THe Wine

The 2016 vintage Wädenswil Selection is 120 bottles of sublime Pinot noir from a single barrel of high-elevation Wädenswil clone 2A. The wine is from a single block of 100% estate-grown and hand-harvested Pinot noir that was fermented and manually punched down in a small 1.5-ton fermenter with estate-grown indigenous yeast and about 25% whole clusters. The wine will continue to mature in barrel until the auction and will be bottled unfined and unfiltered. Wines true to the soil, Wines true to the vintage®. Our vineyard soil parent material is sedimentary and the soil series is Bellpine, a well-drained silty clay loam with about 24 to 36 inches of effective rooting depth. Our aspect spans southeast to southwest with elevations ranging from 480 to 650 feet above sea level. Our 55,000 vines are densely planted at 1,452 vines per acre and cover about 35 acres. The trellis is VSP and Ernie the “farming genius” manages our canopy to present an elegant expression of Pinot noir. We are located in the last best place to grow Pinot noir™.

The fruit for this year’s Wädenswil Selection was grown in Block 21, which is a part of eight acres that we refer to as the “North Orchard.” The previous farmer grew Montmorency cherries, and that is what he called that part of the property. It seemed like a fine name to us, and we carried on the tradition. Block 21 represents about an acre (1,452 vines to be precise) of Wädenswil clone 2A grafted onto 5C rootstock. While the 2016 vintage was another warm one, our high-elevation planting and vintage-extending 5C rootstock slowed the ripening curve to allow full aroma and flavor development. A single 1.5-ton fermenter yields four barrels and was the vessel that transformed these ethereal wine berries into the magic that is the Amalie Robert Estate 2016 Wädenswil Selection.

Of course we would be remiss if we did not mention the indigenous yeast and whole cluster inclusion that adds our signature midpalate texture and scintillating finish. And we do not wish to be remiss. Barrel maturation is the gift of time. The Amalie Robert Wädenswil Selection will see 18 months in barrel to soften the astringent tannins and reveal the inherent beauty of our vineyard site and in particular the North Orchard. The wine will be bottled without filtration or addition of any fining agents. The final closure will be a fine little piece of tree bark, aka a natural cork.

One of the many benefits of growing our own wine is the understanding of how the fruit is maturing. Among all of the most important decisions we must make each year, when to harvest is clearly the most important. Harvesting the fruit when the aromas and flavors are at their optimal ripeness is our goal. Bear in mind "optimal" is a relative term, but it is vintage-specific. You can read all about it in our 2016 Harvest After Action Report. The 2016 vintage Wädenswil Selection is a purposeful expression of Amalie Robert Estate. The soils, climate and winegrowing are all balanced and in tune with the vintage—Wines true to the soil, Wines true to the vintage®. A quintessential exemplar of the vintage, this wine delivers a full frontal lobe experience. Waft the fruit! Our quest for the best wine in our cellar ends where your quest for acquisition begins. Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction will be your only opportunity to acquire the 2016 vintage Amalie Robert Estate Wädenswil Selection. We encourage everyone to bid early, bid eagerly and bid often! – Dena & Ernie

The Winery

Amalie Robert Estate was founded by Dena Drews and Ernie Pink in 1999. We left the corporate world behind, and today Amalie Robert Estate is a 60-acre property with 35 acres of sustainably farmed vines and a state-of-the-art, gravity-flow Pinot noir winery. In our second careers, the guiding principle is stewardship—we are winegrowers. Our efforts in the field are rewarded with estate-grown Pinot noir that is “true to the soil and true to the vintage."® What’s the story behind the name? Amalie Robert is a combination of Dena’s middle name, “Amalie” (pronounced AIM-a-lee) and Ernie’s, “Robert.”

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