert Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
 


Make the journey to see Dena and Ernie Saturday & Sunday, August 8 & 9 from 10 am to 3 pm by appointment. We are tasting Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir! Join us outside with a commanding view of the vines and soaring red-tailed hawks under the protective cover of our swanky new shade canopy. We have hand sanitizer available and will be starting off with 2018 Pinot in Pink lip sanitizer that has a very high percentage of Wadenswil Clone. And while we are outside, masks are optional. You just never know who (or what) you might see.
 

When two worlds collide.

The red-tailed hawks have been screeching and racing through the afternoon skies. They have been surveying our handiwork in the vines and performing a vital vineyard task. They are helping to control the fur bearing rodent population. Here we see the “intended”. The California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi) in the erect posture. So, if we happen to not see any soaring red-tailed hawks this weekend, it could be because these two species have had their worlds collide. Wouldn’t that be something to see?
 
And Dena has rounded up twice the number of usual yellow jacket suspects. She loaded the traps (packed them full of salmon scraps) and let Nature take its course. Along with the care and feeding of our red-tailed hawks, this is another example of a biological control in the vineyard.
 
We got the hint, delivered somewhat delicately and in other cases not so much. Maybe it’s because Ernie is always on about sedimentary soils and Wadenswil Clone 2A. Maybe because there are few places in the Willamette Valley that can bring the best out of this Swiss clone of Pinot Noir. Maybe it’s because his socks are too tight.
 
Whatever the reason, this weekend is your opportunity to taste select vintages of Amalie Robert Estate Grown Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir. These wines are typically 2 barrel selections each vintage that produce about 48 cases. With our Wadenswil Clone program we are very much trying to show you something that is “True to soil and true to the vintage”.
 
If you need to brush up on your Wadenswil, you can check out our feature page and read the “Interview with a Clone: Wadenswil 2A” right here. Accept no substitutes.
http://www.amalierobert.com/wadenswil-clone.html
 
Our Wadenswil Extravaganza tasting will be the following selections:
2018 Pinot in Pink Rosé
2011 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir
2012 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir
2013 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir
2016 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir
2015 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay
 
The tasting fee is $15 with a new Riedel tasting glass and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. You may also opt for a new Riedel Burgundy glass for $25 and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. The now christened Amalie Robert Riedel glass is yours to keep. You may also opt to bring your own glasses and the glass purchase will be waived.
 
We also recognize it may not be possible to co-locate with us this weekend. Perhaps a phobia is responsible. Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces. Acute anxiety caused by flying is called aerophobia. Combine these two phobias with mysophobia, the pathological fear of contamination and germs and we have the trifecta that is disabling the air travel industry. Fortunately, wine can co-locate to you.
 
You can reach Dena by email at Cuvee@amalierobert.com and by phone at 503-88-CUVEE (503-882-8833) to schedule your appointment, or to place an order if you cannot join us.
 
Click on the Big Blue Button to make a selection from Amalie Robert Direct and we can hold your order until a temperature appropriate shipping window opens. Please note, we can also schedule delivery to a UPS or FedEx pick up location. Pretty handy if you have Vestiphobia, and do not want people dressed in uniforms coming to your door and interacting with your own individual environment.
 

 
July was one for the record books with the following footnote: We recorded a low temperature of 45.1 degrees and a high temperature of 102.7 degrees and made all the stops along the way. But overall July was pretty kind to the Willamette Valley winegrower.
 
The winegrower’s equipment however, manifested its inherent agrarian vagaries. In fact, Ernie had to perform Tractor Bypass Surgery on one machine. The machine can now maintain cooling fluid integrity and that allows Ernie to pivot his attention to the hedger. Here we see the main “lift cylinder” with a freshly corrupted seal, which is just weeping tractor fluid. Remember these words: Unfortunate, but not uncommon.
 

 
The main lift cylinder allows Ernie to dial in the height of the canopy to maximize the ripening potential from each vintage. Remember those leaves are really just a great big solar array. The taller it is, the more energy for the vines to ripen their seeds. And develop aroma and flavor, which is what we really care about. Hot vintages get short canopies, where it is important to not trim off the tops of the posts. If we ever have another cool vintage, we will hedge a tall canopy.
 
Do you want to take the top or the bottom? As we can see from this Accuweather graphic, there was a considerable amount of variation in the high temperatures for the month of July represented by the top trend line. The low temperatures were fairly well centered around the average as we see from the bottom trend line. Sometimes they have a rhythm and move in unison, sometimes not.
 

 
When we calculate Degree Days we break the month down into 12 minute intervals, or 3,600 data points per 30 day period. Any data point above 50 degrees adds to the Degree Day accumulation. Anything below, does not. As Yoda once said, “You do, or you do not”. He could have been a galactic winegrower. Maybe he was on Mars, probably Riesling or Gewurztraminer. We will see what the latest mission reveals. The Perseverance is cruising at 24,600 MPH on its 300 million mile mission to Mars. That’s about a 12,000-hour trip (1.4 years), one way. Hope they greased all the zerks before they left. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
 
So logically, if we have the top raging out of control with 100+ degree temperatures and the bottom dropping below 50 degrees every night, this would seem to be a moderate vintage from a Degree Day point of view. The vines of course would be scorched and tell a dramatically different story. Conversely, if most of the growing season saw temperatures top out in the mid 90’s with low temperatures covering the 40 to 60 degree territory, with a cooling breeze in the evening, that would be a sublime vintage. One quite worthy of our best effort in the vineyard and stewardship in the winery. And it is most definitely about time we had one of those vintages come around.
 
Well, the vineyard is all hedged up with two passes completed. The first pass trims the growing tips off of the dominate shoot. That allows the rest of the shoots to start growing like crazy. And that is when the second pass starts to get everyone’s attention. Our goal is to get the vines to stop growing more leaves and re-direct their energy to ripening their seeds. And in the process building aroma and flavor.
 

Growing like crazy again after the 1^st pass of hedging!

 

Trimmed and now we have their attention after the 2^nd pass of hedging.

 

Speaking of aroma and flavor, we are also shaping the texture of our wines. We do this by pulling leaves out of the fruit zone to expose our wine berries to the sun. But not too much. That silky seductive midpalate sensation we love in our Pinot Noirs comes from leaving a little more shade on our fruit. That was the field work for July. So far so good. August brings with it little pink berries and we start “thinning the herd”.

 

As they say, the Devil is in the details. So, let’s have a look at him.

 

As previously reported, the high for the month was 102.7 degrees recorded on July 26, at 5:36 pm, with the low temperature registering 45.1 degrees recorded on July 3, at 5:00 am. Degree Days for the month of July totaled 505.4. This brings the vintage 2020 growing Degree Day total to 1,237.5.

 

 

There were clouds, but no rain. Also, we did have Comet NEOWISE whiz by during the second half of the month. On July 23^rd, they say the comet was a scant 64 million miles from Earth. Hell, harvest is closer than that and coming up quick!

 

The outlook for the remainder of Vintage 2020 is coming into view. And our view is that the weather will continue to moderate and provide a nice bit of hang time for our mid to low-yield vintage. That is direct from the farming farmer that farms our farm. You can take that to the bank, and for an additional $2 supplement, you can get a cup of farming coffee. Not great coffee, but it will get the job done. But the cup might leak on your new shoes. Unfortunate, but not uncommon.

 

You can reach Dena by email at Cuvee@amalierobert.com and by phone at 503-88-CUVEE (503-882-8833) to schedule your appointment, or to place an order if you cannot join us.

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate Update: Open House July 25-26 & Tractor Bypass Surgery

Hello and Welcome, 

  

This is an Amalie Robert Estate Update: Open House and Tractor Bypass Surgery. A FLOG communication from Dena and Ernie. Amalie Robert Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 

  

Please join Dena and Ernie for our next Open House on Saturday, July 25 & Sunday, July 26, from 10 am to 3 pm by appointment. An Evite will arrive shortly to schedule your preferred tasting day and time. You may also reach Dena by email at Cuvee@amalierobert.com and by phone at 503-88-CUVEE (503-882-8833) to schedule your appointment, or to place an order if you cannot join us.

Well, we have turned the corner in the vineyard. Our three sets of catch wires are up and clipped into place, the first hedge is completed, and the vineyard crew has done their best at removing the proper amount of leaf coverage to just partially expose our wine berries. We wouldn’t want to show too much skin this early in the game. The fruit set looks to be light, but the numbers are not yet in.

Vineyard inspector number 527, without an appointment, ready for a little outdoor tasting @AmalieRobert

Open air outdoor wine tastings are happening from 10 am to 3 pm each and every weekend now through Labor Day. Make an appointment and come on by, you just don’t know who you might see. Here is the tasting protocol under the new shade canopy overlooking 35 acres of Amalie Robert Estate Vines.

Upon arrival you will be offered your choice of barrel station. Each barrel station is at least 6 feet away from any other barrel station and is equipped with a bottle of sanitizer to be used on your hands. Lip sanitizer, by definition, is part of the tasting program.

Your barrel station will include a new Amalie Robert Riedel glass (they make these just for us) for each person in your party and an unopened bottle of water that you may share among your party to rinse your new stemware. There will also be a double-sided all-in-one tasting program and order form. We may also include some laminated marketing SWAG that is sanitized before and after your tasting appointment. The tasting fee is $15 with the Riedel tasting glass and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. You may also opt for the Riedel Burgundy glass for $25 and $10 is refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. The now christened Amalie Robert Riedel glass is yours to keep and may be rinsed again.

We understand travel is somewhat of a challenge this year. If you find that you cannot make it to the vineyard, let us pack up a little of our terroir and ship it to you, weather permitting. Use the Big Blue Button to pre-order for pick up, or to place an order for shipping.

If you are spending some quality time watching films, may we suggest some timeless classics such as the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot series, or maybe the ever-thrilling Alfred Hitchcock or the short lived original Star Trek series. All very Pinot family friendly.

Now if you find yourself at the corner of confused and bewildered, you may have just crossed the border into the Twilight Zone. Or our local Safeway, where you can find the depleted shelves being restocked with never before seen products, such as this.

And so now that the vineyard is cruising on autopilot, you are probably wondering what Ernie is doing with all his spare time between now and harvest. Well, let’s just say he is keeping himself amused.

Has this ever happened to you? You sit down to peruse the daily inoculum of mayhem from your E-mail productivity program and it shows you nothing. Your first clue that something has gone awry is that you are using software written by the world’s second greatest marketing company, whose stock symbol is MSFT. The first greatest marketing company is, of course, Lionel Trains.

You click the little blue button with your pointing device (whose idea was originally stolen from Digital Equipment Company) and a medium sized blue screen appears that informs you that your (MSFT annuity based revenue stream) E-mail program is starting. Then the screen disappears, and that’s all you get. Sweet F@ck All, is the phrase Ernie picked up in MSFT Ireland.

Standard operating procedure is to shut down, pour another cup of morning accelerant and start up again. Rinse and repeat - same result. At this point you realize you are not the only person to have had this problem, just the latest one. Off to the wonderful word of web browsing to see just how bad this problem is, and how one might once again gain access to one’s E-mail file – in a timely manner.

Fortunately, this problem is unfortunate, but not uncommon. A quick little diagnosis reveals you may start the offending program in safe mode with this run command: Outlook /safe. You will notice there is a space in this command. Must be a typo, Ernie thought. Nope, it’s there on purpose. Remember, first and foremost, this is a marketing company.

And lo and behold Outlook starts in safe mode and right there in front of you are all of your E-mails and subfolders containing even more E-mails! And a history of every E-mail you have ever sent, just in case. Now the fix here is simplicity itself, just disable the add-in (that added itself in) that is causing Outlook to not start up on its own. Right, what’s a cubit?

Yeah, don’t hold your breath. After disemboweling the Outlook program, and rebooting each and every time, still no joy. “Aye captain, I’ve got some bad news for yea. I am afraid it is time to eject the warp core.” No, there is an even easier and faster solution that Ernie picked up working at MSFT. You quite simply and with great pleasure, uninstall the offending program! It is really simple and quite gratifying. Another half cup of mid-morning accelerant and a high fiber bran muffin is your reward as you watch the little blue bar get longer and longer as your Intel Core i7, 7th Gen x86 based processor vanquishes the malignant software. Now we are making an impact!

By the way, when are we moving off the x86 architecture? We really should be 4 valves per cylinder, direct injection twin turbos by now. Or hydrogen power, or warp drive.

Next up, install a clean, uncorrupted version of the offending software. A quick download is the norm, but here in the middle of nowhere with nowhere internet service, we have some time to bake a fresh batch of high fiber bran muffins. A quick reboot, and there it is. Everything is back to “new-normal” and you may resume your early afternoon onboarding of mayhem. Maybe time to back-up your files.

And then it hits you. It’s tractor maintenance week at Uncle Ernie’s work farm. Three Italian tractors, one German rototiller, one French hedger, one Canadian sprayer and an Irish-American mower. This year, we have a nice little crop of issues that really should have been non-issues except for the fact that the Italians seem to have lost a few pages in translation getting to ISO 9000.

After 20 years that overly tight zip tie finally cut through a heater hose going to the cab in the tractor in which Ernie spends a significant amount of quality time spraying the vineyard. No big deal you think, we really do not need heat in the cab this time of year, and besides the air conditioning was just repaired.

Tractor bypass surgery

Except for the fact that the heater hose is connected to the water pump which is connected to the radiator which cools the 100 horsepower diesel engine that powers the whole shebang. Lose all of the coolant and what you have left is a really big paperweight stuck in the middle of 35 acres of vines. At least the wheel studs are tight this year.

And then there is the ever-expanding puddle of transmission oil dripping off of the muffler mounted directly below the transmission. No matter how you spin that, it does not come out well. There is a single oil line coming from the engine compartment disappearing underneath the cab, behind the interior panels and reappearing just before the rear axle.

Turns out we have a metal clamp, without a protective rubber gromet, that secures this metal oil line to the transmission housing. And get this, there is a whole bundle of electrical wires zip tied to that metal oil line! Much like the Grinch, you can only put up with this for so long before metal fatigue becomes a rupture. What could this possibly operate? Doesn’t really matter, it is an oil leak that leaks on the muffler. You don’t have to be a winemaker to realize oil dripping on a hot muffler is not a sustainable condition. What is it with the Italians and their zip ties?

You know, these cell phones have incredible cameras these days. Who remembers The Eastman Kodak Company? A picture may well be worth a 1,000 words but sending off an image to the engineers who designed the equipment is priceless. And much less is lost in translation, even with the Canadians, eh?

Here we have a chain drive pump with an idler bearing. A classic and farmer tested design that has not evolved much, if at all since it was invented. And if it works, you don’t get to fix it - yet. But if the idler bearing is wearing out in less than 1 season, you cannot escape the conclusion, and $107 plus freight, that something is askew. And in this case it is the out of alignment lower pump drive sprocket “walking” its way back along the input shaft where it will meet certain doom when the chain comes in contact with the frame. This is a priority one repair, as in do it right farming now. Yabba Dabba Do It Now!

What the engineer sees

What the winegrower sees

Leverage. When you have applied the maximum amount of force with the hammers you have and are not making an impact, you need leverage. Leverage in the form of a 4 foot bar and your best hammer not so gently coaxing this sprocket back to its original factory installed position. Hence, we apply the principle E=mc2 where the mass does not change, however it does absorb significant energy. And over time, directly applied energy slowly realigns the lower pump drive sprocket with the upper sprocket, thus extending the life of said idler bearing. You learn Einstein’s theory of relativity in school, but applied percussive maintenance is learned on the job. Please refer to page 118 of the May issue of Modern Agrarian.

And of course, there are the standard oil, lube and filter chores for 5 diesel powered machines. Nice to see a pack of field mice thought the air cleaner was a good place to build a nest. Top off the radiator, check the tires and don’t forget to grease the zerks. They really appreciate it. And so, that is what gets Ernie out of bed in the morning, albeit very cautiously. Almost as much fun as opening E-mail…

But the vines sure look nice!

You can reach Dena by email at Cuvee@amalierobert.com and by phone at 503-88-CUVEE (503-882-8833) to schedule your appointment, or to place an order if you cannot join us.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: June 2020 and Salud Pinot Noir Auction

Hello and Welcome, 

  

This is an Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: June 2020 and Salud Pinot Noir Auction. A FLOG communication from Dena and Ernie. Amalie Robert Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 

  

iPinot COVID-19 Pivot Pricing is still in effect at $120 on six bottles with domestic ground shipping included. Just click on the Big Blue Button to browse available vintages and collect your favorite! 

You will not need a promo code to activate pricing. The pricing will automatically adjust when you select six bottles of iPinot and there is no further discount on iPinot. The shipping will be adjusted upon confirmation of your order. This is our contribution to the human condition, yours and ours. If you have any questions or need assistance, please E-mail Dena at Cuvee@amalierobert.com.

You don’t have to be crazy to grow Pinot Noir, but it helps. June has been quite the rollercoaster, but all in all we will log it as a positive in the vineyard journal. Cool and rainy was the beginning and the end of the month. The midsection was pleasant and sunny. This vintage is not quite sure who it wants to be. Not too much to complain about here at the vineyard though – not too much heat, or rain or pestilence upon the land, just yet.

Speaking of pestilence, we have a COVID-19 update. We opened the winery to outside tasting for one day last month. We are not going to name names, but you know who you are. Thank you for joining us. All went well and we learned what worked and what we could improve upon.

For the month of July, the winery will be open by appointment for personalized tastings. We will also have Saturday and Sunday weekend hours of 10 am to 3 pm for wine tasting and call ahead wine order pick up. We ask that you contact Dena at Cuvee@amalierobert.com to reserve your time. If you can’t join us, we can arrange shipping on your behalf. And we have upped our game with insulated shippers to extend our reach.

We have adopted the following outside tasting protocol. Upon arrival you will be offered your choice of barrel station under our new sun shade canopy. Each barrel station is at least 6 feet away from any other barrel station and is equipped with a bottle of sanitizer to be used on your hands. Lip sanitizer, by definition, is part of the tasting program.

Your barrel station will include a new Amalie Robert Riedel tasting glass (they make these just for us) for each person in your party and an unopened bottle of water that you may share among your party to rinse your new stemware. There will also be a double-sided all-in-one tasting program and order form. We may also include some laminated marketing SWAG that is sanitized before and after your tasting appointment. The tasting fee is $20 with $15 refundable on any two bottle purchase per person. The now christened Amalie Robert Riedel tasting glass is yours to keep and may be rinsed again.

Vineyard tours are available based on Ernie’s availability. Lately the tractors have sprung some very interesting leaks in some not so easily accessible places. Nonetheless, the vines are on their trajectory to ripeness and we would like to show them off. They have just been freshly hedged and look quite smart. Our rows are socially distant accessible at 90 inches apart. So, either dress for a walk in the vineyard to see the vines or bring your overalls for an “under the tractor” exposé. Yes, there is a difference between 4 millimeters and 3/16”.

The Amex Shop Small promotion is in effect. Amalie Robert Estate is a Shop Small business. The promotion is good for the entire month of July, August and into September. A qualified purchase of $10 or more will earn you a statement credit of $5. And you can use this offer up to 10 times. Please visit the American Express site for more details and to enroll your card. Do it today, don’t delay or you may miss the boat!

  

Now the fun stuff.

Miles and miles of hi-tensile trellis wires. We run three sets and the goal is to capture the vines’ growth at the most opportune time. Of course, the vines are keen to our plan. Some shoots grow quickly as if to escape our grasp. Others more slowly as if lying in wait to set upon us when we least expect it. Remind you of anyone? Perhaps someone with just three fingers?

Wouldn’t it be nice if Wile E. Coyote were to show up with one of his ACME products that self-installed trellis wires. Wouldn’t that be something? From the Jet-Propelled Pogo Stick to the Dehydrated Boulders, the ACME mail order catalog was his go-to source for new and innovative products. Makes you wonder what shipping costs would be on a box of dehydrated boulders. And hey, can you throw in a couple of supernovas? Kinda like Cracker Jacks. You can view the entire ACME catalog offering here.

Well, that’s not how it works. A crew of 5 highly trained and specialized vineyard workers are responsible for raising our trellis wires in vintage 2020. Oh sure, we have a coyote come through the vineyard from time to time. Not all that wily looking, mostly just trying to sniff out members of the Rodentia class of varmints. However, the bobcat that comes through block 14 always seems to have a purpose, a look of intention. He or She has the face of a Bengal tiger and we enjoy observing this cat from the safety of our kitchen.

The first set of trellis wires comes up when we have about 12 inches of growth, mostly. Just before we finish that set, the next set of wires at about 40 inches are ready to come up. About this time, Ernie is mounting the hedger on his pearl essence, powder blue Landini Rex 100 GT. (It’s Italian, what can we say.) And the third set of wires is where you discover the labor pool you have is about 4 hands short of what you needed to finish on time. At the end, the shoots are out of control and now they have the leverage. It is not a pretty sight. Total time to raise three sets of catch wires is 99,902 minutes, or about 117.178 seconds per vine. Just about the amount of time you need for the 2-minute warning.

But the hedger, aka The Enforcer, comes onto the scene right behind that third set of wires. What was all chaos and confusion is now rigidly enforced discipline. Any shoot caught outside the confines of the trellis wire will be summarily “removed”. And much like the wire regime, there will be a second and third hedging pass that is just as strict. If we have excessive soil moisture that encourages more growth, there is the option of a fourth hedge. It keeps Ernie off the streets, but it would sure be fun to run the Landini Rex 100 GT with hedger blades slashing up and down I-5 during rush hour!

It’s that time of year for the Summertime ¡Salud! Pinot Noir Auction. This year brings the COVID-19 edition where all bidding and virtual tasting for that matter, will occur online. If you want to see what you look like during a ZOOM virtual tasting, just position yourself in front of a mirror. Your backdrop may give away more than you know. We recommend the red SOLO cup for a spit cup. Much better than the glass alternative.

Amalie Robert Estate has been a contributing member of the Vintners Circle since 2006. The top 35 like-minded Oregon wineries produce a special cuvée just for the ¡Salud! mission. There are only 5 cases produced from each winery, and the only way to get one is to be a successful bidder at ¡Salud!

You can preview the auction lots here. Note we are number 3 of 35 wineries on offer this year.

The ¡Salud! mission is a good way to give back into the community that makes world Class Oregon Pinot Noir a reality. To learn more about the ¡Salud! mission and register to bid, please visit their website at  website here: http://saludauction.org/mission/ As noted above, those trellis wires do not raise themselves. But Ernie does have a call into the ACME company. No word back as of yet.

The numbers. While he does have the X and Y axis correctly identified, he is missing the Z axis – Speed. Trajectory, as Wile E. Coyote never seems to recall, is dependent upon thrust, or speed. In the vineyard construct, our Z axis is heat units. The hotter it is the faster the wine berries build sugar. Heat units are not just a reflection of the high temperature of the day. The vines are out there 24 x 7 and experience the cool nights as well as the warm days. And Ernie’s 3,600 data points per 30-day period approximate the curve quite accurately, every 12 minutes. Yeah, he’s got some kinda spreadsheet for that.

 

The month of June accumulated 341.2 Degree Days bringing vintage 2020 to a growing season total of 732.1 Degree Days. The first half of the month provided 122.6 Degree Days and 0.98 inches of rain. The second half of the month added 218.6 Degree Days and 0.59 inches of rain. The grass noticed the rain and Ernie got an unexpected extra mowing pass. The high temperature for the month was 89.6 degrees recorded on June 23^rd at 2:36 pm. The low temperature was 38.1 recorded June 4^th at 12:36 am.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie