Amalie Robert Estate - Pinot Noir / All Products

2016 Mistletoe Ridge™ Pinot Noir

Tue, 24 May 2022 17:10:26 GMT

2016 Mistletoe Ridge™ Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $80.00

We have been waiting quite some time to share this with you. Our Mistletoe Ridge™ Pinot Noir is a commemorative bottling recognizing the formation of the Mt. Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA. The vintage is 2016. This is the same year the Willamette Valley sub-AVA petition was submitted.

Our 2016 Mistletoe Ridge™ Pinot Noir is a 4 barrel selection from a very small area of the vineyard, less than 2 acres. The soil there is part of the Bellpine series, however it is very shallow and contains fractured ironstone. While fractured ironstone is not a root restrictive layer, it also does not hold very much soil moisture. Stones are just that way… Perhaps a sub-sub-AVA exists right here in a yet to be announced Willamette Valley sub-AVA? Too soon to tell, but the proof is in the soil and now the bottle.

Part of the discipline in laying out our vineyard was to isolate unique soil characteristics. We excavated several deep soil pits throughout our site and also took multiple soil core samples going down about 6 feet. This provided us with the intelligence we needed to match our rootstocks to our soil profile. It will come as no surprise to longtime readers of the FLOG, that this unique soil formation, elevation and aspect is planted to 5C rootstock, with the Pommard clone grafted on top. While we freely admit that it is better to be lucky than good, we also recognize that success favors the prepared mind.

Mistletoe Ridge™ Pinot Noir from Amalie Robert Estate.

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The Other Reserve Pinot Noir

Sat, 23 May 2020 11:59:03 GMT

The Other Reserve Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $150.00

The Reserve is an exclusive case selection of Pinot Noir representing our most intriguing wine in the cellar. The final blend represents countless hours of tasting wine from barrel. Only with such in-depth knowledge of our subject, were we able to select these two barrels of Pinot Noir.

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iPinot Pinot Noir

Sat, 23 May 2020 11:20:06 GMT

iPinot Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $38.00

iPinot is our way of connecting Amalie Robert Estate reserve quality wine directly with savvy internet consumers at the lowest possible price.

iPinot is reserve quality barrels of wine selected for our “Hers and His Reserves” Amalie’s Cuvée and Estate Selection. Once the final “Hers and His Reserve” wines are blended, we have a few reserve level barrels of wine to blend. We blend these barrels of wine together to create iPinot - a reserve level wine without the reserve level price.

Selling iPinot direct, harnessing the power of the internet, is a catchy concept, Amalie Robert has also caught the attention of some influential wine critics.

"...Dallas growers Dena Drews and Ernie Pink... showed me this July three of their reserve bottlings and thereby altered my perception of their endeavors. Since these are produced in only one- or two-barrel quantities, they offer an extreme instance of a phenomenon encountered at numerous Willamette addresses, whose really exciting releases are extremely limited. But they also testify, importantly, to what is possible; and what’s possible from this site in these hands revealed itself to be extraordinary!... And what a Syrah!" - David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate - October 2013

"Dena Drews and Ernie Pink have been quietly producing some of Oregon's most elegant and perfumed Pinots since the 2004 vintage. Their 30-acre vineyard outside the town of Dallas, abutting the famed Freedom Hill vineyard where Drews and Pink live, is painstakingly farmed and yields are kept low so production of these wines is limited. Winemaking includes abundant use of whole clusters, which is no doubt responsible for the wines' exotic bouquets and sneaky structure…"

- Josh Raynolds, Vinous - October 2015

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Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Sat, 23 May 2020 08:49:05 GMT

Dijon Clones Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $40.00

Dijon Clones is a blend ofPinot Noir clones representing a collage of vineyard blocks. As with all of ourblocks of Pinot Noir, these vines are individually hand harvested at their peakof flavor maturity and intensity. The fruit was fermented in small lots andthen matured in French oak barrels from a selection of coopers.

The Dijon Clones Pinot Noir is ablend of 7 Dijonclones sourced from 12 dry farmed blocks. The barrels of wine crafted from eachblock are culminations of the soil, rootstock, clonal selections and our uniquemicroclimates.

Much like an individual instrument in asymphony, each barrel contributes its own unique character to the finalcomposition. The individual clonal attributes are presented in the aroma andbouquet. The flavors and textures combine on the palate to provide depth andrich layers of Pinot Noir fruit that are distinctly Oregon.

As is the case withall of our Pinot Noirs, this bottling is 100% estate grown and hand harvestedfruit. The individual blocks were fermented with whole clusters and indigenousyeast from the vineyard. In the cellar, we aged the individual lots in Frenchoak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils,microclimates and stewardship of the land.

The 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

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Estate Selection Pinot Noir

Fri, 22 May 2020 17:32:21 GMT

Estate Selection Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $50.00

Estate Selection is an exclusive barrel selection of Pinot Noir representing the unique qualities of our vineyard. Every block within our 35 acre vineyard is individually hand harvested at its peak of flavor maturity and intensity. Block by block, the fruit is fermented in small 1.5 ton lots and matured for over 18 months in French oak barrels.

Every vineyard block and clone/rootstock combination showcases something unique and special from the vineyard. After fermentation is complete, the wine is placed into a selection of barrels to mature. We source French oak barrels from several coopers. The wine takes a different path to maturity in each barrel, developing its own nuances. Our use of whole clusters in each fermentation provides a continuously evolving tasting experience.

We taste all of our barrels of wine many times throughout the year. We experience the evolution of flavors and aromas and remember the significant events in our vineyard. The excitement of an early bloom, the mystery of a very light fruit set, the discovery of color change at veraison and the rapture of harvest. Tasting each barrel of wine provides us a snapshot in time. We experience the wine’s development.

It is usually during the spring when Pinot Noir in barrel begins to reveal the character of the vintage. Much like experiencing the lavender lilac bloom – you notice the color, then the hint of sweetness in the air and as time passes you are witness to the entire bloom – a testament to the season. This is when we begin blending trials for Estate.

The Vintage: Some like it hot, and if that is what you are into, then 2015 is your kind of vintage. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that. A clean, fully developed and relatively expressive vintage, 2015 (much like 2014) offers up a significant contrast to the frigidly cold yet scintillating vintages of 2010 and 2011. In the context of Pinot Noir vintages, there are showers and then there are growers.

We have grown wine in nearly the hottest and certainly the coldest vintages ever recorded in the Willamette Valley within a 6 year span. We have triumphed over vintages colder than Champagne, took what appeared to be rotted Chardonnay from Typhoon Pabuk and produced a Botrytis desert wine to rival Sauternes, sweltered under elevated evening temperatures and summer drought conditions that teased an unprecedented early harvest window. And, to borrow a line from Frank, “We did it our way.”

While some experienced pre-mature fermentation again this year, Ernie held out for rain before he pulled the trigger on Cluster Pluck 2015 (He looked so determined at midnight under the full moon doing the rain dance in block 2.) “Hey, whatever works...” Once again, this year the conditions were right for a sticky. This time it is Our Muse Viognier emulating the traditional late harvest beerenauslese style – complete with gold capsule.

You can read the full Harvest After Action Report (AAR) on our FLOG (Farming bLOG):
http://amalierobert.blogspot.com/2015/12/amalie-robert-estate-vintage-update.html

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Amalie's Cuvee Pinot Noir

Fri, 22 May 2020 17:12:43 GMT

Amalie's Cuvee Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $50.00

Amalie’s Cuvée is an exclusive barrel selection of Pinot Noir representing the unique qualities of our vineyard. Every block within our 35 acre vineyard is individually hand harvested at its peak of flavor maturity and intensity. Block by block, the fruit is fermented by indigenous yeast in small 1.5 ton lots and matured for over 18 months in French oak barrels.

Again this year, we selected the barrels of wine that offered supple elegance and presence. After repeated trials, a very special and familiar blend began to emerge. From year to year, we strive to reveal the elegance and grace of Oregon Pinot Noir. Amalie’s Cuvée is this blend.

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The Reserve Pinot Noir

Fri, 22 May 2020 17:03:24 GMT

The Reserve Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $100.00

The Reserve is an exclusive less than 50 case selection of Pinot Noir representing our most intriguing wine in the cellar. The final blend represents countless hours of tasting wine from barrel. Only with such in-depth knowledge of our subject, were we able to select these 2 barrels of Pinot Noir.

Every block of Pinot Noir within our 35 acre vineyard is individually hand harvested at its peak of flavor maturity and intensity. Block by block, the fruit is fermented in small 1.5 ton lots and matured for over 18 months in French oak barrels.

We taste all of our barrels of wine many times throughout the year. We experience the evolution of flavors and aromas and remember the significant events in our vineyard. The excitement of an early bloom, the mystery of a very light fruit set, the discovery of color change at veraison, and the rapture of harvest. Tasting each barrel of wine provides us a snapshot in time. We experience the wine’s development.

As we taste wine through the cellar, we can usually agree on when we have found the best barrel or two of Pinot Noir. When that happens, we find that we disagree on whose blend it is going into. And when we find that we agree to disagree, we have just found The Reserve.

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Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir

Mon, 18 May 2020 12:57:01 GMT

Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $65.00

Wadenswil Clone is a 2 barrel selection of Estate grown Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir.

The pioneers who began planting Pinot Noir in the North Willamette Valley began primarily with 2 clones of Pinot Noir – Pommard (French, of course) and Wadenswil (Swiss.) As the vines matured, high quality wines from both clones were grown in the valley, but the Pommard clone was gaining wide spread acclaim and notoriety.

It seems that the Wadenswil clone was not well suited to the land it was being planted to. Most of the early plantings were done on basalt based soils such as Jory. However success leaves clues, and we did discover something others may have missed.

When planning our vineyard, we were particularly intrigued with the Wadenswil clone wines we had experienced from sedimentary soil vineyards. The fragrant, intense, laser focused fruit aromas were relentless. It is no accident, but a strategic choice that we have several of our sedimentary soil vineyard blocks planted to the Wadenswil clone.

Further to the point, it seems that every year one of these Wadenswil blocks is a cellar favorite and a component of “The Reserve.”

It may seem that we go to a good deal of trouble to explain an inconsequential event, but it is not so. Wadenswil clone Pinot Noir grown on our sedimentary soils is, for us, what Pinot Noir is all about. The full range of Pinot Noir aromas and flavors along with a dizzying array of mid-palate textures and reverberating acidity define the Wadenswil clone.

As the wine maturates in barrel, we are continually “thieving” and evaluating each barrel. While written records are very important, especially as we age, our mental and physical impression of each wine drives us. As each sample is tasted and re-tasted, we begin to better understand what each blend represents and the promise it holds for future development.

While The Reserve is a blend of our very favorite barrels from the vintage, the Wadenswil clone blend represents our best expression of this pioneering clone.

As is the case with all of our Pinot Noirs, this bottling is 100% Estate grown and hand harvested fruit. The individual blocks were fermented with whole clusters and indigenous yeast from the vineyard. In the cellar, we aged the individual lots in French oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils, microclimates and stewardship of the land.

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Pommard Clone Pinot Noir

Mon, 18 May 2020 12:37:00 GMT

Pommard Clone Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $65.00

Pommard Clone is a 2 barrelselection of Estate grown Pommard clone Pinot Noir.

The pioneers who began planting PinotNoir in the North Willamette Valleybegan primarily with 2 clones of Pinot Noir - Pommard (French, of course) andWadenswil (Swiss.) As the vines matured, high quality wines from both cloneswere grown in the valley, but the Pommard clone was gaining widespread acclaimand notoriety.

There is a very good reason the Pommardclone was catching on. The Pommard clone represents all that is inherentlybeautiful in Pinot Noir. It is grown on all types of soils and is unique in itsability to reflect vineyard specific splendor, nuances and vintage conditions.While the eyes are the window into the soul, the Pommard clone expresses theinherent beauty of our vineyard through the lens of the vintage.

As the wine maturates in barrel, we arecontinually "thieving" and evaluating each barrel. While written records arevery important, especially as we age, our mental and physical impression ofeach wine drives us. As each sample istasted and re-tasted, we begin to better understand what each blend representsand the promise it holds for future development.

While The Reserve is a blend of ourvery favorite barrels from the vintage, the Pommard clone blend represents ourvery best expression of vintage and vigneron.

As is the case withall of our Pinot Noirs, this bottling is 100% Estate grown and hand harvestedfruit. The individual blocks were fermented with whole clusters and indigenousyeast from the vineyard. In the cellar, we aged the individual lots in Frenchoak barrels for a minimum of 18 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils,microclimates and stewardship of the land.

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The Uncarved Block Pinot Noir

Sat, 25 May 2019 15:21:24 GMT

The Uncarved Block Pinot Noir
Buy Now: $30.00

This is the story of the sculptor and TheUncarved Block. When a sculptorimagines a block of marble, he sees what others cannot. His chisel removes whatdoes not belong to expose the elegance and beauty of what was hidden. Thispurity of form is only revealed by careful and thoughtful action.

In our desire to produce wines ofintegrity and beauty, we have embraced a vision of the inherently purequalities of Pinot Noir. Our uncarved blockwas a cherry orchard that we sculpted into a 35 acre vineyard.

As is the case withall of our Pinot Noirs, this bottling is 100% estate grown and hand harvestedfruit. The individual blocks were fermented with whole clusters and indigenousyeast from the vineyard. In the cellar, we aged the individual lots in Frenchoak barrels for more than 12 months. The blend is a reflection of our soils,microclimates and stewardship of the land.

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