2012 Dijon ClonesRedacted red leads to a mélange of dark berries, baking cocoa, incense and tilled earth. The palate is silky, yet restrained, and offers a texture that reveals a harmonious blend of deep flavors within a framework of acidity and tannin. From the “Trundling Thunder” vintage where the tighter they are wound, the farther they will take you. Unfined and unfiltered.
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Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Vivid red. Pungent red and dark berry scents are complemented by underbrush, mocha and sandalwood, with a mineral element adding lift. Juicy and concentrated on the palate, with spice-tinged black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors becoming sweeter with aeration. Dusty tannins sneak in late on the long, focused finish, with the berry and spice notes echoing emphatically.
- Vinous, October 2015 – 93 points
2011 Dijon Clones
LED red introduces aromas of dark cherry and sweet blackberry interlaced with exotic cinnamon, cardamom and incense. A rich mid-palate offers up an exacting expression of red fruits, spice and sassafras relinquishing control to a core of tilled earth and minerality backed by scintillating stem tannins and strapping acidity. Unfined and unfiltered.
- Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Bright red. Potent red berry, floral pastille and incense aromas, with an exotic hint of blood orange emerging slowly. Lithe and sharply focused, with its intense raspberry and bitter cherry flavors communicating a suave blend of power and finesse. Delivers a wallop of sweet red fruit character without any excess weight and finishes spicy and very long, with a bright mineral note.
- Vinous, October 2015 – 91 points
2010 Dijon Clones
Dark Moroccan silk red introduces exotic aromas of alspice, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and Chinese five spice. The wine presents an array of lithe red fruits with an underlying tilth from stem tannin providing evolving complexity without the burden of excessive ripeness. The signature Dijon Clones finish is a culmination of extended barrel aging and a mélange of fine grained stem tannin, acidity and minerality. Unfined and unfiltered.
- Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Bright red. Heady, exotic aromas of fresh red berries, Asian spices and potpourri, with subtle smoke and mineral nuances adding complexity. Silky, expansive and appealingly sweet, offering intense raspberry and rose pastille flavors and a strong spicecake quality that builds on the back half. Pure, focused and strikingly persistent on the finish, which is firmed by fine-grained, harmonious tannins.
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2014 – 92 points
2009 Dijon Clones
Preserved cherry red alludes to spiced fruit aromas of candied cranberry, Montmorency cherry, red raspberry, quince and cinnamon supported by freshly turned soil and underbrush. The palate integrates our signature Dijon Clones blend of ripe red cherry, cocoa and earth with fine grained stem tannins, and bright acidity providing tension and length. The long finish is a culmination of extended barrel aging and a mélange of tannin, acidity and minerality. Unfined and unfiltered.
- Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Bright red. Sexy, spice-accented aromas of red berry preserves, potpourri and sandalwood, with a touch of cola in the background. Shows very good intensity and sweetness, offering lithe raspberry and cherry flavors and a hint of bitter blood orange. Closes on a spicy note, with excellent clarity and persistent sweetness.
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2012 – 92 points
2008 Dijon Clones
Reflective red offers up candied spice cake, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and incense. Fully ripe pie cherry precedes a tightly focused core of raspberry, cocoa and cultivated earth relenting to a mid-palate expression of minerality and mounting acidity, then yielding to a thorough finish of echoing acidity and Darjeeling tea. 192 cases produced. Unfined and unfiltered.
- Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Light, bright red. Seductively perfumed, expressive aromas of dried red berries, allspice and cinnamon, with a slow-mounting floral quality and a hint of blood orange. Light in body but potent, offering sweet redcurrant and raspberry flavors that stain the palate. An intense spicy overtone carries through the nervy, mineral-driven finish. Lots of flavor intensity here but there's zero fat on this wine.
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2011 – 92 points
Lovely aromas of rose petals and silky fruit, leading into a soft, seductive and expressive wine that definitely sits on the feminine side of Pinot Noir. Following its smooth introduction, the sculpted tannins kick in, adding grip, depth and length.
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine, December 2011 - 92 points, Top 100 Wine of the Year
Northwest Palate Magazine, Sept/Oct 2011 – Highly Recommended
Oregon Wine Awards, May 2011 – Double Gold
The 2008 Pinot Noir Dijon Clones displays an enticing nose of cedar, spice box, violets, black cherry, and plum. This sets the stage for a moderately structured, spicy, sweetly fruited wine with good volume and length. Give it 1-2 years to fully blossom and drink it through 2018. All of the Amalie Robert Pinot Noirs come from the winery’s 30-acre vineyard in Dallas, Oregon. They are late releases from the outstanding 2008 vintage.
- Wine Advocate, October 2011 – 90 points
2007 Dijon Clones Not Produced (Please see the Vintage Debut tasting notes)
2006 Dijon Clones
The 2006 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir is true to the soil and true to the vintage. Aromas of crushed wild raspberries, rose petals and nutmeg introduce a palate rich with Montmorency cherries and Oregon strawberries. The core of sweet fruit and underbrush is punctuated with dried lavender and cocoa.
The integrated tannin and acidity balances the intense red fruits and provides a mouth coating and persistent finish. Unfined and unfiltered. 1,030 cases produced.
- Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes
Bright red. Christmas spices and red berry aromas are complemented by an exotic orange peel quality. Light-bodied red berry flavors are brightened by tangy minerality and white pepper, with a fine dusting of tannins adding grip. Gains weight with air but remains lively. Clean and brisk on the finish, which emphasizes tightly wound, slightly tart red berries and bitter cherry skin.
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008 – 89 points
From the estate vineyard, this blend of several Dijon clones was fermented with indigenous yeast, 10% whole cluster, cellared a year in one third new French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Young vines give it youthful cherry and berry flavors, with a lively mouthfeel and highlights of herb, spice and mocha.
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine, September 2009 – 90 points
Burghound.com, January 2010 – 89 points
Oregon Wine Awards, May 2009 – Gold