Amalie Robert Estate Vintage 2022 Pre-view: Spring Renewal

Hello and Welcome, 

  

Crocus, Daffodil and Grape Hyacinth – Welcome Spring! 

This is the Vintage 2022 Preview – aka Spring Renewal. That ties right in with our other Spring theme, Spring Lamb. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means. ® by Dena & Ernie from Amalie Robert Estate. Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, et al. A FLOG communication (Farming bLOG). You can keep up with vintage 2022 by subscribing to our Instagram account @AmalieRobert.

 

Many people see each vintage as a new beginning, and when it comes to the wine it certainly is. However, farmers, and wine growers in particular, are perennials. Sure, there are some aging baby boomers, GEN Xer’s and Millennials in the group, but if you are growing wine, you pick up from where you left off last fall with vineyard pruning.

 

The art of vineyard pruning is to cut away the unnecessary dormant canes from last year, pull those canes out of the trellis wires (without breaking the wires) and then wrapping a cane down on the fruiting wire for vintage 2022 fruit production. In theory this Spring Renewal is done before Daylight Savings Time kicks in, where we lose an hour. Lost time is never found.

 

Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir at Amalie Robert before pruning.



First cuts are done.


Canes pulled out of the trellis wires.


Pinot Noir wrapped on the fruiting wire and ready for Spring Renewal!

Vineyard pruning in the Willamette Valley is an arduous winter task. Your day is confined to a few acres of dormant vines, a pair of 30 inch loppers, raingear, gloves and boots with soggy socks in a windy, rainy vineyard where the highlight of your day may be getting to see a rainbow. If you leave your lunch unprotected, then it will mostly likely be detected by some squirrel or weasel making a long day an even longer day for you. No matter how you spin it, pruning (generally speaking) draws a vacuum. But it does get you out in the open air, without a mask…

 

Unlike annual crops that don’t need to be pruned, vines put down deep roots. Vine age, root depth and soil colonization are very highly regarded traits of an “old vine” vineyard. These established vines and root systems are less susceptible to surface level drought and excessive rains. Old vines are battle tested and resilient. As we look forward to our second 20 years of wine growing, these old vines from the turn of the century are impressive to see.

Old Vine Pinot Noir at Amalie Robert. 


Spring is About to Spring!
 

Astronomically speaking, the Willamette Valley 2022 Spring Equinox occurs at 8:33 am PST on Sunday, March 20^th. Be sure to set your clocks, you won’t want to miss the first day of Spring!

 

But it has been a long time getting here. On February 2^nd, that oversized rodent Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter, and we have had it! As this US weather temperature graphic shows, it has been a grueling winter season, masks and all. Maybe what we need to do is change out that rodent…

 

Click on this link to check the current temperatures
 

There is good news on the horizon. That is where you always find it, on the horizon. The foretold additional winter and associated mask mandates are coming to an end. We know this because Groundhog Day plus 6 more weeks of winter adds up to the first day of Spring! (That, and no one wants a mask mandate revolt on the first day of Spring. ”Let them truckers roll, 10-4.”)

  

Ready to Drink (RTD) Cocktails are something that this country embraced during the height of the pandemic. But they are not new. Quite recently, the old school implementation has been revived in the Ukrainian alcohol space. As we can see in this video, Ready to Deploy  Molotov Cocktails are experiencing a strong resurgence.

 

Wrapped and ready to deploy!
 
 
What you do when no one is looking matters.
 

The definition of integrity, according to C.S. Lewis, “is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Cover crops are vineyard inputs that most people are unfamiliar with. But they are the unsung heroes of winegrowing

 

Cover crops are working while the vines are sleeping. Just like rust is always working. If you live in a state where salt is used on winter roads to melt the ice, you know what we are talking about. Please give our regards to Phil, the rodent.

 

Cover crop plants hit the ground running, sort of speak. Once the seeds are under about a quarter inch of soil and get a little rainfall they germinate. This is what they are pre-programmed to do. They grow roots to help hold our soil onto the hill during winter rains. Depending on the plants you have chosen, they can also impart nutrients into the soil to feed the vines the following spring. They may also bloom, which provides much needed pollen (protein) to feed our battalions of predatory vineyard insects.

Cover crop in bloom.

Nitrogen is always a limiting factor in vine growth. Nitrogen is a macro nutrient along with Phosphorous and Potassium. Think of the three main inputs to a bread dough recipe. Once you run out of one, you are done making bread. A lack of any of the three macro nutrients limits vine growth.

 

Phosphorus and Potassium bind to the colloids in the soil like a Syrah stain on your favorite sweater. Nitrogen is a special case. Unlike Phosphorus and Potassium, winter rains will wash Nitrogen out of the soil. The vines awaken to their Spring renewal and find the soil is fairly well depleted of Nitrogen.

 

Our part of the Willamette Valley receives about 45 inches of rain each fall (and virtually no rain during the summer). Our objective with cover crops is to always use a plant that will “fix” Nitrogen in the soil. Legumes such as winter peas or summer crops such as Vetch will fix Nitrogen in the soil.

 

When we use the term “fix” we mean that the plant will take Nitrogen out of the atmosphere and translocate it to its roots. Nitrogen fixation is often seen as small nodules on the root system. Turning these plants into the soil in Springtime will release the Nitrogen so that the vine roots can uptake it for the current growing season. Think of it as “Just in Time” fertilization. Not to worry about the atmosphere, about 78% of the air we breathe is Nitrogen, the remaining 21% is oxygen and that last 1% depends on your specific location in the world.

 

The alternative is not to plant cover crops. This leaves the soil on the vineyard floor undisturbed and there are benefits to that – especially if you are a worm, or know someone who is. Typically, grass is grown in each row to prevent soil erosion. The grass will compete with the vines for water and nutrients. That means that the vines will be getting their nutrients from a source other than cover crops.

 

A third possibility is to leave the vineyard floor clean cultivated. This means that all of the plants are gone, and the soil is completely bare and exposed. This may be a condition left over from the growing season where all of the plants are tilled into the soil to reduce water competition to young vines or vines grafted onto rootstocks producing shallow root systems. It may be intentional, or it could be that the tractor broke down before the cover crop could be planted and then the rains set in. Either way, it is the least desirable condition for the vineyard floor as we begin the growing season.

 

 

What does this mean and why should I care?

 

Have you ever tasted a wine and thought, well, it’s pleasant enough but something is lacking? Maybe it was filtered before being bottled and that took out some of the magic. Or maybe, the grapes were a little starved for nutrients when they were on the vine. Hmm… The first clue would be to look for signs of cover crops, or empty bags of (Ukrainian) fertilizer. Watson, get your boots. We are going sleuthing!

 

Assessing a vine’s nutritional health as it contributes to wine quality is a difficult task. Each vine is contributing to wine quality. The difficult part is finding the vines that are not contributing in a positive way. Imagine conducting 52,000 individual performance evaluations each year. It’s kinda like that.

 

Sometimes an issue arises and affects a certain section of the vineyard. In this case it is most likely something in the soil at that particular location such as a winter high water table that is drowning the roots. Or it could be a specific clone and rootstock combination under attack. Monocultures in agriculture are a risky thing.

 

Consider the Irish Potato Famine. The Irish Lumper was a very prolific potato and a staple in in many Irish households. It also just happened to be susceptible to a water mold that destroyed the plant and the potatoes. Sadly, this variety was virtually a monoculture throughout Ireland. After two growing seasons, the Irish Lumper was all but wiped out. On the bright side, an Irish farmer has re-introduced the Irish Lumper. That is going to require a well thought out marketing plan. Good luck with that.

 

Sometimes you do see a vine’s plea for help. This can occur after an incident of tractor blight. Tractor blight occurs when the vine and the tractor try to occupy the same physical space at the same time. The resulting blight is clearly visible and in most cases the vine can recover.

 

Other times it is the leaves that are making the ask. Nutrient deficiencies can manifest themselves through leaf discoloration. We have a known Magnesium deficiency when vines are grafted onto 44-53M rootstock. The leaves show a specific chlorosis that indicates the vine is lacking Magnesium. Other nutrients have specific “tells” that discolor the leaves indicating the specific nutritional deficiency.

 

Magnesium deficiency in a grapevine leaf.
 
And then there is mite damage. These little insects feed on the vascular tissue of the vine robbing it of its precious fluids. Cover crops, as detailed above, can help increase your predatory insect population that will decrease the unwanted mite population. And we may take a brief moment to point out “Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!”
 

Major Kong Rides The Bomb in Dr. Strangelove
 

When you discover a deficiency during the growing season, what to do? If you passed on the cover crops last fall, well, as Tanya Tucker sang. “It's a little too late to do the right thing now.” As always in farming, doing nothing is an option. Applying some form of fertilizer to feed the deficiency is the other option. But the underlying question is seldom addressed, what does this mean for wine quality?

 

Some clones have their own issues in the form of being virused. No matter what you do, the vine has an internal issue that manifests itself during the growing season. For Pinot Noir clone 667, this usually means the vine looks completely stressed weeks before harvest. No human input of fertilizer or cover crop regime will solve what ails this vine. The resulting wine from this clone is distinctive and can easily be identified in the cellar. As for the quality of the wine, it is often exemplary.

 

So if it works, do we have to fix it? We have adopted the position that a healthy vine with access to naturally formed nutrients is the first best path to wine quality. Every growing season is unique in the Willamette Valley and deficiencies can happen. Lack of soil moisture is a common theme in the summer and has been more pronounced in recent vintages. But does this mean we should start irrigating our dry farmed vineyards? Of course not. We recognize the vintage variations of a marginal climate and celebrate the fact that our wines do reflect the ever-changing climate. Our long-term objective however, is to have grown the best wine on the planet, for as long as we have a planet to grow wine on.

 

 

Live from New York!

 

The numbers this month come from New York where Vinous Media is published. Our 2016 “Hers and His” reserve Pinot Noir wines were just reviewed. And they went right down the line: 93 points Amalie’s Cuvee, 94 points Estate Selection and 95 points for the 2015 The Reserve. You can check out our updated Vintage Scorecard here:

 

Amalie's Cuvée - 93 points

Deep, shimmering crimson. Spice-tinged red and blue fruit scents, along with hints of musky earth and candied flowers. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering concentrated cherry cola, blueberry and spicecake flavors braced by a core of juicy acidity. Shows fine definition and repeating florality on the persistent finish, which is framed by well-integrated, discreet tannins.

 

Estate Selection - 94 points

Limpid ruby-red. Highly perfumed, mineral-accented aromas of raspberry, cherry cola and spicecake show fine detail and take on a floral overtone with aeration. Juicy and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy red and blue fruit preserve, rose pastille and candied licorice flavors and a touch of vanilla. Finishes very long and smooth, with repeating florality and discreet tannins that fold smoothly into the vibrant fruit.

 

The Reserve – 95 points

Full garnet. Vibrant, finely etched red berry, cherry, blood orange and exotic spice scents are complemented by a floral note and a hint of smoky minerality. Stains the palate with intense raspberry, cherry cola, allspice and rose pastille flavors that convey a suave blend of power and finesse. Smooth tannins build slowly on the impressively persistent finish, which emphatically echoes the floral and spice notes.

 

"Dena Drews and Ernie Pink are in no hurry to release their wines. If you know the wines and how they age, it makes great sense for the buyer, but it’s a pretty amazing sacrifice on the part of the winery. The vineyard is located just outside of Dallas, at the western end of the Willamette Valley. Their 35 acres directly abut the legendary Freedom Hill vineyard, which should give an idea of the quality of this location. This is a very low-profile operation, by design, but the consistently high quality of its wines has earned it a loyal, almost secret-handshake following that goes back to when Drews and Pink set up shop in 1999. The winemaking here is decidedly low-impact, and the resulting wines are elegant, focused and understated, with the balance to age gracefully (hence the late release policy) and positively. There aren’t many “insider” wineries left in this increasingly popular and well-traveled region, but Amalie Robert definitely qualifies." - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media, February 2022

Culinary Inclinations Spring 2022

 

Spring Lamb is our Spring culinary inclination. For such a small animal, there are a wide variety of preparations. These include rack of lamb, braised lamb shanks, lamb chops or T-bones and ground lamb seasoned and filled into pinwheels or purses. Pinot Noir may not be the most obvious choice, but it shines mightily.

 

And there is a world of accoutrements and spices going well beyond salt, pepper and mint jelly. Moroccan spices on ground lamb pinwheels or purses with a side of mango chutney. Cucumber and yogurt join forces with garlic and olive oil as the base for Tzatziki. Roasted red pepper aioli with smoked paprika and Meyer lemon infused olive will add color and flair. What a conundrum, what to do, where to start?

 

There are alternatives as well. For those who find lamb to be a little too intense in flavor and aroma, we suggest venison as an alternative. We realize that not everyone is going out to the back 40 to harvest their own venison, as fun as that might be. Besides, it's the off season in the northern hemisphere, but down under...

 

A small herd of New Zealand deer. They heard you were coming.
 

The venison we are referring to is sourced from Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand. The animals are raised by Ben and Raewyn Gaddum, Tuapae Farms, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. And if your post-COVID wanderlust is taking you to Hawke's Bay, we recommend a few lovely days and nights in the Art Deco city of Napier. You will never see water quite so blue as from the balcony of the County Hotel.

 

The County Hotel, Napier New Zealand
 

Our introduction to Tuapae Farms venison happened in Birmingham, Alabama. Of all places that are food and wine, Birmingham is THE place. (The Gulf and LA (Lower Alabama) have their own cool vibe). The cut was rack of venison. Rack of venison is midway between the size of a rack of pork and a rack of lamb. Each rib chop was sliced about ¾ of an inch thick with a very generous portion of rib cap. Roasted to perfection and served aside roast winter vegetables and braised bitter greens.

 

The wine? Oh yes, the wine was Satisfaction Syrah, vintage 2015. The venue was a country club with about 50 guests. While it was a good crowd with a fair bit of interaction throughout the evening, the room drew quiet during this course. That was testament to the excellent preparation of the venison, and we hope a harmonious pairing with the wine.

 

We add Silver Fern Farms to our highly recommended list of purveyors which also includes White Pekin duck from Maple leaf Farms. You can check out their shopping carts here: Silver Fern Farms and Maple Leaf Farms.

 
Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate: 2021 The Feast of St. Valentine's Day Survival Guide

Hello and Welcome, 

We have a VERY SPECIAL gift to celebrate in the year 2021 and that is Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday! Instead of a hustle and bustle last minute event, you have ALL DAY to celebrate! And we have a few tips and ideas to share on how to do just that. Our first suggestion is to not lose your head. 

 

A FLOG communication (Farming bLOG) by Dena & Ernie from Amalie Robert Estate. Oregon Willamette Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Have a look and see what we see on Instagram @AmalieRobert Estate. 

 

The feast of St. Valentine of February 14 was first established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among all those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." And this is the very reason that prior to 2021, indoor dining on February 14^th was so very popular. This year, indoor dining will still be popular, just that it will be in-house indoor dining. 

 

Well, some of those acts of Valentine were also known to Claudius the Cruel of Rome. Sometime around the year 270 AD, Claudius the Cruel was in the conquering business and to be successful, he needed a strong army. However, he was having a difficult time finding volunteers for his campaigns. He reasoned that the young men of Rome were unwilling to join his army due to the strong attachment to their loved ones. A reasonable conclusion to be sure.

 

Claudius chose to rectify this problem by banning all marriages and engagements in Rome. While somewhat of a non sequitur, still that did not send the young men of Rome flocking to join with him. After some time, Claudius discovered he had a priest undermining his efforts. It was in fact true that the soon to be martyred St. Valentine was continuing to perform marriages.

 

Certainly not an indecisive man, Claudius ordered Valentine arrested and put to death. But not before being beaten with clubs, stoned (in the historical sense) and then decapitated. This last step was most likely meant to send a strong message that further activity of this nature would be frowned upon.

 

While awaiting his fate, Valentine is rumored to have written a farewell note. The note was to the jailer’s daughter which had looked after him during his brief incarceration. Kind of a pre-Stockholm Syndrome sort of relationship it would seem. He signed the note “From Your Valentine.” That phrase is in common use today and now you know where it may have originated.

 

 

Valentine was put to death on February 14^th in the year 270 AD. But it seems Claudius could not let him go, as is evidenced by him keeping Valentine’s head. Eventually, St. Valentine's remains were deposited in St Anton's Church, Madrid, where they have lain since the late 1700’s. They were a present from the Pope to King Carlos IV and have been displayed publicly since 1984. Please let this bit of history inform your gift giving choices this Valentine’s Day.

 

 

Roses are red, Violets are purple

You are so sweet, and so is maple surple!

 

Being Sunday and all, your feast of St. Valentine’s Day begins with brunch! Brunch is that luxurious word that means so many things that are just inherently understood. Leisure on display with a late alarm, deliciously sweet and savory pastries, fresh fruits, eggs extraordinaire and perhaps a glass of Champagne to greet the afternoon. And most of all, a little gift tucked into the mid-morning rapture. Choose wisely.

 

 

Somewhere along the way, Ernie picked up a set of heart shaped ramekins. These are the perfect vessels to deliver a bouffant “egg extraordinaire.” This will take a little forethought and some advance preparation. As this is an annual event, you will have time. Since there is no such thing as left-over hash browns, roast a couple extra “creamer” red potatoes the night before and retrieve them while they are still a bit firm.

 

Here we go. In a medium skillet, add a dollop of duck fat, butter or olive oil. (Note: Lipitor is now widely available in generic form with little or no co-pay.) Cube the potatoes in ¼ inch squares and add them to the pan over medium heat. Add your intended’s choice of preferred omelet vegetables diced small, such as peppers, onions and mushrooms. Add a dash of smoked HOT paprika for color and heat. Turn, flip or mix to cook evenly, but not overly so. Is that a Champagne pop I heard? No? Why not?

 

While this mixture is heating, grab a mason jar with a sealing ring and lid. Crack 2 eggs, sans shell, and add a dollop of sour cream. Ernie likes to add some broccoli bits at this stage, but YOU certainly do not have to. Attach the sealing apparatus and pretend you are making an evening martini. Any more than 30 seconds though and the show gets kinda boring.

 

Remove the ramekins from the preheated oven. Split the potato and vegetable mixture evenly between the two ramekins, paying special attention that the are only about 75% full. The reason for this will become important soon. But don’t worry if they are too full, that is what’s known as a self-correcting situation.

 

Give your mason jar a final shake and then pour the contents all over the first ramekin. Crack another pair of eggs, shake and repeat. Top with a little freshly cracked black pepper and a dusting of paprika for color. Return to the oven and bake at 325 until you have achieved maximum bouffant! When they are bouff’d to your satisfaction, set them on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before separating. This will take a total of about 30-45 minutes or so.

 

Everyone has moved on from the orange juice, so now would be a good time to sample the Champagne and prepare your desired breakfast animals (in whatever form they may take.) Fresh local fruits may be hard to find, so adopt a tropical locale with mangos, pineapple, strawberries and whatever else you can fit into a Champagne flute. Remember, fresh fruit is good for you and Champagne is the perfect delivery beverage.

 

And now the moment of truth - A card and a small gift. If executed properly, now might be the right time for a “nap” before dinner…

 

 

A Valentine’s Feast with the Hers and His Reserves – Amalie’s Cuvée and Estate Selection.

 

After having skillfully delivered brunch and engaging in a leisurely afternoon activity, thoughts turn to the Valentine’s Day dinner. Our suggestion for this menu is to stick with the tried-and-true cool climate varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

 

Let’s Get Started. Smoked salmon, either hard smoked Alaskan salmon or lox style Atlantic salmon lend their charms to garlic parmesan crostini with fresh dill aioli and capers. Add a little soft blue cheese and things get a little funky-good as the salt from the cheese works its magic on the acid in the wine. This course pairs nicely with a BFC such as the Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay. Alternatively, a more steely interpretation of Chardonnay, the Dijon Clones, brings a little more focus and acidity to the event. This is a “hands-on” course, and we find that if you can eat it with your fingers, it just tastes better. The candles are a nice touch.

 

The Hers course is stuffed quail. There are all manner of combinations to choose from here, but there are three key components to any good stuffing. The first is the enticement and we like chanterelle or morel mushrooms for this. The next is the bitter green such as spinach or anything along those lines, maybe even kale. And we need a binder to hold this all together such as quinoa or polenta. A little manchego in the mix helps hold it all together and can dual as a snacking cheese. Munge all of that together with an optional egg, and you are ready to stuff the birds. Treat them to an olive oil spritz and a dusting of paprika on the way to the oven.

 

Amalie’s Cuvée is a natural pairing for this dish. You can trust that we have run repeated and replicated trials. Each and every vintage we put to the test comes through with flying colors. Amalie’s Cuvée is Dena’s barrel selection from our 35 acre estate vineyard that she helped plant back at the turn of the century. That should tell you two things. First thing is she has met the farming challenge head-on, and second, she knows where the Pommard is planted.

 

Yep, she is a Pommard girl – and you could be too! Every vintage we taste the wines in barrel to sort out who gets what. Each day that we taste, we focus on one of the three main clones we grow: Dijon clones, Pommard clone or Wadenswil clone. When it is all said and done, Pommard is the dominate clone in her blend with a little Dijon clone for texture and some Wadenswil clone to bring out her wild side. And its personal, Amalie is her middle name.

 

The His course is Steak Diane (from the Goddess of the hunt of Roman mythology.) While the preparation remains mostly the same, the protein can vary widely from beef to venison or buffalo. Since Ernie grew up in Montana where the buffalo roam, we are going to go with buffalo.

 

The advance ingredient preparation for Steak Diane allows for a table side implementation. A bit of strut, pomp and circumstance if you will. That being said, open flame in a confined space can have immediate and long-lasting consequences. Marriage proposals get delivered this way. Diana was also goddess of the moon. Recognize and respect that this is pretty powerful stuff we are offering up here.

 

Estate Selection is a masculine wine in touch with its feminine side, which is why it is the perfect pairing for Steak Diane, and candlelit settings. Ernie favors the wild side of Pinot Noir and that comes from his errant youth. Wadenswil clone provides that “color outside the lines” type palate profile. However as time has taken its toll, Ernie discovered the soothing nature that a little Pommard clone can offer. Add a little Dijon clone 667, which is the black sheep of the Dijon clone family, and that is a good first step in the blending trials. Of course, Dena has VETO power. So you know if the blend made it to the bottle, it has her stamp of approval. She is also the one person who runs the corker. We don’t get anywhere without her say so.

 

Chardonnay is not just for brunch in your Champagne. The variety that started the morning festivities, may also be the segue to the rest of your evening. We are talking about the once in a lifetime wine Pabuk’s Gift Late Harvest (Botrytis) Chardonnay.

 

This is going to take a little more than a little effort, so you may want to get started right away. The easy pairing is a blue cheese such as Stilton, or our preference Shropshire. But there is so much more that this wine has to offer.

 

Think goat cheese. Now think patisserie. Now put that together and start imagining goat cheese cheesecake with seared pineapple topping. Or a goat cheese flan on a cinnamon graham crust topped with Seville orange marmalade. People eat with their eyes first so your presentation and delivery, along with that very romantic card that you didn’t forget, are paramount.

 

While making this wine, Ernie implored the help of Dick Erath. The 2013 vintage provided the naturally occurring environmental factors to make an ethereal late harvest wine. Never before, and hopefully never again, will those growing conditions be repeated. With Dick as his conspiring winemaker, Ernie forged ahead with harvesting desiccated Chardonnay berries from the vines in November. Once in the press, it was a tough shlog, as raisins don’t put out a lot of juice. Undaunted he continued, as fools press on where angels fear to tread.

 

The juice was 44 Brix, for those who keep track. Ernie had experienced some out of this world Trockenbeerenauslese wines and they typically run in the 10% alcohol range. That was good enough for him and he arrested the fermentation with dry ice. Yeast don’t really care for that and they kinda packed it in right then and there. All went pretty well and soon it was time to bottle.

 

So Dick made the trek back to the winery with his girlfriend to see how Ernie’s effort had turned out. The look and smell of the wine passed muster and then everyone took a sip. Dick appeared pleasantly surprised and his girlfriend was complimentary. Ernie was beaming as his conspiring winemaker and early mentor had given him the nod for an effort that was far from guaranteed to succeed.

 

Dick then tilted his head and with a twinkle in his eye, looked at Ernie, then his girlfriend and said, “You know, this is the kind of wine that can be applied topically and removed orally.” And so, it is. Good luck Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky.

 

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate Culinary Inclinations Series Part III: Roasted Whole Duck and Pinot Noir

Hello and Welcome, 

  

This is the third segment in our Culinary Inclinations Series: Roasted Whole Duck and Pinot Noir. A FLOG communication (Farming bLOG) from Dena & Ernie @AmalieRobert Estate. Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir. If you are anxiously awaiting the “Syrah and Lamb Love Chops” segment, it won’t be much longer. 

 

Before we begin, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! The year 2020 has shown itself to be a very “interesting” year, and yet there is so much to be thankful for. Sometimes it is hard to see the vines through the dense fog that covers the vineyard. But we know that they are there, lying in wait ready to spring forth in vintage 2021 with a full arsenal of agrarian vagaries.

 

We are very much looking forward to a new year - a new growing season, and we hope you too are excited about the new opportunities that await us all. Or said another way, the unforeseen challenges we will most assuredly be forced to endure. Two sides of the same coin, it just comes down to your perspective. As farmers, we are always mindful that if anything can go wrong, it will, at the most inopportune time causing the most amount of trouble and expense. And yes, it is true, Murphy was a farming optimist.

 

For at least the next few minutes, we know what you will be doing. We don’t know where you will be doing it - Google has that covered. We appreciate you sharing some eyeball time with us. Kind of like looking into a window, us from this side and you from that side.

 

 

The holidays are upon us! We begin with Thanksgiving which is conveniently scheduled on the fourth Thursday of November. But it wasn’t always that way. You can read the full story at the National Archives. Or just follow along with the cliff notes here:

 

It all started back in the summer of ‘89 when the Federal Congress passed a resolution asking that the President of the United States recommend to the nation a day of thanksgiving. George Washington then proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin". It wasn't until President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Proclamation that Thanksgiving was regularly commemorated each year on the last Thursday of November.

 

In 1939, however, the last Thursday in November fell on the last day of the month. Concerned that the shortened Christmas shopping season might dampen the economic recovery, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Presidential Proclamation moving Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday of November. As a result of the proclamation, 32 states issued similar proclamations while 16 states refused to accept the change and proclaimed Thanksgiving to be the last Thursday in November. Dysfunction, it seems, was an inherent “feature” in our young republic and continues unabated to this very day.

 

Fixed it for you: To end the confusion, Congress decided to set a fixed-date for the holiday. On October 6, 1941, the House passed a joint resolution declaring the last Thursday in November to be the legal Thanksgiving Day. The Senate, however, amended the resolution establishing the holiday as the fourth Thursday, which would take into account those years when November has five Thursdays. The House agreed to the amendment, and President Roosevelt signed the resolution on December 26, 1941, thus establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday. And if it works, stop fixing it.

 

Note that the very first government mandated Thanksgiving was on the 26^th day of the month, just like this year. And similar to this year, the 1775–1782 North American smallpox epidemic was most likely still imparting a sense of caution. That was 7 years’ worth, and we are just now rounding the corner on our first year. Social distancing, quarantines and masks were tried then as now, the significant difference being in the quality of the masks. For our post-modern pandemic, we have both red wine AND white wine masks. The rosé mask is an easy farming work around.

 

 

 

So, there it is. Now lets’ get to the bird! Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. And while there are just a handful of countries that do celebrate their own interpretations of Thanksgiving, EVERYBODY is on the Black Friday sales!

 

Ben Franklin, it is rumored, had originally wanted the Turkey to be the national symbol. He was “cancelled”, and the Bald Eagle became our national symbol. But in that defeat, there was a Thanksgiving victory. No one would have feasted upon the national bird at Thanksgiving.

 

Now there are all kinds of birds in our great land that can be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving Day celebration. Let’s break them down into upland game birds and waterfowl. Upland game birds can be as small as Bobwhite quail weighing in at about 6 ounces. They get their name from their distinct call, which you can hear here.

 

Then we have partridge, guineafowl, all manner of grouse including the Ptarmigan, several variants of pheasant, and the varied species of turkey. There are several heritage breeds to choose from including the Auburn, Buff, Black, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Royal Palm, Slate, Standard Bronze, and Midget White. Heritage turkeys represent about 25,000 birds raised each year, where there are close to 200 MILLION industry raised Broad-Breasted turkey. Check your local (or UPS serviced) terroir for availability.

 

There are about 7 million wild turkeys roaming our United States each year. Turkeys are not native to Oregon, but two species, the Merriam and Rio Grande were introduced in the 1960’s. And yes they can fly, in fact they roost in trees to avoid the ground based predators that are looking for their own Thanksgiving feast.

 

And we get them in the vineyard from time to time. They are tall enough to pluck off a wine berry or two. As you can see the turkey on the right has not had any Pinot Noir, but the turkey on the left has had quite enough to boldly display his full mating plumage! It’s the same old story, just a different species… And she is having none of it.

When it comes to fowl, and we mean waterfowl, the White Pekin duck reigns supreme for a Thanksgiving celebration. But there are also the Moulard and Muscovy farm raised ducks. A goose is another option, however it is more attuned to the Christmas holiday.

 

The origins of the phrase “You are full of it” is in fact attributed to the Christmas goose. Dressing is a dried bread-based concoction that includes all manner of vegetables, spices and quite often an egg or two to bind everything together. This mixture is then placed into a baking dish and put into a 350 degree oven for about an hour. When this mixture is stuffed into the cavity of a bird, such as a goose, it is known as stuffing. The full, olde English phrase is “You are as full of $#it as a Christmas goose!”

 

Penguinos range from the wee little Fairly Penguins of Australia and New Zealand that may grow to reach 12 inches tall to the imposing Emperor Penguins of Antarctica who tower at 4 feet or more. They are flightless water birds that are always dapper and dashing, however not included in the following preparatory guidelines. And then there is Opus T. Penguin…

 

 

Once you have decided upon the appropriate fowl for your Thanksgiving Day celebration, the next task before you is acquisition. There are several avenues available including instore shopping, curbside pick-up, UPS shipping and the tried and mostly true, full immersion duck hunting experience.

 

Unlike fishing, duck hunting is a serious endeavor that may, or may not yield results. Wild ducks are typically harvested when they are in flight. Not so different from fishing, as fish are usually harvested when swimming in the water. Same theory, just a different medium. The duck hunter's job is to encourage any given duck to land upon the Earth, or in a waterway that may or may not be frozen over. This requires the duck hunter to co-locate at least somewhat close to the in-flight duck, while fully enjoying all of the inclement wind, rain, snow, sleet and potentially freezing temperatures. Nice day today, not too hot…

 

There are several ways a duck hunter may encourage a flock of ducks to interrupt their migratory prerogative to land. Food is always a good encouragement as is an open waterway when their feet begin to freeze. Note: it is not uncommon for a duck hunter to lose feeling in their toes and fingertips. Duck calls are another inducement to land, especially if there are decoys in the near vicinity. Hey, is that a corn field? It looks like a party!

 

When these methods fail, there is the old school fallback of an ounce and a quarter of number 5 pellets with a muzzle velocity of approximately 1,350 feet per second. This form of encouragement can result in a single member of the flock to lose altitude rather suddenly. This is when the savvy duck hunter has a well-trained dog or has invited along a fellow sportsman with a well-trained dog. The lesson here is do not go duck hunting without a proper duck retrieval strategy. Or maybe you find a mid-November swim to be just a prelude to the annual Polar Bear plunge… And then there is the gestalt of ice fishing, but that is a misery best left for another time.

 

The other, more sane acquisition method involves the internet and an online visit to the Maple Leaf Farms website where you can arrange for your freshly harvested duck to land on your doorstep pre-plucked, disemboweled and ready to go. That maneuver just bought you enough time to enjoy a glass of wine by the crackling fire. A nice WARM crackling fire with the dog curled up at your feet. Toasty!

 

 

Culinary Inclination Series III: Roasted Whole Duck and Pinot Noir.

 

Are you a home chef, an involuntarily semi-retired chef or a chef waiting to re-open your restaurant? Not to worry, this easy step by step preparation and a little Pinot Noir will see you through in full plumage!

 

Prepare your roasting rack and preheat the oven: Line the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Do not put foil over the top of the roasting rack as it will fill with very hot duck fat. This is a temporary or “fluid” situation, as liquified duck fat is subject to the laws of gravity and will, in short order, be on the floor. Or you, whichever it encounters first.

 

Besides, you are going to want to “harvest” that duck fat so you can scramble up some eggs for breakfast. Duck fat was Julia Child’s secret ingredient for all things savory. Sauté with olive oil during the week but live a little on the weekends and use duck fat.

 

Set the upper oven rack so that the duck when placed breastbone up will be below the upper element by about 2 to 3 inches. Preheat oven to 350 and sample the Pinot Noir to ensure proper temperature. For this portion of the preparation, a suitable Pinot in Pink Rosé or Heirloom Cameo BFC (Barrel Fermented Chardonnay) may be substituted with no loss of etiquette.

 

Note: The first step in this process will be to crisp the skin. This step will produce some smoke. We usually have a few windows open in the kitchen to keep us vented and eat in the dining room. Or, if wildfires are still raging in your area, you may not notice the smoke. Either way, you cannot make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Nice shoes, by the way.

 

Preparing your duck and proofing the Pinot Noir: Remove the whole duck from its store (or natural) packaging as the case may be. Empty the body cavity and rinse thoroughly. If you plan to fill this cavity with stuffing, then a visual inspection is in order. Take a moment now to swirl your stem gently, but deliberately to observe how the wine catches the afternoon sunlight. Nice day today, not too hot...

 

Place the duck on a solid surface or cutting board, again breastbone up. Using a medium length, straight blade, score the skin on each side of the breast. Begin at the center of the breastbone and score diagonally upward toward the wing. Repeat with a parallel cut every 1 inch or so. Perform the same procedure on the other side. Be careful to not cut too deeply into the meat under the skin. Clip off the wing tips at the first joint.

 

The thighs are the fattiest portion of the duck and you will also score those. Turn the duck on its side and score vertically through the fatty portion of the thigh where it meets the back with 2 or 3 cuts. Again, do not cut so deeply that you cut into the meat. Repeat on the other side.

 

Finally, cut the skin and tendons at the end of the leg joint in a circular fashion. This will allow the skin and meat to rise up the leg bone toward the thigh and remain moist. This completes the knife skill portion of the preparation. Perform a standard finger count. The count should be 10, and if the count is in fact 10, then well done, it is time for a congratulatory sip!

 

Roasting with a convection oven: Place your scored duck on the roasting rack breastbone up. Spritz or brush with a light coating of sesame oil and season the scored breast with Hungarian paprika, Chinese 5 spice and finely cracked black pepper. Black sesame seeds are also an interesting textural addition.

 

Place the duck on the prepositioned upper-most rack in the preheated oven. Set the oven to BROIL and let this cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Put down the Pinot and keep an eye on things here as you will have duck fat and high heat in very close proximity.

 

The objective is to render the fat from the duck skin. This usually results in a deep golden-brown hue on the breast, but if you feel it is too much, take it out sooner. Remember there is a profound difference between a little char and burnt. Verify the remaining Pinot Noir bouquet is commensurate with the Duck. Secure a second bottle if necessary.

 

After you have crisped the skin to your satisfaction, remove the roasting rack from the oven and place it on a heat resistant surface. BE CAREFUL as the roasting pan will now have enough hot duck fat in it to give you a first hand impression of entering a medieval castle uninvited.

 

Set the oven to Convection Roast at 350 and move the rack to the center of the oven. Using appropriate tongs, turn the duck over so that the breastbone is now facing down and return the roasting rack to the oven. Toast your accomplishment with a sip of Pinot Noir, even if you must open that second bottle to do so.

 

Roast for about 45 minutes. The leg joint should move fairly freely when done. Remember that the breast meat is at its best medium to medium rare. Hmm, this second bottle is quite lovely. Ah, it is from the 2010 vintage, of course!

 

For the last 5 minutes of roasting, turn the duck once more so that the breastbone is facing upward. This will allow the fat to drain from the scored skin. Prepare your carvery area with the following tools: A large cutting board with a recessed fat drain, duck pliers (aka poultry shears), a very sharp boning knife and a hand towel. This will be your last chance for a sip of Pinot Noir for a little while, so make the most of it.

 

Presentation: Remove the duck from the oven and place it on the cutting board. Let stand, or sit, for about 5 (or maybe 10) minutes to allow the juices to cool. Keep an eye on the dog, retrieval skills are a natural instinct, and he has picked up the scent. Before the dismemberment begins, this is YOUR chance to shine. The kitchen is full of the most wonderful aromas of roast duck, sizzling duck fat and Pinot Noir. Your guests pass the carvery station and adorn you with accolades. With this high praise rolling in, now is NOT the time to run out of Pinot Noir.

 

Carving is the art of separating the meat from the supporting structure, known as the carcass. Legs and thighs are typically richer in texture. The breast meat, sliced thinly, glistens. Duck wing lollipops are the “Scooby-Doo snacks” that never seem to make it out of the kitchen. When everything is plated up, it is time to “Get the Duck Outta here!”

 

Duck is a very rich meat, so we enjoy a slightly bitter green vegetable such as garlic braised broccolini or Brussels sprouts in duck fat. Winter squash will pair with the sweetness of the meat. Of course, sautéed wild chanterelle or morel mushrooms are obligatory. The cheese course varies widely, however we recommend Fourme d’Ambert with whatever Pinot Noir is left after the meal, whether it IS open or IS YET TO BE open!

Please contact Dena by email at Cuvee@AmalieRobert.com or by phone at 503.88.CUVEE (28833) for pricing and availability of Amalie Robert Pinot Noirs, Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay and Pinot in Pink Rosé.

Happy Thanksgiving,

 

Dena & Ernie

Sub-AVA and Portfolio Update: Vinous Edition 2020

Hello and Welcome, 

This is an Amalie Robert Estate Sub-AVA and Portfolio Update: Vinous Edition 2020. A FLOG communication from Dena and Ernie @AmalieRobert. Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. 

As many avid readers of the FLOG (Farming bLOG) know, there is a sub Willamette Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) petition for our area in process with the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). This is the second petition from our area.

The first petition with the name Mt. Pisgah Mistletoe Ridge was unanimously approved by the petitioners’ group in 2016, however it was summarily rejected by the TTB in 2017. In Monty Python parlance it “…caught fire, fell over and then sank into the swamp.”

Welcome to our idiom. The original petition was rejected due to the name submitted. The TTB requires the proposed name of the bounded area to be currently in use to avoid confusion. The name chosen was not currently in use. However, we did consider petitioning the county to change the name of a road to match the proposed bounded area.

 

 

As you might imagine, coming up with a commercially viable name is quite important from a marketing point of view. And it should fit on a label in a font your customers can read. While everyone agreed on the original name, that was not the case on the second name.

 

As part of the TTB rejection process, the TTB had suggested a name that they would accept. That name was Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon. Polk County is included because there is a Mt. Pisgah in Lane County Oregon. And Oregon is included because there is a Mt. Pisgah reference in Polk County Florida. Therefore, Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon to avoid confusion.

The entire Willamette Valley AVA is 3,438,000 acres. The smallest Willamette Valley sub-AVA is Ribbon Ridge at about 3,500 acres. The remaining Willamette Valley sub-AVA’s are:

 

Chehalem Mountains sub-AVA is about 62,000 acres.

Dundee Hills sub-AVA is about 12,600 acres.

Both the Eola-Amity Hills and McMinville sub-AVA’s are about 39,000 acres.

Van Duzer Corridor sub-AVA is about 60,000 acres.

Yamhill-Carlton District sub-AVA is about 57,000 acres.

 

For the second petition, the bounded area was nearly doubled from its original size of 4,100 acres. Again, not everyone agreed with that action. The original bounded area from the first petition is depicted below. We will refer to this original bounded area as Mt. Pisgah Prime. Follow the red line to trace the boundary and the blue lines to trace the vineyards.

 

 

Due north of Amalie Robert Estate by about 1.25 miles is Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon standing proud at 835 feet above sea level. Our highest elevation in the vineyard is 654 feet above sea level.

 

The petition is working its way through the bowels of the TTB. As more information becomes available, we will pass that along. Meanwhile, let’s have a look at some of the wines that come from this 4,100 acre Mt. Pisgah Prime. And not just Amalie Robert wines. This is kind of a “pre-coming out” look-and-see.

 

 

Portfolio Update: Vinous Edition 2020

Let’s just get right into this. All reviews are by Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media from May, August and September 2020. There are all manner of wine reviewers out there, and then there is Vinous Media.

 

“Bob, I think I got here too late. You have your cherry orchard on top of my vineyard!"

 

We started with a Montmorency cherry orchard in 1999. We planted our first 10 acres of vines at the turn of the century and have kept at it to get where we are today – 35 acres of producing vines and an Estate winery. We grow, ferment, blend and bottle only Estate Grown wine including Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Viognier. And pre-commercial amounts of Gewürztraminer.

 

Please note that the wines identified here were grown in our vineyard and our neighbor’s vineyard where the shared property line to our east separates the vines. The Willamette Valley sub-AVA petition for our area (Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon which includes our neighbor), is winding its way through the process. As this image of Ernie standing in front of our Bellpine soil reveals, we have some pretty good dirt to work with.

 

 

And it doesn’t seem to matter that much on the clones. Coury, Pommard or Wadenswil can all do well on our sedimentary Bellpine soils. Dena favors the Pommard clone, and Ernie is a Wadenswil man. The jury is still out on Dick Erath’s clone 95, but we will have some of that fermenting up this fall. Who knows, maybe yet another 95 for clone 95 is in the works.

 

 

Let’s move right along to the cool climate Syrah program. They say luck favors the prepared mind. At Microsoft it was said, it is better to be lucky than good. A little trip to the Northern Rhône produced a very fortuitous meeting with Marcel Guigal. Somewhere in all those tea leaves the Syrah program took form.

 

“Syrah has emerged as a serious, if obscure, wild card in Oregon, and while there are still just a few examples being produced, some of them are among the best the New World has to offer. Gargantua, a new-ish project from Josh Bergstrom, of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay) fame, is producing a truly stunning Syrah, as are Amalie Robert, Cristom and Penner-Ash. Then there’s the Rogue Valley, which, as I noted above, is solidifying itself as an attention-worthy source for Syrah, especially at Cowhorn.”  - Oregon Outside the Pinot Noir Box. By Josh Raynolds | September 03, 2020

 

The basis of our cool climate Syrah is 4 clones of Syrah that Marcel Guigal had identified to Ernie and a slight mix-up at the grafting bench that introduced Viognier into the mix. Dionysus, the Greek god of all things vinous, must have lent some divine intervention. The net result: Côte Rôtie from Oregon. It is with a great debt of gratitude that we check in on the Guigal single vineyard wines of Côte Rôtie.

 

 

When it comes to Oregon Chardonnay, we are not alone in Mt. Pisgah Prime. Check out the map to find Open Claim Vineyards. The Heirloom Cameo is our BFC. That’s Barrel Fermented Chardonnay for everyone not hip to the cellar lingo. We use a 500 liter puncheon to ferment and mature the Heirloom Cameo for 14 months. A nifty little trick that we lifted off the Burgundians for imparting just the right amount of new oak, while keeping the wine’s focus on the palate texture and elegant but persistent finish.

 

 

Pinot Meunier: The “Champagne Deconstructed” option. While it is true that Dena has a soft spot for Champagne, we have yet to pull the trigger on a secondary fermentation. Oh sure, we have made the base wine from Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir and we label that as the Bellpine Pearl. As a platinum hued white wine, it is our pearl from the soil – without the gas.

 

“Pinot Meunier, a cousin of Pinot Noir, is a no-brainer when it comes to potential in the Willamette Valley, and the examples being made by Eyrie and Amalie Robert speak to the great possibilities that exist here. But given market realities, I’m not holding my breath that many growers will soon turn much of their attention to this variety at the expense of Pinot Noir.” - Oregon Outside the Pinot Noir Box. By Josh Raynolds | September 03, 2020

 

The Pinot Meunier stands alone. One of the most outgoing of the Pinot family of wines and pairs with oh-so-many culinary inclinations. One of the first to grow Pinot Meunier in the Willamette Valley was David Lett. His wine style of this variety always struck us as elegant and perfumed and we were drawn to this style of letting Meunier be Meunier. In other words, don’t muck it up!

 

 

As is de rigueur for these pages, we end with the numbers and a handy scorecard for future reference. For those more graphically oriented, you can check out all of our bottlings and past vintages on the Scorecard.

 

Club 95. This is the first year we have gained admittance to this exclusive collection of wines. We have three entries from two vintages.

 

2016 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir

2016 Wadenswil Pinot Noir

2014 The Reserve Pinot Noir

 

With a score of 94, we have been here before. Note the Top Barrel Syrah remains the highest rated Estate grown Willamette Valley Syrah. Our first 94 point Top Barrel Syrah was from the 2012 vintage.

 

2015 Amalie’s Cuvée Pinot Noir

2015 Estate Selection Pinot Noir

2014 Top Barrel Syrah

 

Following closely along in third position is the field of 93’s. Here we see the variety of wines our sedimentary Bellpine soil is able to produce. Maybe that 5C rootstock is all it’s cracked up to be…

 

2015 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay (BFC)

2015 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

2015 Satisfaction Syrah

2014 Satisfaction Syrah

 

Here come the sweepers holding a quite respectable position 92.

 

2016 Pinot Meunier

2015 The Uncarved Block Pinot Noir

 

Kindest Regards,

 

Dena & Ernie