Best Case Scenario: Amalie Robert Estate Selection Pinot Noir 2008

Because of my recent string of traveling to New York, Spain, Washington and all over Oregon, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to pop the top on another stellar Oregon Pinot Noir from my 12 pack of Best Case Scenario wines.  For the first time in 3 months, I’ve had the entire day free of any engagements.  So what does a Pinot Noir loving gal like me do? I pulled the cork out of the 2008 Amalie Roberts Estate Selection Pinot Noir, took the bottle and my favorite Riedel Oregon Pinot glass out on my back patio, put my feet up and enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation.

Let me tell you, the ’08 Amalie Robert Pinot is outstanding.  I recently described another Oregon Pinot Noir as having aromas of chocolate covered cherries, which describes the Amalie Robert, as well.  Added notes of violets, herbs and fall spices roll onto the palate in beautiful juicy, silky waves – creating a mouthfeel that  is round and full.  Rich flavors coat the mouth, but what I loved most is that the cherry notes were perfectly balanced by lovely tannins and acidity.

Founders, owners, farmers, growers, fermenters, blenders, winemakers, marketers and partners, Ernie R. Pink (the Robert in Amalie Robert) and Dena Drews (the Amalie in Amalie Robert) handle and manage every aspect of Amalie Roberts Estate.  Leaving their corporate lives behind them, Ernie and Dena moved to Dallas, Oregon in 1999 when they purchased a 60 acre cherry orchard from a retiring farmer and started to covert it into a vineyard.  Not long after, their grapes were being purchased by well-known wineries like Beaux Frères, Cristom and Elk Cove, to name a few.

What is your winemaking philosophy?  We have been growing wine in Oregon since the turn of the century. We prefer the elegant and sexy side of Pinot Noir and tailor our farming practices to achieve this end.  The variable in Oregon is Mother Nature.  Each vintage we take special care to protect the virtue of Pinot Noir by not overexposing the berries to the sun, or over extracting the delicate and subtle aromas in the winery.  We seek balance over power.  Barrel aging is an 18 month maturation period where the wines build complexity, finesse and come of age.

How has your style evolved over the last 5-10 years?  The last few years in Oregon have seen the coolest and longest ripening periods in the history of the State.  There is a good chance wines of this character may not be seen again for quite some time.  We have always embraced the “less is more philosophy” in Pinot Noir.  We very much enjoy the layers of complexity that develop from a cooler, and often times more challenging, vintage.

What do you love about Oregon Pinot Noir? What makes it unique?  The aroma.  The goal of winegrowing is to develop the flavors and aromas you desire in the berries skins.  We think of Pinot Noir skins as little flavor and aroma packets.  Our job is to ripen the flavors and aromas we desire and steward them as carefully as we can into the bottle.

Tell us about the 2008 Amalie Robert Estate Selection Pinot Noir.  Amalie Robert Estate is located in the North Willamette Valley, just east of Salem, where all of our wines are estate grown and bottled.  Each year we produce a Hers (Amalie’s Cuvee) and His (Estate Selection) reserve barrel selection.  The “Estate Selection” blend is made by co-founder and co-owner Ernie Pink.  While preserving the inherent beauty of Pinot Noir, Ernie is seeking a full pallet expression of the vineyard – a wine true to the soil, true to the vintage.

What is one non-flavor descriptor to describe this wine?  Permeating – This wine permeates your senses with floral fruit character and refined stem tannin from whole cluster fermentation that melds with trenchant acidity to produce a lingering and persistent finish.  This wine will reward extended cellaring as long you are able to keep the cork in the bottle.

By appointment only (503-882-8833), visit Amalie Robert Estate at 13531 Bursell Road, Dallas, Oregon 97338  www.amalierobert.com

*This wine was provided to me for review purposes