Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: 2018 Bud Break and Breaking News!

Hello and Welcome to Vintage 2018!

This is an Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update for 2018. A FLOG communication.

The vines are awake and thanks to a blast of near 90-degree heat in mid-April, they are on the move! And they need to be. They only have about 6 months to ripen aromatically stunning and wonderfully expressive aromas and flavors. No time to waste!

And Ernie was right out there in the middle of it. Can you see him in there? His job this time of year is to change out about 18 acres of vineyard floor – about 20 lineal miles worth - at 2 miles per hour. Out with the old Winter cover crop and in with the brand spanking new Spring cover crop.

Farmers do it in the rain!

Click the image to see Ernie in action drilling in the Spring cover crop.

The purpose is to provide Springtime nutrition to the vines by incorporating the plants we grew over the winter, so we do not need to add chemical fertilizers to our soil. More on that when we FLOG you with the April Climate Update.

Yes, of course, there are numbers involved. We saw the first buds breaking just before Earth Day in the newest Wadenswil Blocks. We are officially calling April 20^th the first day of the 2018 growing season. For everyone who wears tin foil hats and pocket protectors like Ernie, that is Julian Calendar day 110.

Breaking News: Côte Rôtie from Oregon

And speaking of numbers we have some breaking news. It seems that impressive 94-point review for Ernie’s 2012 Top Barrel Syrah has even more meaning than we were aware of.

Having not only the highest score, but the first and only 94-point review for an Estate Grown Willamette Valley Syrah was pretty heartwarming, but there is more to the story. A little spelunking in the Vinous Media database revealed something quite stunning. Maybe the Special Counsel should be looking in there…

Ernie’s cool climate Estate Grown Syrah program is styled after his interpretation of Côte Rôtie. The Syrah grown in that part of the Northern Rhône valley is what really trips his trigger. Guigal and Chapoutier were early influencers that have left an indelible mark on his mind, and maybe some brain damage too. And so Dena let him have an acre to see what he could do.

Well, first things first. He called his friend Dick Erath to come walk the property in 2000 after the cherry trees were pulled and the soil was ready for planting. That was early March and Ernie had Dick up on the hill standing where he wanted to plant his Syrah block. Oddly enough, that exact spot is where Ernie would plant his Chardonnay block and Dick would return in 2013 to conspire with Ernie to make Pabuk’s Gift late harvest Chardonnay. Right, back to the main story.

Dick, standing in 20 miles per hour wind gusts with one hand firmly grasping the hat on his head, was not convinced. “What about down there by your house? See those trees down there are not really being affected by this wind.” Dick shouted. “That area is more protected and will be warmer. You will have a better chance of ripening Syrah down there. Not that you will ripen it, but you will have a better chance.” Dick Erath has made a significant impact on the Oregon Wine industry, and at least at Amalie Robert Estate, continues to do so.

Right, so now we know where Ernie’s little Côte Rôtie from Oregon block is going to be planted, but what to plant? Ah, off to France where he would fortuitously meet Marcel Guigal. And so, there we were, tasting the La Turque from barrel in the Guigal cellars. Ernie looked at Dena and said, “Let’s just make this.”

While it is illegal to take cuttings from France and bring them back to Oregon, knowledge transfer is not so encumbered. Clearly Clone 95 (another Dick Erath contribution to the Oregon Wine Industry) is the exception to the rule. You can read the full story at Rusty Gaffney’s PinotFile site. http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/2033/ By the way: our Clone 95 block is bearing fruit this year.

At the end of the day, Ernie left the Guigal facility in Ampuis with a bit of a buzz. Clearly from the wine, but also from the time spent with Marcel Guigal where they talked clones. Northern Rhône clones. Ernie settled on the 4 clones most likely suited to make exceptional Côte Rôtie.

The similarities of Côte Rôtie, in the Northern Rhône valley of France and Dallas, Oregon in the great Pacific Northwest of the United States include the relative proximation to the 45^th parallel. While Dallas, Oregon is just below the 45^th parallel at 44.9193 degrees, Ampuis, at the heart of Côte Rôtie, is at 45.4890 degrees.

We share a cool climate growing season, but the similarities end there. Our sedimentary Bellpine series soil in the Willamette Valley tends to contribute more floral aromatics and is geologically unrelated to the granite and schist soils found in Côte Rôtie. Yeah, no schist.

Back in Oregon, the hunt was on to find these 4 clones. It turned out two were easily sourced from longtime friend Steve Doerner at Cristom. So, Ernie got two clones in the ground straight away. And two were not so easily sourced. Syrah - Why be difficult, with just a little more effort, you can be impossible?

The next two clones took a couple of years to source. “Don’t give up on your dream” was the encouragement offered by the late Witness Tree winemaker Bryce Bagnall. And so, Ernie persevered, holding open a half acre of land destined for 2 more clones of Syrah.

And when he finally got them, he ended up with a little more than he bargained for. The clonally correct Syrah vines he picked up had a few Viognier vines mixed in. The nursery man told him that they had made a mistake when grafting and some Viognier was in the mix.

Ernie was in shock. He had waited, literally, years for this hair brained scheme to hatch and now this. What to do? Well, he reasoned, they have Viognier interplanted in Côte Rôtie, so maybe this is a good thing. It was certainly looking more and more like Côte Rôtie from Oregon. He collected his plants and drove back to the vineyard.

It took three years, but those vines finally produced the fruit he was so eagerly awaiting. And just like the nursery man had foretold, some of those Syrah vines produced white grapes. Ernie doesn’t call it Viognier, he calls it white Syrah. So, you could say he not only co-ferments with Viognier, he co-grows it as well. He won’t say that, but you could.

Nothing is inherently good or bad, except a snakebite, until it gets a name. Our first bottling of Syrah from the 2006 vintage was without a fanciful name. The 2007 vintage (2007? Really? Yes, 2007. Really.) was featured as “Best Domestic Syrah of the Year” by Wine & Spirits Magazine and answered one of our neighbor’s questions. He said, “Yeah, you should plant Syrah and let us know how it works out for you.”

And that is the reason, beginning with the 2008 vintage, that wine has a fanciful name. We call it Satisfaction, because that is how it worked out for us.

So, what about this Top Barrel bottling? The Top Barrel is that moment in the cellar when you thief out a barrel sample and are immediately taken back to the same experience tasting La Turque from barrel at Guigal. Aromas are powerful things and can trigger very vivid memories. The first one of these moments came with the cool and protracted 2010 vintage.

Ernie said, “No Farmin’ Way am I going to blend this barrel away! We are going to bottle this separately. This is World Class, the Real Deal, Côte Rôtie from Oregon!” And it just so happened that the barrel was on the top row of barrels. So, the name became self-evident – Top Barrel.

After making several tractor passes to incorporate the Winter cover crop, prepare the soil for the Spring cover crop and then finally drill in the Spring cover crop, Ernie had some time on his hands. That and it started to rain, so the tractor work was put on hold.

He queried the Vinous Media database for 2012 wines from the Northern Rhône to see how his top scoring and first ever Estate Grown, Willamette Valley 94-point Top Barrel Syrah would stack up. The neat thing about Vinous Media, is that the same reviewer, Josh Raynolds, covers both Oregon and the Northern Rhône. That removes the key variable in comparing and contrasting wines.

Here is what he found out. The top scoring 2012 vintage wine from Côte Rôtie was a 95-point review, and there were 3 of them. Ok, so that told him that his 94-point review was in the ballpark. And it turns out that Guigal had one of those 95-point reviews. It was La Landonne at a stunning $525 (per bottle) release price.

But he also found out that the other two “La La” bottlings, La Mouline and La Turque, each earned a 94-point review from the same reviewer that rated the Top Barrel with a 94-point review.

Here are the Guigal Côte Rôtie from France reviews along with the Amalie Robert Côte Rôtie from Oregon review:

Guigal La Mouline:

Lurid ruby. Heady, intensely perfumed aromas of red fruit preserves, incense, smoky minerals and lavender, accompanied by an Asian spice flourish that builds as the wine opens up. Stains the palate with sweet, seamless raspberry liqueur, spicecake and floral pastille flavors that are lifted and given spine by core of juicy acidity. Puts on weight and spreads out slowly on the strikingly long and precise finish, which features resonating mineral and floral notes. - 94 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

Guigal La Turque:

Youthful violet. Powerful, smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits and incense on the explosively perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sweet blueberry, cherry, violet pastille and spicecake flavors that show superb depth as well as vivacity. Seamless and alluringly sweet; a core of juicy acidity adds lift and spine. Supple tannins build steadily on an extremely long, focused finish that leaves suave floral and Moroccan spice notes behind. - 94 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

Amalie Robert Top Barrel:

Brilliant violet. A complex, expansive bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, smoky Indian spices and potpourri, backed by subtle olive and cola nuances. Sweet, sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering intense blueberry, cassis, bitter chocolate and spicecake flavors and a strong suggestion of candied violet. Strongly channels the savory qualities of the northern Rhône and finishes extremely long, smooth and spicy, with subtle tannins building slowly. - 94 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

“Amalie Robert, whose vineyard is in the western part of the Willamette Valley, makes a very strong case for Syrah, but production of their two graceful wines is painfully small, as in just a few barrels of wine per vintage.” - Josh Raynolds, Oregon’s Expanding Palate of Wines, February 2018, Vinous Media

While it is too soon to make any substantive predictions about vintage 2018, we are hopeful that the crews arrive on time, the tractors all start, the sun shines and the rains fall at the appropriate times and in the correct amounts. That would be the vintage of the year!

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate: 2016 Wadenswil Selection at the Willamette Valley Winery Association Pinot Noir Auction

Hello and Welcome, 

The 2018 Willamette Valley Winery Association Pinot Noir Auction is this weekend. The pre-event festivities begin Friday, April 6th and the auction takes place Saturday, April 7th. Note: Wine flies free on Alaska Airlines. Just saying... 

Amalie Robert Estate has contributed a very special 10 case lot of Wadenswil clone 2A as our inaugural auction offering. The wine is a single barrel selection from a one acre block of estate grown Wadenswil clone 2A planted at the turn of the century and fermented with indigenous yeast and whole clusters. 

Wadenswil, yeah we do that. And we have been doing it for some time now. Our sedimentary soil series is called Bellpine, a well drained silty clay loam. Wadenswil clone 2A is a Swiss selection of Pinot Noir. Some things just work, and some things are just farming marvelous! This is one of those things.

Where the Wadenswil grows – Ernie and his Bellpine soil

We present the following links, helpful information and Amalie Robert Estate Wadenswil history to fully prepare you for the Wadenswil experience.

What is Wadenswil clone 2A? Read the Amalie Robert Estate: Interview with a Clone - Wadenswil 2A

Tell me more about the Amalie Robert Estate Auction Lot: 2016 Vintage Wadenswil Selection Pinot Noir

Planning to attend? We look forward to sharing our Wadenswil clone 2A with you. And maybe some delicious Chardonnay and top rated cool climate Syrah.

Can't attend, but you simply must have this wine? Please contact Dena at dena@amalierobert.com for information on submitting a proxy bid.

Follow this link to learn more about the Willamette Valley Winery Association Pinot Noir Auction: Willamette - The Pinot NoirAuction

Now the good stuff: A historical vertical of Wadenswil clone 2A from Amalie Robert Estate 2007 - 2014 as reviewed by Josh Raynolds.

2014: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Limpid ruby-red. Highly perfumed aromas of black raspberry, cherry cola, exotic spices and sandalwood pick up a floral overtone as the wine stretches out. Palate-staining red berry preserve, blood orange, rose pastille and spicecake flavors become deeper with air while maintaining vivacity. Finishes on a suave floral note, displaying superb clarity, lingering spiciness and silky tannins that merge smoothly into the energetic fruit. 93 Points, Vinous.

2013: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Brilliant red. Spicy and brisk on the nose, displaying lively red fruit, floral and succulent herb character and a hint of vanilla. Juicy, focused and light on its feet, offering energetic raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that take a sweeter turn as the wine opens up. Shows very good depth for the vintage, with no rough edges and a long, subtly tannic finish that leaves notes of cherry pit and star anise behind. 91 Points, Vinous.

2012: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Brilliant red. Potent mineral-tinged aromas of black raspberry, cherry-cola and smoky Indian spices, with a hint of lavender in the background. Concentrated yet lithe on the palate, offering intense dark berry compote and bitter cherry flavors that slowly become sweeter with aeration. Chewy tannins come on late, adding grip to the very long, penetrating, fruit-driven finish. 93 Points, Vinous

2011: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Lucid red. Red and dark berries, incense, lavender and smoky minerals on the pungent, exotically perfumed nose. Juicy black raspberry and cherry flavors are lifted and given spine by juicy acidity and a hint of peppery spices. Finishes lithe, spicy and penetrating, with fine-grained tannins and emphatic floral and cherry pit qualities. 92 Points, Vinous.

2010: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Bright red. High-pitched cherry and Asian spice aromas are deepened by notes of sassafras, woodsmoke and cola. Stains the palate with sappy red and dark berry flavors and tangy acidity adding lift and cut. An exotic floral nuance emerges with air and carries through a long, sweet and persistent finish. While this energetic pinot is built to age, it has a lot of immediate appeal. 93 Points, Vinous.

2009: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Bright red. Heady, exotic aromas of candied red fruits, sandalwood, lavender and rose. Juicy, sweet and focused, offering fresh raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that put on weight with air. Shows an array of spice and floral qualities on the finish, along with notes of candied raspberry and bitter rhubarb. Wild stuff, and balanced to age. 93 Points, Vinous.

2008: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir Wadenswil Clone Willamette Valley

Bright red. Displays an array of red and dark berry scents, along with notes of cherry-cola, pungent herbs and baking spices. Sappy, deeply pitched cherry and black raspberry flavors are well concentrated but surprisingly lively, picking up a zesty mineral quality with air. Dusty tannins add grip to the sweet, incisive finish. This benefits a lot from air; it was fermented with all whole clusters, as are all the pinots here. 91+ Points, Vinous.

2007: Amalie Robert Estate Pinot Noir The Reserve (100% Wadenswil) Willamette Valley

Limpid red. Bright strawberry, raspberry and Asian spices on the nose, with a seductive note of potpourri that gains strength with air. Sappy, spicy, attractively sweet red fruit flavors are energized by tangy blood orange and white pepper nuances, with a note of medicinal cherry adding grip. Plays deep cherry off tangy strawberry on the finish, which is precise, lively and very long. This will age on its energy and balance. 93 Points, Vinous.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate: 2018 Spring Cellar Report

Hello and Welcome,

This is the 2018 Spring Cellar Report from Amalie Robert Estate. A FLOG communication.

There are all sorts of clichés, but in the wine industry we are always looking for our niche. In fact, a niche cliché is what we are looking for today.

At the end of harvesting 100 tons of wine berries over the course of 7 weeks, we were “As delighted as the dog that actually caught the car.” And since we farm on hillsides, we would remind everyone that “..it doesn’t run uphill.” But after turning 100 tons of wine berries into about 16,500 gallons of wine, we are leaning-in “Like trying to get a drink out of a fire hose.”

But now that Spring is beginning to emerge, we are onto the next big thing – Blending for Complexity.

We turn back a vintage and begin our quest for the Hers and His reserves. You see we “barrel over”. That is in fact different from “being over a barrel” which seems to be a Hollywood thing.

To “barrel over” means to hold your wine in barrel over the next vintage. At Amalie Robert Estate our Pinot Noir and Syrah are in barrel while the next vintage is coming into the winery. At the end of the day, we are looking to have our Pinot Noir in barrel for around 18 months and our Syrah for closer to 26 months. And yes that requires us to have twice as many barrels, and a place to age them, than wineries that empty their barrels after 11 months so they can refill them with the next vintage.

And there is more than one way around the barn, or through the cellar. There is always a fast way, a wrong way, and the Ernie way. Other than increasing costs, the Ernie way has the added benefit of extended barrel maturation. This allows our whole cluster tannin to soften naturally over time. There is no need to add fining agents that modify the aroma, flavor, taste or texture of our wines. You are getting the real deal from Amalie Robert - time in a bottle. Or think if it as a message in a bottle.

The other way to do it is to add something that will soften the whole cluster astringency and advance the wine’s maturity window. Historically, egg whites and ox blood were used. This continued until winemakers realized that chicken eggs were a lot more economical than other additives. However, fish bladders are still in use for white wines to this day. Hey Google, “What is isinglass?”

By the time we get to blending, our Amalie’s Cuvée (Hers) and Estate Selection (His) Pinot Noir wines have been in the same barrel they were filled into for about a year. No racking from barrel to barrel allowed. The yeast lees that came down from the press with the wine are now settled in the bottom of the barrel. And since our barrels are on their side, the bottom of the barrel is called the bilge. Directly opposite the bilge is the bung. This is how you know the barrel is in the correct wine maturation position.

Our job is to select about 20 or so barrels of wine that contain our favorite wine from the vintage. Since we harvest, ferment and then fill barrels from each of our 42 blocks separately, we have the ability to taste the wines grown from each and every one of our vineyard blocks. This allows us the ultimate flexibility in creating our Hers and His reserve blends. But be careful what you ask for, as that adds up to about 200 and some barrels per year. You can’t boil the ocean.

What we can do is critically evaluate about 10 barrels of wine per session. This is usually an afternoon thing. And we seem to be predisposed to Friday afternoons. It’s just our thing. Oh sure, we can taste wine from more than 10 barrels in an afternoon – no problem there! However, the problem comes the next day when you are trying to decipher the notes of barrel number 16 - what language is that? That is why 10 is the magic number, at 4 pm, on a Friday afternoon.

Some people will take a more technical approach and begin evaluations in the late morning or early afternoon. And that is all well and good. But we blend our wines with an eye toward enjoying them with a meal and with friends. We start to get a little wine craving in the afternoon and feel this is the better time for us to critically evaluate wines. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Once we make the first pass through the cellar, we can usually get our favorites list down to about 20 or so barrels and that is a good place to start. The magic number for the Hers and His Reserves is 12 barrels each, about 300 cases worth. Logistically, this is three of our blending tanks, so even though the 13 barrel blend is good, there is nowhere to put it.

Now comes the hard part, finding which of those 20 barrels of wine are going to make the final cut to get us down to 12. There are plenty of algorithms to use to sort them. From our Computer Science days, we could use a bubble sort, a merge sort or a quick sort. Or we could actually taste them and rank the aroma, flavor, texture and finish. Hopefully this illustrates one of the reasons we left the hi-tech world for wine.

Once all of our barrel samples are ranked on their criteria, we begin blending a few samples together. The joy is when the barrels combine to build enhanced aroma, flavor, texture and finish. We can adjust the blend naturally by including a sample that is more high toned, or contributes more structure. If the finish is too astringent, we can swap out a barrel for something softer. We call this blending for complexity. It does take discipline, attention to detail and several iterations. Another benefit of our approach, is that we do not have to add aforementioned fining agents to modify our wines. We just look to swap a barrel that helps to temper the blend.

And that is how we get from 20 individually stunning barrels of wine, to a blend of 12 that combine into a wine that is as sublime as the day is long. Of course, Dena has veto power. If the blend doesn’t feel just right, then it’s back to the blending bench. Often times this is in the kitchen, which is handy when we are evaluating the blend for its culinary suitability.

And let’s spend a minute on the Farmer barrel. As each vineyard block is harvested, fermented and sent to barrel separately, we can get a read on how Ernie managed the vineyard. And that is where the Farmer barrel comes into focus. We are not giving away any trade secrets here by telling you that each fermenter fills about 4 barrels. The first barrel is brand new each year. The next two barrels have been filled two or three times. And then there is the fourth barrel, the Farmer barrel.

The Farmer barrel is always dead neutral. That means that if it did not come over to the New World on the Mayflower, then it has been filled (and by definition emptied) several times. The result is that there is no oak influence left in the barrel. This barrel, the Farmer barrel, is where we can evaluate how the fruit from the vineyard is showing without any oak influence whatsoever.

This feedback is quite useful to the Ernie who farms our field. He can dial in his vineyard management program of leaf pull, cover crops, hedging, vineyard floor management, thinning and harvest strategy to modify the aroma, flavor, texture and finish of our wines.

Spoiler Alert: All of those aroma, flavor, texture and finish characteristics in the finished wine are a natural evolution from not only the terroir, but also the human factor of what was or was not done as a response to the vintage. And all of our vineyard management techniques and viticultural practices are site specific to Amalie Robert Estate as we farm our own field, and no one else’s. Good to know.

The feedback loop is YUUGE when it comes to our stainless steel fermented whites such as Her Silhouette Chardonnay and Our Muse Viognier. Stainless steel fermented white wines are the most transparent exemplars of terroir you will find. And the GWZ’R Gewürztraminer is coming, so please be patient. It takes a while to build up to critical mass with just 24 vines.

The making of iPinot. So, after the Hers and His, we have a few barrels that are quite pleasurable, but “didn’t make the team” Hers or His. What to do? Ah yes, these reserve level barrels, when blended among themselves make quite a compelling wine from the vintage.

iPinot and the three halves of Pinot Noir. People will tell you there are only two halves to Pinot Noir. It doesn’t have to be that way. Let us explain. The first half of Pinot Noir is the brilliantly elegant color refracting with a simple twist of the wrist releasing a heady bouquet – Very nice indeed.

The second half of Pinot Noir is when it colonizes your palate. Lively, delineated, lithe and tart, supple and sweet - all the things that stunning Pinot Noirs are made from. And then comes the third half of Pinot Noir – the scintillating and enduring finish of refined whole cluster stem tannin.

Fermenting with whole clusters extracts a little tannin from the stems. If you want to experience this for yourself, purchase some table grapes, remove the fruit and chew on the stems. Do it in front of the mirror for the full effect. Wowza!

However, over time, oxygen makes its way to the wine and gently softens this astringency into refined tannins. These refined tannins manifest themselves as a silky mouthfeel contributing length and a more than just subtle grip to the finish. That is the third half of Pinot Noir.

For all of you analytical types out there, try this exercise. Everyone knows that 50 is half of 100. And most people will tell you there are only two halves to a whole. But are there not three 50's in 100? Sure there are: 0 – 50 is a 50; 25 – 75 is a 50; and then there is 50 – 100, the third half! That makes three halves to a whole. Who’s got change for a $100?

iPinot is sold direct from the winery. If some day Apple is looking to acquire a winery, well let’s just say we trademarked iPinot with an eye toward the future.

Now it would not be a FLOG communication from Amalie Robert Estate if we didn’t do the numbers. Let’s see here, how about 94? That’s as good a number as any. It also just happens to be the review Ernie’s 2012 Top Barrel Syrah earned from Vinous in early February 2018. Not only is this the highest score ever for an estate grown Willamette Valley Syrah, it is the first 94. And that is the thing about being the first one, no matter who follows, you are always the first one!

Let's review, shall we:

The stainless steel fermented white wines are a window into our terroir. 2016 Her Silhouette Chardonnay is our Chablis style, stainless steel fermented Chardonnay where we block the malo-lactic conversion.

“Brilliant straw-yellow. High-pitched Meyer lemon and green apple aromas are complemented by suave jasmine and zesty mineral notes. Tangy and focused on the palate, offering bitter citrus zest and pear skin flavors that pick up a gingery accent with air. Shows a hint of fennel on the finish, which lingers with strong, subtly sweet tenacity. 91.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

2016 Our Muse Viognier is stainless steel fermented Viognier. This is part of Ernie’s Northern Rhône program. The 2016 vintage earns a 93 point review and an “Editors’ Choice” from Wine Enthusiast on April 1, 2018. (Tomorrow’s news today!)

“Pale green-tinged yellow. Bright and precise on the nose, displaying fresh white peach, tangerine and pungent floral qualities along with delicate honey and white pepper flourishes. Juicy, focused on light on its feet, offering juicy orchard and pit fruit flavors that are given tangy cut by an orange zest nuance. Finishes silky and long, featuring lingering florality and a hint of candied citrus fruits. 91.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

The 2014 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay is our BFC (Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.) Fermented in a new 500-liter puncheon each year, this is our answer to White Burgundy, Chassagne-Montrachet in particular.

“Limpid yellow. Ripe pear, Meyer lemon, vanilla and smoky minerals on the deeply perfumed nose, along with hints of jasmine and candied ginger that build in the background. Supple and well-concentrated, offering expansive citrus and orchard fruit flavors complemented by brioche and toasty lees nuances. The floral note repeats emphatically on the very long, supple finish, which is energized by a jolt of zesty acidity. 92.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

Rosé is the newest category in the Amalie Robert Estate portfolio and we have doubled down. Our original Rosé of Pinot Noir is called Pinot in Pink Rosé. Fermented in stainless steel with vivacious acidity to “crush it” on the lanai, or veranda, or even the back patio. Yes, it’s really that versatile.

“Lurid orange-pink. Mineral-accented red berries, citrus fruits and rose pastille on the expressive, sharply focused nose. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering concentrated raspberry and tangerine flavors that show excellent clarity and spicy lift. Powerful yet lithe, delivering strong closing thrust and a lingering suggestion of candied flowers. 91.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

Our latest effort, 2016 Bellpine Pearl Rosé is where you end up if you are thinking about making a base wine for sparkling wine. This wine is made from the wings of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. In the weeks leading up to harvest, Ernie has the crew thin the wings from the main clusters. After a gentle pass through the press the juice picks up a little color and then is fermented in stainless steel.

“Full orange. Dried red berries, orange pith and pungent flowers on the mineral-accented nose. Concentrated red berry and citrus fruit flavors are accompanied by a spicy element that adds back-end lift and cut. Rich yet lively, delivering solid closing thrust on a long, supple finish that echoes the berry note. 90.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

The ALT-Reds:

And there is good news for all of you Pinot Meunier fans out there! The 2015 vintage earns another 91 point review from Vinous. The pinnacle for us was the 2014 vintage. Last year the 2014 Pinot Meunier earned the highest rating of any Pinot Meunier from Oregon with a 92. They say it is a fine line between genius and insanity. What a difference a point makes. While the 2015 vintage has “left the building,” the 2016 Pinot Meunier is released and ready to go!

2015 vintage: “Brilliant red. Spice- and herb-tinged cherry and red currant scents, slowly joined by subtle woodsmoke and cola notes. Chewy and focused on entry, offering bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that flesh out and become sweeter with air. Nicely concentrated but lively as well, showing strong closing thrust, dusty tannins and a lingering cherry note. 91.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

And that brings us to the Syrah program at Amalie Robert Estate, aka Côte Rôtie from Oregon. Lucky Block 13 has 4 clones of Syrah all sourced from the cool Northern Rhône growing region called Côte Rôtie. Côte Rôtie is often referred to as the “Burgundy of the Rhone.” Hmm, sounds intriguing.

Due to a lack of focus and attention to detail during the grafting process, we have a few Viognier plants interspersed in Lucky Block 13. Sauce for the goose, as they say. Ernie said something quite different the first year he saw the Viognier grapes in his Syrah block. Nonetheless, he took it all in stride and chose not to dig them out. Besides, after three years, they had put down some serious roots. Farmer first, winemaker second, aka Winegrower.

While we harvest, ferment and barrel all of our 30 plus acres of Pinot Noir by block, Ernie drills down to the next level with Syrah. He harvests each row of Syrah separately. This is the only way he can maintain the clonal integrity of the block. Dena just smiles and remembers when they first met. “Yeah, Ernie is wired a little differently.”

About half of all the Syrah berries go in the fermenter on the stem as whole clusters. That’s a lot of astringency in a young wine, and it is going to take a while to unwind, but Ernie loves the tactile structure you can only get from whole cluster fermentation. No matter, these wines are built to slowly unwind over time. And that process starts with about 26 months of barrel maturation encased within 1,200 tons of concrete below grade in the cellar at Amalie Robert Estate.

After that amount of time things have mellowed out, a bit. Then it is time to see just what has evolved over the past couple of years. This is when we find out if we have a “Top Barrel” candidate from the vintage. If so, that single barrel is bottled separately as the Top Barrel Syrah and the remaining barrels are blended to create our Satisfaction Syrah.

2011 vintage Top Barrel Syrah: “In a thrilling cool-climate experiment, the team at Amalie Robert planted syrah and viognier on a single acre in a cool vineyard west of Salem, drawing from the four clones that Marcel Guigal recommended on a visit to Oregon. This wine barely crosses the threshold of 12 per cent alcohol, and in most respects would be thought of as backward. But the aromas - carob, smoke and olive - are resolved and mature, the flavors composed and quiet, dark red fruits marked by charry, mature tannins. Decant it to serve with lamb. 91.” - Year's Best US Syrahs, Patrick J. Comiskey, Wine & Spirits Magazine, February 2018

Included in the recent “Oregon’s Expanding Palette of Wines” from Vinous, February 8, 2018, is a little note about our Syrah program.

“Amalie Robert, whose vineyard is in the western part of the Willamette Valley, makes a very strong case for Syrah, but production of their two graceful wines is painfully small, as in just a few barrels of wine per vintage.”

2012 vintage Top Barrel Syrah: “Brilliant violet. A complex, expansive bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, smoky Indian spices and potpourri, backed by subtle olive and cola nuances. Sweet, sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering intense blueberry, cassis, bitter chocolate and spicecake flavors and a strong suggestion of candied violet. Strongly channels the savory qualities of the northern Rhône and finishes extremely long, smooth and spicy, with subtle tannins building slowly. 94.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

Please note, the 2012 Top Barrel is the highest rated Syrah from the Willamette Valley and the first to earn a 94 point review from Vinous. So for now, the Top Barrel reigns supreme.

2013 vintage Top Barrel Syrah: “Lurid ruby. Pungent, spice-tinged boysenberry, cherry pit and licorice scents are complemented by suggestions of cracked pepper, violet and woodsmoke. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry and dark berry flavors that unfold slowly on the back half. Decidedly lithe, even Pinot-esque compared to its 2012 sibling, featuring good tension and spicy cut on the very long, gently tannic finish. 92.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

Ah yes, a Syrah with a Pinot-esque finish. That's how you know your Syrah was made by a Pinot guy. Not to be confused with Pinot made by a Syrah guy. For those of you who demand Satisfaction, here it is!

2011 vintage Satisfaction Syrah: “The 2011 Syrah Satisfaction includes 50% whole-cluster fruit of four Rhône clones (plus a touch of co-planté Viognier vines). Not picked until November 14, it has an attractive bouquet with macerated red cherries, Provençal herbs, juniper berries and a touch of melted wax. The palate is medium bodied with ripe red berry fruit mixed with blueberry, Seville orange marmalade and a healthy pinch of white pepper lending the finish that Rhône “vibe.” Very linear at the moment, the finish is quite tight. I would actually cellar this for one or two years as it should replay handsomely. 91.” - The Wine Advocate, March 2015

2012 vintage Satisfaction Syrah: “Vivid ruby. Heady spice- and mineral-accented raspberry and cherry scents show excellent clarity and pick up subtle woodsmoke and cola nuances as the wine opens up. Alluringly sweet and precise on the palate offering intense red fruit liqueur blood orange spicecake and violet pastille flavors that show a suave blend of richness of vivacity and no rough edges that I can detect. Finishes very long sappy and smooth with fine-grained tannins lending gentle grip. 92.” - Vinous, January 2017

2013 vintage Satisfaction Syrah: “Bright ruby. Fresh cherry and dark berries on the nose, along with hints of incense, olive paste and candied flowers. Energetic and focused in style, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors and spicy touch of cracked pepper that appears on the back half. Finishes very long and precise, displaying repeating spiciness and dusty tannins that lend gentle grip. 90.” - Vinous, February 8, 2018

And that about wraps it up for the Spring Cellar Report. The Monthly FLOGs will start up again with the April update where we expect an early bud break, despite the late snow fall. That’s Mother Nature's sense of humor for you, what a kick in the pants! As farmers, we have learned it makes a difference which way you stand.

We realize that our communications are a tad bit longer than most that come across your inbox. Kind of like shoving 10 pounds of it in a 5 pound bag. Or as Ernie would tell you, that’s how we get three halves into our Pinot Noirs.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: 2017 Harvest After Action Report (HAAR)

Hello and Welcome, 

This is the 2017 Harvest After Action Report (AAR) from Amalie Robert Estate. A FLOG communication. 

The Great Cluster Pluck of 2017 began at Amalie Robert Estate in September by harvesting the wings of Pinot Noir for our Bellpine Pearl Rosé, and after much ado with our well pump, motor and wiring, we resumed with the Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The Great Cluster Pluck of 2017 concluded in November with our cool climate, Côte Rôtie style Syrah and Viognier. 

And along the way to the New Year, there was the vintage extending two and a half months of fermentations, punch downs and ultimately pressing the red wine from the depleted skins and stems. This was about the time the tractor with the front forks that moves this material lost the ability to travel in reverse under its own power. This is why it is nice to have a sturdy chain and a Dodge Diesel Dually available. And a replacement tractor. Thanks Tom!

And a note about the well. By definition, a well is a hole in the ground that has water in it. This is a very nice thing to have. However, without the means to extract the water from 180 feet below the surface, a well is, well, not that useful. And that is why it is nice to have a competent plumber available. Like Forbes Plumbing. Thanks guys!

Meanwhile, the temperature dropped for a natural cold stabilization of our Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Bellpine Pearl Rosé, so we had to make time to steward those finished wines to bottle and top them off with a wee bit of natural tree bark, aka cork.

So from the start of September through nearly all of December, this was Ernie having his way with about 100 tons worth of wine berries. Looking back on this four month protracted ordeal, it could also be reasonably stated that the wine berries, the well and the tractor all had their way with him.

How to tell if you are out of water. After a successful day of gently pressing the wings of Wadenswil, 667 and Pommard clone Pinot Noir it was time to wash down the equipment. But first, let’s review what it takes to make the Bellpine Pearl Rosé. You need the following items and the time to execute the production and clean up plan:

Freshly plucked wings of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir (we go back and pluck the main clusters when they are fully mature).

A press to gently extract the clear juice from the be-winged wine berries and just a hint of color from the skins.

A pan to collect this sublime “Pinot in Pink” juice, with a valve that is attached in such a way that it can be fully opened and closed. The first processing day of the vintage always provides a great opportunity to refresh oneself on how (and why) all the bits and pieces fit together.

A pump to transfer the freshly extracted juice to a clean 1,000 liter stainless steel tank – about 250 gallons is all it will hold. This is nice to know in advance, during the planning portion of the day, before the production portion of the day ensues forthwith. A functioning drain, while effective in its own duties, is the receptacle of last resort.

Add in all of the obligatory hoses and various sundry bits and pieces and you too can make Rosé.

Note: While electrical power is also required to operate the equipment, it is not the focus of this section. We lost power after all of the wine berries were harvested. Once again, the Dodge Diesel Dually with a power inverter and 100’ extension cord saved the day. Punch down, we would like you to know, is a fully manual and hands on affair that does not require electrical power and continued unabated.

And then comes the wash down, with water. It all starts off so easily. Rinse everything down with cold water first to wash away the sugary juice and then move to ever hotter water to clean and eventually sanitize the equipment. So simple, even a winemaker can do it!

When you come to the point in the process where you are fully activating the hose nozzle while looking straight down it’s barrel, you are out of water. Instinctively we all know you can pull a vacuum but you cannot pull a hose, so we look to see if there is a kink in the hose. Nope, clear all the way back to the hose bib (still) mounted on the wall. And a second look confirms both the hot and cold valves are at least partially open.

Right. Down to the pumphouse we go. Here we find the hole in the ground that presumably has water in it. A circuit breaker box that controls the flow of electricity to various pumps and controllers that sense low water pressure and activate said pumps. And a 2,500 gallon above ground tank that Ernie had installed when we built the winery. Clever indeed.

But the circuits were all fine and the breakers were not tripped. Then we discovered a giant clue – the 2,500 gallon above ground tank was empty. Worse yet, it was not being refilled. It’s as if all the circuits were asleep or on break. But they were not asleep or on break. At this point, the notion that you cannot restore your own water crystalizes in your frontal lobe providing a sense of urgency and immediate focus on the plumber’s phone number that you have programmed on speed dial.

And that is how you know you are out of water.

But things designed by humans can usually be repaired by humans, albeit usually by bringing to bear a more intelligent design (and financial resources) than the original implementation. And that was the set of circumstances that restored our water supply. And harvest began, in earnest, the following morning.

As far as the wine berries are concerned they had quite a vintage. Just consider their itinerary of events leading up to the Great Cluster Pluck of 2017:

November 2016 through April 2017: Let’s have a nice relaxing winter rest while the humans scurry about pruning and tying down a fruiting cane. Hmm, looks nice. Maybe take up some nutrients from the fall cover crop and sluff off a layer of bark. Nothing too demanding and certainly not in any hurry. We have 6 months off!

March 53^rd Budbreak: Whoa! Is it spring time already? What is that guy on the tractor up to? What a rude awakening! Time to push out the new buds and get some leaves going on.

June 11^th Flowering: And here they are! This year’s bouquet of flowers. That sure makes the property smell fine! Meanwhile Ernie is figuring to add 105 days of ripening and looking at a harvest window in late September. Little does he know about the impending well issue.

August 6^th Pinot Noir In Flagrante! Blushing wine berries start to emerge throughout the 55,000 vines. Just a few at first, but given time they all join in.

August 21^st In the Path of Totality: The vines were treated to their first total solar eclipse. A Double Diurnal Day!

Photo by Vincent Cantwell

September 22^nd Winging It: The first wings make it to the winery for the Bellpine Pearl Rosé.

October 5^th OOW (Out Of Water): It’s a well thing.

October 12^th: The Great Cluster Pluck begins!

From a climate point of view, 2017 continues the de-escalation of the last few overly hot vintages providing us a degree day total of 2,279. See below for a 15 year retrospective.

And once again we held out for rain and were handsomely rewarded. Most everything we plucked came in with very moderate sugars and nice hang time. The Chardonnay, however, was letting us know, that pretty soon it would be time to go.

You see Chardonnay does not really like rain. It can handle a little, but much more than just a passing conversation and Botrytis starts to take hold. The odd mauve colored wine berry tells us that they have developed pretty much all of the aroma and flavor we are going to get. If we let it hang through another shower or two and the temperature rises, the Botrytis will take over. So, we take it at first light when the buckets are clean.

Rainfall for October was 4.70 inches. Total rainfall for the vintage was 14.10 inches and distributed throughout the growing season as follows:

And then it got cold. While most everyone, if not in-fact everyone, was finished with harvest, Ernie was holding out for his cool climate, Côte Rôtie inspired Syrah and Viognier. We took the Viognier first and it went straight to the press and then stainless steel. The resulting juice was a very cool 40 degrees. Not a lot happening at 40 degrees, microbially speaking, so Ernie deployed his tried and true 300-watt fish tank heater. That pretty much did the trick and the following day the juice was fermenting and flocculating with great abandon. The dazzling aroma of white peaches and honeysuckle and tamarind filled the fermentation deck.

Now, what do you call a hole in the ground with ash coming out of it? No, that would be our neighboring grape growers lighting burn piles while we are still hanging fruit. The more correct answer is a volcano.

Lucky block 13 is the Syrah block. That is 4 Northern Rhône Syrah clones represented by 1,188 vines covering just short of one acre and is Cluster Plucked by clone. The oddly interplanted Viognier is treated as a light skinned Syrah clone and co-harvested and co-fermented with its dark skinned cousins. In the winery, we use about 50% whole cluster and ferment in the same 1.5 ton fermenters as we use for Pinot Noir. This is Syrah made by a Pinot guy. Which is quite a different thing than Pinot made by a Syrah guy. Maybe.

The fermenters started out that morning at 42 degrees. Hmm. Ernie thought to himself. I wonder if the indigenous yeast that came in on those wine berry skins will take off at 42 degrees. Not only did those two fermenters take off, it was so cold that all of the fruit flies died off before they could get in the fermenters. It was a Cluster Pluck miracle! And we just happened to end up with about 10 gallons of Syrah Rosé. So many wines, so little time.

But then it got real cold and Ernie was concerned, that maybe just perhaps, the fermenters would get too cold to finish fermenting. So he lined up the press and a nice new barrel, and he pressed the wine down to our below ground cellar.

“It will finish in barrel,” he proclaimed with a grin. “It will finish fermenting with the yeast from within!”

And with the Syrah safely tucked into barrel, we conclude the 2017 Harvest After Action Report (AAR).

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie