Hello and Welcome,

It was on this day, December 5th, 1933, that the great social experiment known as Prohibition was ended by the congressional ratification of the 21st amendment to the constitution. In what may be the most effective and efficient legislation known to this great country, here is Section 1 in its entirety:

“Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.”

Prohibition lasted 13 years. That’s about the same amount of time that the next great social experiment known as “Social Media” has been gaining ground. During those 13 years, there were some people who did not cope well. Another parallel to social media. Some folks were issued “Liquor Prescriptions” for their ailments. Today, you get banned or censored. That may be changing, maybe not.

But not at Amalie Robert Estate. We celebrate the ratification of the 21st amendment with the release of 2 new wines! We realize it has been a while, but if it wasn’t for the last minute, there would be no time at all.

Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means.®
This is our Brand Terroir. The repository of our farming history at Amalie Robert Estate. We have over 200 posts going back some 20 years. It’s all out there on Substack, and your subscription is FREE. More than you would ever want to know about the agrarian endeavor of farming wine. Browse our index of posts by vintage. You can also view Substack without subscribing.

Follow us on Instagram @AmalieRobert.
Every picture tells a story. If you would like to see what we see, when we see it, check out our Instagram account @AmalieRobert. You can follow us and if you see something interesting, you can “like it”. We’ll be glad you did.

LAST CALL: December 10th and 11th Open House!

The winery will be open this weekend, December 10th and 11th, from 10 am to 3 pm by appointment for tasting and wine pickups. This will be our last open house of vintage 2022. Ernie’s Syrah may actually be done fermenting by then, maybe not. If you come by this weekend, please remember there is a reason he looks the way he does. Follow this link to request a tasting appointment with your preferred day and time.

New on the scene for this weekend is our scintillating Dijon Clones Chardonnay, vintage 2021. We employ 1,000 liter stainless steel tanks to ferment this wine. It is crisp, clean and has an abundance of flavor and palate cleansing acidity (No Butter, No Oak and No Smoke). If you frequent crabs, prawns, oysters and other fruits of the sea, this wine may just fit your style.

Tasting Notes: Haystacks Yellow* invites aromas of Lily of the Valley and Meyer lemon zest carried on a seaside breeze. Firm but yielding on the palate providing depth of fruit and a voluptuous mouthfeel framed by scintillating acidity. Tastes like a summer day. Hand Harvested.

Culinary Inclinations: Pan seared sea scallops atop grilled asparagus and surrounded by sundried tomato fettucine Alfredo

* Monet began a series of paintings of haystacks in the summer of 1890. These paintings, of which there are more than 25, would become defining examples of impressionist painting. His haystacks elevate the status of common bales of hay, highlighting the importance hay plays in agriculture and sustaining life. Impressionism, and Monet specifically, often give importance to working class elements of life, like farming, by painting them.
https://www.cmonetgallery.com/monet-haystacks.aspx

This one is done fermenting, and even has a cork in it - Satisfaction Syrah vintage 2018. Cool climate Syrah akin to the Northern Rhône is what we grow here. Ernie sourced 4 clones of Syrah tailored to suit to the cool climate of Côte Rôtie and planted them in the North Willamette Valley. And he uses all the vintage he can get to ripen them with a typical November harvest. Did someone say lamb chops? Who said that?! This is supposed to be a safe space.

Tasting Notes: Rorschach Ink Red, your frontal lobe is savagely set upon by a barrage of garrigue, charred brisket, rosemary and unbridled desire. Your pheromone rush has just been delivered. A structured assault on the palate teases with supple fruit and velvety textures leading to a much firmer grip as whole cluster tannins make their presence felt resulting in a long and reverberating finish. Hand Harvested, Unfined and Unfiltered.

Culinary Inclinations: Grilled lambchops with sautéed red potatoes, parsnips and morel mushrooms, served aside a spinach soufflé. Blue cheeses are obligatory.

If you are looking for anything else to hold you through the holidays, please follow the link on our Purchase Page for our latest offers and shipping information. Due to Old Man Winter’s icy grip, cross country shipping is currently on hold. We look forward to Mother Nature’s more permissive attitude to resume cross country ground shipping.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Fruitful New Year. And if you also happen to be “Living the Dream” (aka enduring the agrarian experience), we too are hopeful for a better price on diesel in the coming year.

Kindest Regards,

Dena & Ernie

Winemaking: The Continuation of Terroir by Other Means. ®

Amalie Robert Estate: Happy Holidays…