Amalie Robert Estate: March Spring Fling!
Hello and Welcome,
This is the March Spring Fling and photo journal from Amalie Robert Estate. A FLOG communication. Approximate reading time 0.5 ARB’s (Adult Recreational Beverages); Pictures only 0.2 ARB’s.
Well here we are, on the cusp of another Willamette Valley wine country spring! Vintage 2026 is still asleep and that gives us a little more time to prepare, less one hour from Daylight Savings Time (DST). We have come to accept that no matter what we do, we will oversleep on DST. So, we have embraced the inevitable and now schedule brunch for that week until we can get back in the groove.
The vines are still dormant, but they are getting ready for their big day – bud break. Here in Willamette Valley wine country, Pinot Noir bud break usually occurs right around April 15. The risk we run with an early bud break is a late spring frost. If you mail your Form 1040 late, then you get a penalty and interest. Unfortunate, but not uncommon...
Meanwhile, bottling continues forthwith. The Vintage 2025 Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Rosé are all very expressive wines. Vintage 2025 was a warm, dry year, and we were keen to Cluster Pluck before the wine berries got too far ahead of us. As we smell and taste these wines now, it appears we made the correct decisions. As always in farming, it is better to be lucky than good.
But this calm before the storm will not last. The first day of spring arrived on Friday, March 20. Add another 10 days and you have April Fool’s Day, the official beginning of the Vintage 2026 growing season! Not to be mentioned is the depreciating farm equipment and obligatory percussive maintenance that surely awaits us. As always, the devil is in the details and we are old adversaries.
In This Communication:
The BIG Picture
Fun with Numbers (Nerds)
“Mad as a March Hare”
Pinot Meunier DEEP DIVE!
Pinot Meunier Spring Fling!
Planning a Trip to the Willamette Valley? Now is the Time
The BIG Picture
Despite what we see on the calendar, Mother Nature has her own schedule to keep. The early blooming bulbs are now blooming and adding an accent of aroma and color.
Fun with Numbers (Nerds)
The modern term is STEM which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. But back in the day, we were just called NERDs. Note that term was first used in a Dr. Seuss book “If I Ran the Zoo.”
Case in point was September 16 of last year. Those three numbers are 9, 16 and 25. Also known as the Pythagorean theorem. A squared plus B squared equals C squared for right triangles. (9 + 16 = 25)
If you missed it this time around, this sequence repeats again in about 99 years on September 16, 2125.
“Mad as a March Hare”
Another mathematician (mathematical logic) is responsible for the popularity of this phrase. Lewis Carrol wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865.
Its meaning then was to convey completely crazy, insane, deranged, or extremely eccentric behavior. In modern American lexicon, it could more likely be put as someone with “A wild hair (hare) lodged up their posterior”.
“You want to grow what!?” Dena asked incredulously. “Pinot Meunier. It is the third grape of Champagne. Everybody knows that.” Ernie replied with a faux hair flip. This gave Dena a moment of pause. Ernie didn’t really have the right haircut to pull off the hair flip, but that was not the point. Not everybody knows Pinot Meunier is the third grape of Champagne.
“You had me at Champagne,” she confessed. And that sealed the deal. Block 1 was planted with 802 Pinot Meunier vines in the spring of 2001. Just a tad over half an acre, this is the only block of Pinot Meunier we grow. But add that to a little Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and hey, bubbles could happen! Alas, like most fairy tales, Dena is still waiting for her bubbles to appear. But it is that time of year - hope springs eternal!
Pinot Meunier DEEP DIVE!
Alright, let’s talk NERDy! As most of you have likely suspected, Pinot Meunier is related to Pinot Noir. But how? It turns out that Pinot Noir is a genetically unstable variety, and Pinot Meunier is thought to be a mutation of Pinot Noir.
Let’s break that down. The term “genetically unstable” as it applies to wine berries, means that from time to time a cluster will be genetically different than the rest of the clusters on that vine. That is called a mutation. The mutations in the Pinot Noir family usually are in the DNA responsible for anthocyanins which dictate berry (and wine) color. You can spot them at harvest time if you are paying attention.
Another way to think about mutations is to substitute the word “anthocyanin” with “natural or biopigment”. However, anthocyanins are specific to the red/blue color spectrum.
Note: Most red wines contain significantly more anthocyanins (red/blue biopigment) than the 5 found in Pinot Noir, and as a result produce darker hued wines. Think Syrah and Zinfandel. And to follow this through to its logical conclusion, if your Pinot Noir looks like someone’s Zinfandel, then you have most certainly done something wrong.
Genetic mutations happen naturally. Pay close attention at the Thanksgiving table this year. If you don’t see any genetic mutations, go look in the mirror. If the wine grower detects a cluster mutation on the vine, then we have the possibility of a new wine. The cluster showing the mutation is isolated from the vine and then propagated. There are three known Pinot Noir mutations that are made into wine commercially. You are most likely familiar with Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and now Pinot Meunier.
Each of these new wines have virtually identical DNA to Pinot Noir. They also all share the same 5 anthocyanins. But where they differ is in how those anthocyanins behave in the formation of color. You can think of Pinot Blanc as the original “White Pinot Noir” as it has lost all the color due to its mutation. Pinot Gris shows a little color in the skins and Pinot Meunier has yet a little more, but not as darkly hued as Pinot Noir.
As far as Chardonnay is concerned, it is not a mutation of Pinot Noir, but the result of a cross. The two parent varieties of Chardonnay from cross pollination are Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc.
OK, so what’s the connection to Champagne? First off Pinot Meunier is indigenous to the Champagne region, whereas Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were brought in from Burgundy. It is these three grapes that form the base wines for Champagne. Sparkling wine made from these three grapes grown in Champagne, or any combination thereof (including 100% Pinot Meunier), can be called Champagne.
From the winegrower point of view, Pinot Meunier is a less risky variety to grow in a cool climate. Pinot Meunier is more cold hardy than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. It buds out later in the spring (thus reducing frost risk), ripens earlier, and tolerates cooler, damper conditions better. This means the growers stand a better chance of a successful harvest. And getting paid. Growers like to get paid.
What can I expect from Pinot Meunier made as a red wine? Pinot Meunier fermented on its own will offer complex aromas of raspberries, rose petals and floral notes leading to a supple and plush palate texture. Fermented without stem inclusion, the tannin structure is soft, however Pinot Meunier retains a strong core of acidity. And expect Pinot Meunier to be on the lighter side of Pinot Noir due to its biopigment mutation. Remember, it’s a feature… not a bug.
Our interpretation of Pinot Meunier is a very floral, medium bodied wine with moderate tannins and firm acidity. We do not mature this wine in new barrels, so there is no heavy oak influence to impair the inherent beauty of Pinot Meunier. We find that Pinot Meunier provides its greatest pleasure as a young wine, often enjoyed within 2 to 3 years of the vintage. We have recently experienced Pinot Meunier as a chillable red during the summer, and it does not disappoint.
Amalie Robert Estate Tasting Notes 2024 Pinot Meunier: Translucent Carmesi Red attracts in a subtle come-hither manner. Rewarded with perfumed red rose petal and freshly harvested summer raspberry aromas, the palate is intrigued. But not left wanting from the pure expression and exacting delivery of fruit, tannin and acidity served up from a long stemmed wineglass. For no longer than a moment, a pleasant distraction conjures memories from a time gone by and an inkling of the undiscovered dalliances that are yet to be. Unfined, unfiltered and definitely unafraid, Pinot Meunier. 101 cases produced.
Culinary Inclinations: For the foodies among us, Pinot Meunier is your secret pairing wine. The Pinot family of wines, as “genetically unstable” as they are, make the best food pairing wines. Pinot Meunier can cover the gamut from a warm duck confit salad at lunch to a charcuterie board for a starter or steelhead to braised quail with sautéed wild mushrooms for the mains. It is just that versatile. Serve with a slight chill in a Pinot Noir stem and let the magic happen... to you!
Pinot Meunier Spring Fling!
The next major culinary opportunity of the year is Easter which arrives on April 5. Ducklings and bunnies are all the rage, but your dining companions may be a little bit sensitive to your choices. Nonetheless, you may want to consider pre-selling them on your intended main course. Most people need a dentist, or a doctor or a lawyer from time to time, but everyone needs a farmer (or winegrower) at dinner time.
As the weather turns warmer, lighter bodied reds are just the ticket. And we want you to be ready!
Our 2024 vintage Pinot Meunier is just singing right now. Take full advantage of our Pinot Meunier Spring Fling with 10% off on a 12-bottle case (20% off if you are a member of the A-List) and shipped direct to you for just a nickel! The Pinot Meunier Spring Fling shipping credit will be manually adjusted when Dena confirms your order. Winery pickups are also available, so stay tuned for our Earth Day Open House.
Be ready for Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Dog Days of Summer and all the other 365 days of the year! No matter what time of year it is, Pinot Meunier, is SO there for you!
Wine Shipping Update for 2026: All 12-bottle case orders (mix and match encouraged) receive up to a $40 shipping credit. 6-11 bottle orders receive up to a $15 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. We also suggest a UPS or FedEx drop point to a climate controlled facility to allow you to pick up your wine at your leisure.
And it’s better on the A-List! A-List members receive a 10% discount on any 1-11 bottle purchase and a 20% discount on 12-bottle case purchases. Please email Dena to hook you up!
Planning a Trip to the Willamette Valley? Now is the Time
It’s not going to rain forever, probably. We think the record is 40 days and 40 nights, but don’t quote us on that one. If you are thinking about visiting the Willamette Valley during the summer when it is DRY, we have prepared a handy little guide to the Willamette Valley AVA’s.
Get your FREE guide to the Willamette Valley AVA’s here!
Fully featured and loaded with information you can actually use! Which AVA is the biggest? When was the Willamette Valley AVA established? What are the soil types? Who grows what wine? Where the heck is Mt. Pisgah and why should I care? Whether you are experiencing a DRY spell or not, it’s all here for you! And wine fly’s free on Alaska Airlines, just sayin’.
Amalie Robert Estate is open year round by appointment for vineyard tours and tastings. Request a tasting appointment with your preferred day and time.
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