Amalie Robert Estate Climate Update: June 2025
Hello and Welcome,
This is the June Climate Update and Photo Journal, Vintage 2025, from Amalie Robert Estate. Approximate reading time 1.11 ARB's (Adult Recreational Beverages); Pictures and video only 0.51 ARB's.
Here we have a first look at Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Vintage 2025. This cluster of Dijon Clone 114 grafted onto 5C rootstock is just hanging out at the end post of block 11. That’s where we planted it at the turn of the century. And once they put down roots, they are not going anywhere.
The vines’ relentless growth is upon us. Mother Nature is egging them on with a little precipitation and steady, but moderate heat. The field crew is kicking ass and taking names, but the vines’ growth remains undeterred.
It takes many hands to raise the catch wires up to capture the vines’ explosive growth. Catch clips hold the catch wires into the notched posts. We run three sets of catch wires and raising the first set is the hardest. Unless you wait too long to do the second set, then it is the hardest. The end result is about 208,000 lineal feet of canopy, or what Ernie refers to as his solar array. And then it is hedger time!
In This Communication:
Situational Review
Equipment Corner
The Emotional Support Numbers (and Beverages)
What Does That Mean, and Why Should I Care?
Save the Date! Open House Saturday & Sunday, July 12 & 13: Crushable Whites and Chillable Red
Traveling to the Willamette Valley?
Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®
Other Resources
iPinot® Pinot Noir 6-Pack Digital Offer
iPinot® Pinot Noir - a reserve level wine without the reserve level price. iPinot® Pinot Noir is created from reserve quality barrels of wine selected for our “Hers and His Reserves” - Amalie’s Cuvée and Estate Selection Pinot Noirs. Once the final “Hers and His Reserve” wines are blended, we have a few reserve level barrels of wine left to blend. We blend these cellar worthy barrels of wine together to create iPinot® Pinot Noir - a reserve level wine without the reserve level price.
Experience cellar worthy, Willamette Valley iPinot® Pinot Noir by Amalie Robert Estate. We are offering select vintages of iPinot® Pinot Noir for our 6-Pack Digital Offer!
Situational Review
The volunteer cherries around the property are ripening up nicely. We have one wild cherry that Ernie has dubbed the “Dental Cherry”. And that is because the pit makes up about 98% of the whole fruit. It looks like a cherry, all vibrant and fire engine red, but beware actually trying to eat it. Best not to bite down too hard, if at all.
And the good news for us is that the birds seem to leave the cherry trees alone, well, mostly. The robins and starlings have noticed the cherries turning vibrant red. They have a keen sense for detecting such events, including when the wine berries turn purple. And when hunger overwhelms their sense of danger, they just can’t help themselves.
The resident hawks have also noticed the cherries turning red, and for a similar reason – They have little fledglings to feed. But they are not so much looking at the cherries as a source of food, but more as a means to an end.
In the agrarian world, there are birds that eat fruit, and then there are birds that eat birds. And if you are growing fruit, you want to befriend and encourage the birds that eat birds that eat your fruit. By the time the Great Cluster Pluck sets upon us, those little fledgling hawks will have grown and be providing air cover for our ripening wine berries.
On a related note, free vineyard labor is always welcome, but often comes with less-than-ideal results. This year, Ernie is going to get a little help with hedging. In fact, the new crew has already started hedging the Gewürztraminer. Ernie likes to hedge the top of the vines, but they can’t reach that high, so they are doing the best they can. Hard to complain.
The cover crops are coming along quite nicely. The buckwheat is starting to flower and that provides pollen (protein) nourishment for our ground forces. The vineyard floor is a harsh place to live if you are an insect intending to do harm to the vines. We have battalions of ladybugs, earwigs, all manner of mercenary spiders and an occasional frog that regularly patrols the grounds. No one knows for sure just how many we have, but we can confidently assure you it is ALOT!
Equipment Corner
There is a bit of a lull in late June as the field crew is putting up our catch wires. This is Ernie’s chance to do a little bit of routine maintenance and oil changes, which has historically led to a wee bit of percussive maintenance. Everything he drives burns diesel, actually biodiesel here in Oregon. Three Landini tractors, a Kubota RTV and “Gus, Gus the big blue bus” Dodge dually.
It has recently come to Ernie’s attention that the NEW Landini tractors are WAAAY different than the older models he drives. And the marketing of agricultural equipment has certainly evolved. This Instagram clip will bring you up to date on the latest mechanical advancements and marketing developments. Note: You don’t have to speak Italian to understand where they are coming from.
The Emotional Support Numbers (and Beverages)
Humans, like most sentient beings, are creatures of habit. We desire some form of emotional support (validation) that we are “in the zone.” The most basic example is checking the weather. We know that temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit are cold and we need to bundle up. Conversely, temperatures above 100 require a different preparation. These are referred to as quantitative measures and help us to understand and cope with our environment.
Your choice of a morning beverage, with or without accelerant, is another form of emotional support. The cup or mug (hot or cold) is there waiting for you, at your leisure. It provides a sense of emotional comfort knowing that, at least for the moment, in some small way, you are in control of your own environment. However, once you open E-mail, or text, and let others interact with your environment, then all bets are off. Bear in mind, they are operating in their own particular idiom, however misinformed that may be.
After a full day of people interacting with your environment, an evening beverage is often desirable. And in some cases, the evening beverage may in fact be an Adult Recreational Beverage (ARB). This would be considered more of a qualitative emotional support.
The growing season also has some emotional support guidelines that we can take comfort from. Other times they are a source of consternation. Either way, it is like your favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team winning or losing – it may or may not be your desired outcome but there is not so much you can do about it. However, the ARB is there to help you cope.
The June growing season brought with it 448.9 Degree Days. While this is not necessarily good or bad, it does bring the Vintage 2025 growing season to date total to 880.1 Degree Days. Remarkably, the first half of June contributed more heat units (233.8) than the latter half (215.1). And since June has 30 days, the sample period was the same duration, ceteris paribus. The high temperature of June 2025 was 99.0 degrees Fahrenheit recorded on June 9th at 3:48 pm, and the low temperature was 37.9 recorded on June 1st at 5:00 am.
We recorded 0.41 inches of rainfall on June 22nd. That comes out to about 11,133 gallons per acre and 7.7 gallons per plant. And they sure know how to use it. This brings the growing season to date rainfall total to 2.47 inches of measurable precipitation. All in all a very spectacular June! Good for the humans and the vines.
What Does That Mean, and Why Should I Care?
While June rainfall is not unheard of, it does present farming challenges. The most immediate is that all of that water goes into producing more green growth. This green growth takes the form of longer shoots and more leaves. Add in the warmer summer temperatures and the vines are quickly outgrowing our ability to capture them in the trellis wires. And it is blueberry season, so what farm labor that is available, we are now sharing with another agricultural crop. Only so many hands to go around…
The more concerning development from summer rainfall is the potential for botrytis at harvest. This seems like a long ways off but the end of September will be here about as fast as the end of summer school vacation.
June rainfall helps botrytis spores spread to the inside of the cluster where they will remain dormant. Then at the first sign of rain, usually mid-September, these spores activate and will begin to grow. The more rain, the faster they grow. And the faster our wine berries are compromised.
The concept is triage. What can we save, what do we want to save and what is a lost cause. Not the end of the world, yet, but something to bear in mind as the Great Cluster Pluck bears down upon us. Gives us something to look forward to…
Save the Date! Open House Saturday & Sunday, July 12 & 13: Crushable Whites and a Chillable Red
We will be open Saturday, July 12th and Sunday, July 13th from 10 am - 3 pm by appointment. Stop by to stock up on crushable whites (2024 Book Club White, 2022 Dijon Clones Chardonnay), rosé (2023 Book Club Rosé), and our chillable red (2023 Pinot Meunier). Perfect to pair with our warm summer days.
2024 Book Club White (New Release) - Gewürztraminer and Viognier team up to produce tropical aromas over a scintillating palate.
2022 Dijon Clones Chardonnay - Meyer lemon zest aroma and a starfruit palate entertain while a crisp and delineated finish awaits.
2023 Book Club Rosé - This is your time to relax, recharge rinse and repeat! Enjoy this crisp rosé with your unbridled imagination.
2023 Pinot Meunier - Raspberries over rose petals, the quintessential Pinot Meunier from Amalie Robert.
And what exactly is a chillable red? The short answer is Pinot Meunier. And that is because of the lighter body and insanely perfumed bouquet of this wine. A little chill on this bottle to around 60 degrees provides an exhilarating experience when paired with your favorite charcuterie board or other afternoon delight.
Are you Book Club curious?
Book Club series wines are about taking the time to be you. Kick off your shoes and sail away to other worldly pleasures, or just enjoy watching the world go by. This is your time. Relax, recharge, rinse and repeat.
Winemaking can get complicated, but relaxing at the end of a long day should not be. For us, the best part of making wine is coming home and changing into a pair of dry socks and pouring a glass of wine. Then imagine you are somewhere other than here. We created the Book Club series wines for just this luxury.
Click on the Big Blue Button to order your crushable whites and chillable red!
As we transition to a shipping credit option to replace flat rate shipping, the credit will be manually applied by Dena and confirmed with your order before shipping. Any order of 6 bottles or more will receive up to a $15 shipping credit. An order of 12 bottles or more will receive up to a $40 shipping credit.
All shipping options are available to you. You can apply your credit to ground shipping, or next day air. The credit also applies to Alaska and Hawaii shipments. Please email Dena for options.
As the weather warms up across the country, we may opt to use insulated shippers for 6-bottle and 12-bottle orders (at no additional cost) to protect your wines. We also suggest a UPS or FedEx drop point to a climate controlled facility to minimize travel exposure and allow you to pick up your wine at your leisure.
Click on Appointment Request to select your day and time.
Traveling to the Willamette Valley?
Planning to enjoy traveling and exploring the Willamette Valley? There are two primary gateways to the Willamette Valley. Most people are familiar with Portland International airport (PDX) at the top of the Willamette Valley. However, there is a second gateway in Eugene (EUG) at the south end of the Willamette Valley. Both of these airports service the major carriers.
Insider Tip: Alaska Airlines offers a Wine Flies Free program from both PDX and EUG. You will need to acquire a wine shipper box as you tour the valley. When you check in for your flight, indicate you have a case of wine, and it will be checked for FREE on Alaska Airlines. BONUS: Many wineries will provide you a FREE wine shipper box with a 6 bottle purchase.
Interested in learning about the newest AVA? Download our FREE guide to the Willamette Valley AVA’s!
Amalie Robert Estate is open year round by appointment for vineyard tours and tastings. Request a tasting appointment with your preferred day and time.
Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®
We are living the dream so you don’t have to. Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.® is a repository of our farming history at Amalie Robert Estate.
We have over 200 posts going back some 25 years. It’s all out there on Substack. You can visit the archive for FREE! If you want to see what we see on a more regular basis, follow us on Instagram @AmalieRobert.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
Other Resources
Visit our Website
Visit the FLOG Archive
Take the Amalie Robert Tour
Shop Amalie Robert Direct
Download your FREE Willamette Valley sub-AVA Guide
Alaska Airlines Wines Fly Free