Amalie Robert Estate Vintage Update: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir In Flagrante!
Hello and Welcome,
They are out there, blazing for everyone to see. They just can’t hide it! Those Willamette Valley Pinot Noir clusters are starting to show their true colors at Amalie Robert Estate. At first it was just a wine berry here or there. Then whole clusters started to turn. Pretty soon the entire vineyard will be sporting a new look!
Viticulturally, it’s called veraison which is French for color change in the vineyard. However, in flagrante is Latin, and that means to “blaze”, as in caught “red handed”. This term certainly adds a bit more artistic flair to the agrarian endeavor.
This year it was Block 25, Dijon clone 777 grafted onto 44-53M rootstock where we found our first blazing wine berry. That’s where you’d be if you found one. This clone has a tendency to set small clusters, and not that many of them.
That means there is less yield per acre, and Dijon clone 777 will ripen more quickly than other clones. And that means when The Great Cluster Pluck begins, Block 25 is one of the first blocks we include in the harvest target package. Get out the buckets, were goin’ Cluster Pluckin! It is certainly safer than harvesting huckleberries in Montana.
The date was August 3, Julian calendar day 216. The historical average date for color change is around August 15, so we are just a bit ahead of schedule. This is most likely due to the exceptionally warm start to July. However, the latter half of July and the month of August appear to be quite temperate.
Dijon clone 777 is also the base for our Dijon Clones Pinot Noir. It is the only blend that includes the Dijon clone 777. We start with the Dijon clone 777 as a base, then we tinker around a little bit with the other Dijon clones (113, 114, 115, 667, and 828) until we (meaning Dena) are enamored with the final blend. We never include any Pommard or Wadenswil in the Dijon Clones blend. Hence the aforementioned name.
Follow the Big Blue Button to harvest your own case of Dijon Clones Pinot Noir!
We suggest a UPS or FedEx drop point to allow you to pick up your wine at your leisure. It's better on the A-List. A-List members receive a 10% discount on any 1-11 bottle purchase, a 20% discount on a 12-bottle case purchase, and domestic ground shipping is always included with a case. Please email Dena for shipping options to Alaska and Hawaii.
But we are not there yet. There is a clear path to ripening that includes the possibility of a cooler 60 day pre-harvest ripening period. It could be that we get the full month of September for hang time to slowly develop aroma, flavor and texture.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we have all of August and wildfires to contend with. Not to mention the annual onslaught of yellow jackets. Plenty to keep us occupied.
Kindest Regards,
Dena & Ernie
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