Amalie Robert - It's a Pinot in Pink Thing!

Please join Dena and Ernie from 10 am to 3 pm this Saturday, March 25th and Sunday, March 26th for our March Open House and A-List releases. The tasting program will feature three fresh spring releases followed by a couple beautifully aged library wines.

2016 Pinot in Pink Rosé (new A-List Release)
The waning crimson of a springtime rainbow over the back 40 entices aromas of stargazer lily and fresh ripe raspberries punctuated by strawberry-rhubarb compote. A suave approach and a twist of the wrist introduce the palate to a fresh and crisp interpretation of Pinot Noir Rosé. Bursting summer berries with a broad palate appeal are only somewhat constrained by fresh and lingering acidity.

2014 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay (new A-List Release)
BFC yellow. Unbridled aromas of calla lily, freshly grated ginger, honeycomb and just crushed variegated lemon thyme intrigue the frontal lobe as the svelte and vivacious wine explores your palate. The wines breadth is only matched by its depth and evolving flavors and textures as the mid palate yields to an effortlessly long crescendo.

2013 iPinot Pinot Noir (optional release)
Desire red transcends the space and time between the glass and your palate. Evoking the senses to dark cherry, heirloom red rose, black raspberry, cola, tea leaf and hibiscus aromas, the juicy palate expression reveals an elegant and seductive expression of ripe red fruits, cinnamon and resolute, yet refined stem tannins that linger with intent.

2009 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

2012 Satisfaction Syrah

March brings out many wonderful things in the Pacific Northwest. Mother Nature really puts on a show with her kaleidoscope of colors and textures as the spring blooms intrepidly emerge. Surely the vines, and vintage 2017, cannot be far behind. And what a lovely vintage this is going to be!

But wait, you are out of wine! Oh sure, there is that odd bottle of whatever from that trip to wherever that has been in your cellar since whenever. Best to let sleeping dogs lie. The 2017 Amalie Robert Spring Repletion Event is happening now! And thanks to the USPS we are flashing you the 5 cent shipping signal, aka the Pinot Noir stamp. From a single bottle to multiples of 12 (which include case discounts), we are offering 5 cent shipping on each and every bottle. You can order your Spring Replenishment shipment here and use promo code “USPS2017” to claim your shipping discount.

The USPS however, has a minimum order quantity of 10,000 Pinot Noir stamps. That’s $500 plus shipping and handling (really) and will almost certainly destine this to be a very rare and collectible stamp.

As they say, hope springs eternal. But after living through the last Oregon winter, we are hoping for eternal spring! From record lows, and multiple snow events to hail storms and torrential rains, we are over received from old man winter. And then, we were robbed of an hour of sleep in mid-March. Maybe this Russia thing really has gotten out of hand.

As with the color spectrum of spring, the range of colors in Rosé wines can be overwhelming, limited only by the breadth and depth of your imagination. Each variety from Cabernet Franc to Zinfandel emulates a sliver of a rainbow. And if you have ever heard of someone who describes aromas and flavors as colors, then the rainbow of Rosé’s color palette is yours to complete. Alas, it is the same dilemma every year, so many wines, so little time…

And what better time for new Rosé wines than spring? Things are all anew and refreshed after a long winters nap. Brisk mornings and sunny afternoons are the order of the day. Dressing up the garden for an endless summer’s cornucopia of blooms and fresh produce is certainly a gateway activity to enjoying a chilled glass of Rosé as you admire your handiwork. Sunlight is captured and shimmers brilliantly as the wine swirls against a backdrop of apples, cheeses, strawberries and cured meats. If there were ever a reason to look forward to completing the Spring cleaning chores, a refreshing glass of Pinot in Pink Rosé would certainly be it.

First blush: 2016 Pinot in Pink Rosé
As harvest begins, we find there is always a bit of juice and a few wine berries at the bottom of our harvest bins. As it turns out, it is always the most developed wine berries that fall off the cluster and end up stranded in the harvest bins. We rescue these wayward wine berries and juice throughout our Pinot Noir harvest.

Each day that of harvest brings a few more gallons of juice and wine berries. They wait patiently in a fermenter for all of their clonal relations to come together. A few of the Dijon clones are usually represented in the first days of harvest. The Pommard clone is very gregarious and seems to be part of almost every harvest day. But it is the Wadenswil clone that is the hold out. Maybe it is the rootstocks, or the locations on the hill, or maybe they just need a little extra time to develop their magic. Ernie is patient with the Wadenswil clone and tries his best to make sure they get all the time they need. But whatever the reason, it seems Wadenswil is usually the last clone to leave the vineyard.

Once harvest is finally wrapped up, the complete lot of juice and whole wine berries is pressed to release all of their aromas and flavors and then fermented to dryness in stainless steel. The result is a vivacious Rosé with a striking color that presents the essence of Pinot Noir - Pinot in Pink Rosé. And next up will be the Bellpine Pearl, but that is a release for another month.

The 2016 Vintage: Playing chicken with Mother Nature. Vintage 2016 was another barn burner for the record books, but with a twist. The continuing pattern of warm night time temperatures established way back from 2012 was in full effect. But this year the water spigot did not get fully turned off during the summer and we recorded measurable precipitation every month during the growing season.

We bore witness to the blogosphere reporting the Willamette Valley once again had pre-mature fermentation with one of the earliest harvests on record. And once again, Ernie would not get out the harvest bins until we saw a little mid-September rainfall. Note: Playing chicken with Mother Nature is not for the weak kneed or timid.

And pretty much right on par with 2015, our first significant rainfall occurred overnight on the 16th of September with 0.36 inches being recorded. We could not believe it. The soils were as dry as the day before, but the rain gauge does not lie. The wine berries were drawing up that soil moisture and continuing to develop aroma and flavor, just as if we had planned it that way, which, in fact, we had.

The 2016 harvest began in earnest at Amalie Robert Estate on September 23. It was a young block of Wadenswil grafted onto 44-53 rootstock at the highest elevation of the property that began the show. And then the mystery of the vintage began to unfold. The 28th of September recorded 0.86 inches of rainfall followed the next day by 0.27 inches. The first couple days of October brought another 0.93 inches. That’s over 2 inches of rain in a week! Now, we are getting somewhere, but only if you were able to hold out for the rains.

Is ripeness sugar accumulation or aroma and flavor development with moderate tannins? When and why do you harvest and who gets to make that decision? This is where the motivation behind contract vineyards and estate grown vines becomes apparent. Some blink, some don’t.

And that is when we got with the program. With each passing day of harvest, the sugar concentrations were dropping and the aromas and flavors were coming on strong. And since we leave leaves to shade our Pinot Noir, the aromas and flavors were elegant and perfumed.

The temperatures also began to cool considerably in September. The vintage accumulated 2,177 degree days, but only 300 of those were in September and the last 40 came in by mid-October. The heat came on just like voting - early and often. And then it was over. Vintages have consequences…

You can read the full Harvest After Action Report (AAR) on our FLOG (Farming bLOG): http://amalierobert.blogspot.com/2016/11/amalie-robert-estate-vintage-update.html

Now that we have you all worked up, head on over to the company store and put together your Spring Repletion order. Don’t forget to use promo code “USPS2017” to take advantage of 5 cent shipping!

The tasting fee is $15, refundable with a 2 bottle purchase per person. A-List members with up to 4 guests will enjoy a complimentary tasting. All case purchases (including mix and match) receive a 10% discount. (A-List members receive a 20% case discount.) And there is always a free cork in every bottle!

Please contact Dena with any questions or to place an order at cuvee@amalierobert.com or by phone at 503.88.CUVEE (228833.)

We are located at 13531 Bursell Road, Dallas, about 20 minutes west of Salem. Driving Directions and Map

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Fee: $15 per person, refundable with 2 bottle purchase