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About Amalie Robert Estate

A Brief History of the Pinot Family Wines

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Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Wine and Spirits Magazine

Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Wine Advocate

The Wine Advocate - August 2012

2010 Our Muse Viognier

Not picked until November 7 but still at only 13.3% alcohol, the Amalie Robert 2010 Viognier Our Muse – from a small parcel on the warmest part of their hillside – delivers a metaphorically cooling nose and subtly oily yet buoyant palate featuring honeydew melon, apricot, mint, acacia, and white pepper. Nut undertones, piquancy of apricot kernel, and pronounced salinity push the finish here into mouthwatering and invigorating prolongation and left me licking my lips in anticipation of the next sip. This distinctively delicious offering ought to prove highly versatile over at least the next 12-18 months, though I’d be very interested to learn whether it evolves positively thereafter. 90 points.

2010 Pinot Meunier

From an exposed and hardscrabble portion of their vineyard designed to administer tough love, and racked from barrel after 11-12 months (as opposed to the 18 months in barrel accorded their Pinot Noirs), Drews and Pink’s 2010 Pinot Meunier uncannily mingles exuberantly juicy tart cherry and red raspberry with rose hip, almond, and a pronounced, mouthwateringly savory sensation of salted veal and mushroom stock. I found it almost impossible to resist the next sip of this distinctively delicious as well as intriguing libation, and am sure it will prove impressively versatile at table over at least the next 2-3 years. 91 points.

2009 Amalie's Cuvee Pinot Noir

Representing as it does every vintage, an assemblage of owner Dena Drews’ 10-12 favorite barrels (in this case strongly favoring fruit from vines of Pommard Selection), the Amalie Robert 2009 Pinot Noir Amalie’s Cuvee delivers a strikingly complex nose of bittersweet floral perfume, toasted nuts, fresh red berries, and their spirituous essences along with those of myriad herbs. Silken textured and mouthwateringly salt- tinged, this finishes with impressive length and a complexity more than fulfilling the promise made to the nose. I would look for at least a strong six year run. 91 points.

2009 Satisfaction Syrah

The vines for Amalie Robert’s 55 cases of 2009 Syrah Satisfaction – a very early example of clonal diversity stateside for this cepage, and mixed by accident with some Viognier – were planted in response to Pink’s love of Cote Rotie and his having studied and drawn parallels between the climate of Dallas Oregon and that of Ampuis. It was not picked until November 7 – but still finished at a moderate 13.6% alcohol – and was vinified with 50% whole cluster. Dark berry fruit is garlanded with violet and gentian, then suffused with mouthwatering salinity and fitted with a stimulating peppery bite. The overall effect here is at once polished – with tannins finer than in several of the estate’s Pinot Noirs of the vintage – vibrant, and persistent. This ought to be worth following for the better part of a decade, during which I suspect some animal and additional mineral aspects will emerge. 91 points.

The Wine Advocate - October 2011

The 2008 Pint Noir Estate Selection offers up greater complexity and aging potential. Lovely aromatics and good richness on the palate suggest that this impeccably balanced wine will deliver enjoyment through 2023. 92 points.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Amalie's Cuvee offers greater depth and concentration. A captivating nose of wood smoke, allspice, brown sugar, violets, and assorted black fruits leads to a plush, moderately structured wine that will benefit from another 1-2 years of cellaring. This pleasurable effort will be at its best from 2012 to 2020. 91 points.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Dijon Clones displays an entcing nose of cedar, spice box, violets black cherry, and plum. This sets the stage for a moderately structured, spicy, sweetly frited wine with good volume and length. Give it 1-2 years to fully blossom and drink it through 2018. 90 points.

Amalie Robert Estate is a Wine & Spirits  Magazine 2011 Winery of the Year

Wine & Spirits Magazine  - Top 100 Tasting, October  12, 2011

Now in its eighth year, this highly anticipated annual event honors the 100 wineries that delivered the best overall performances in Wine & Spirits' tastings conducted during the past year. The "Wineries of the Year" will be profiled in the Winter issue of Wine & Spirits, which will be available on newsstands on October 12, 2011.

To read more: Amalie Robert Estate - a 2011 Winery of the Year

Wine Enthusiast Magazine - December 2011

2009 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay - 92 points.

2008 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir - 92 points.

Two Clusters - Highly Recommended

Wine & Spirits Magazine - October 2011

of dusty earth and red grape skins offer pretty flower blossom notes and a touch of cinnamon. Full-on sweet/tart flavors of raspberry and ripe cranberry are forward and lively on the palate. Accents of minerality, a touch of soap and talc, plus a floral overlay gives the wine dimension. Crisp acids and yielding tannins provide a healthy frame for the fruit. Though the body and texture are light and airy, the flavors are potent, and the wine finishes with echoes of fruit. Serve this with morel couscous and guinea hen.

Wine & Spirits Magazine - October 2011

2009 Heirloom Cameo Chardonnay

Year's Best Chardonnay article

A flinty scent of seashells enlivens golden delicious apple aromas in this lean, bequiling white. It has a voluptuous texture, with juicy pear flavors supported by a clean mineral line. That mineral foundation focuses it through long finish. For roast cod. 93 points.

2008 Estate Selection Pinot Noir

This juicy pinot exhibits bright strawberry scents, a dark red earth note and a hint of allspice. The flavors are assertive and brisk, the acidity pushing the wine like wind on a sail, the tannins firmly keeping the wine in line. Its tight construction suggests a long life. Cellar then serve with duck. 93 points.

2008 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir

A two-barrel lot selection of the Wadenswil clone, this dark red has a savory earthy foundation under black plum scents. With air, a smoky, wet soil note emerges ad the lush, dark cherry flavors gain prominence while brisk acidity and a modest stem-spice astringency shores up the finish. For coq au vin. 92 points.

2008 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

Earthy and savory, this has beguiling woodland scents along with rosehip tea and lemon peel. While the aromas are complex, the cherry jam and vanilla flavors feel broad. Cellar to serve with roast salmon. 91 points.

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - July/August 2011

2008 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Light, bright red. Seductively perfumed, expressive aromas of dried red berries, allspice and cinnamon, with a slow-mounting floral quality and a hint of blood orange. Light in body but potent, offering sweet redcurrant and raspberry flavors that stain the palate. An intense spicy overtone carries through the nervy, mineral-driven finish. Lots of flavor intensity here but there’s zero fat on this wine. 92 points.

2008 Estate Selection Pinot Noir

Bright red. Complex, perfumed bouquet offers an array of red fruit and floral qualities, with musky underbrush and spice notes and suave mineral lift. Sappy, deeply concentrated raspberry and cherry flavors are impressively lithe and focused, picking up candied rose and spicecake qualities with air. Fine-grained and seamless, with excellent finishing clarity and persistent spiciness. Boasts an impressive combination of depth and energy. 92 points.

2008 The Reserve Pinot Noir

Bright ruby-red. Seductive aromas of raspberry, Asian spices, potpourri and blood orange, with a note of white pepper adding lift and vivacity. Dry, nervy and very precise, offering tangy red fruit and floral pastille flavors and showing no excess fat. Seamless and pure on the finish, which lingers with outstanding tenacity and echoing spice and floral notes. 93 points.

2008 Vintage Debut Pinot Noir

Vivid red. Cherry black raspberry and sassafras on the fragrant nose. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering juicy dark berry and bitter cherry flavors and exotic spice and floral pastille qualities. The spicy note adds bite and cut to the long, energetic finish. Elegant for the vintage but not short on depth or flavor intensity. 91 points.

2008 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir

Bright red. Displays an array of red and dark berry scents, along with notes of cherry-cola, pungent herbs and baking spices. Sappy, deeply pitched cherry and black raspberry flavors are well concentrated but surprisingly lively, picking up a zesty mineral quality with air. Dusty tannins add grip to the sweet, incisive finish. This benefits a lot from air; it was fermented with whole clusters, as are all the pinots here. 91 points.

The aromas are exotic and pulse-quickening, exhibiting a Northern Rhone palette of smoke, tapenade and a hint of menthol. The palate is light and lean, as dry as a cool wind and racy - maybe a bit too racy, in fact, as it more or less finishes before any of the cool lavender and menthol can really register. But give it time: there's an exciting wine here needing bottle age to knit. 92 points.

Follow this link to read the 2008 Satisfaction Syrah tasting notes.

2008 Vintage Debut Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2008 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2008 Wadenswil Clone Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2008 Amalie's Cuvee Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2008 Estate Selection Pinot Noir: Double Gold

Follow this link to learn more about the Oregon Wine Awards.

Wine & Spirits Magazine - April 2011

2007 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

Year's Best Pinot Noir - 93 points

Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants - March 2011

2008 Vintage Debut Pinot Noir

The Amalie Robert Estate was founded in 1999 by Dena Drews and Ernie Pink. Since then, the duo has been racking up accolades from the critics and hardcore Oregon Pinot lovers alike. Their just-released 2008 Vintage Debut Pinot hails exclusively from fruit grown on their estate vineyard. Employing whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts and gentle handling in the winery, Amalie Robert has issued a beautifully transparent and gorgeously perfumed example of the acclaimed 2008 vintage. A brilliant ruby color in the glass, the 2008 Vintage Debut expresses spicy, cinnamon-tinged cranberry and loganberry aromas complicated by notes of vanilla bean. The fresh-crushed red fruit expression carries forward to the wine’s palate, where it’s complimented by suggestions of dusty earth, button mushrooms and subtle vanilla potpourri. The energy of the wine’s fruit crackles on its long, delicious finish. This is one of the most effortlessly graceful Pinots we’ve yet tasted from Oregon’s 2008 vintage. One for both the table and the cellar, Amalie Robert’s Vintage Debut will pair superbly over the short run with roast chicken, duck, pork and potatoes au gratin. But please place a few bottles in your cellar and let the wine’s latent earthiness emerge while its tannins soften. A great Oregon Pinot, and a splendid value at its price point.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine - March 2011

2009 Her Silhouette Chardonnay

Editors' Choice

Tart and slender, this is deceptive at first it seems a little thin, but as it opens in the glass into a succulent, well-defined, racy wine with citrus and peach, mineral and herb. It's not delicate, but its muscularity is concealed behind elegant styling. Editors' Choice. - P.G. 90 points.

Oregonian Food Day - February 8, 2011

Katherine Cole

2009 Amalie Robert Oregon Pinot Meunier

Visit a vineyard in Champagne in the springtime and you'll see swaths of grape leaves that look as though they've been sprinkled with powdered sugar. That's the floury appearance of pinot meunier, pinot noir's close relation, which gets its name for the French word for "miller." It's commonly blended into Champagne; David Lett (founder of The Eyrie Vineyards in McMinnville) was reportedly the first winemaker to bottle meunier on its own. Other independent-minded Oregon wineries have followed Lett's example over the years, most notably WillaKenzie Estate in Yamhill. The new generation of meunier producers include the £ber-artisanal Schöne Schluct/Teutonic Wine Co., and Amalie Robert, the Dallas-based producer of gorgeous pinot noirs. This restrained, raspberry-and-rose-petal-accented estate-grown wine is pale, with mouthwatering acidity and yet gritty tannins. Its pronounced acidity makes it a meeting point between red and white wine; serve it cool (not cold) and pair it with a hearty salad or seafood. Available at local wine shops through Vinum Wine Importing & Distribution.
 

PaulGregutt.com Unfined & Unfiltered - February 4, 2011

Paul Gregutt

2008 Satisfaction Syrah

"...And last but not least is an unusual Syrah from Amalie Robert. Their 2008 Satisfaction Syrah ($35) carries a Willamette Valley AVA. It is impressively dark and displays the gamy/meaty/peppery character of the grape – flavors that are often lost in a hotter climate. With alcohol listed at just 12.3%, this sets a new standard for domestic Euro-style Syrah."

Follow this link to read Paul Gregutt's full blog:

www.paulgregutt.com/2011/02/wines-in-spotlight-euro-gon.html

Wine & Spirits Magazine - February 2011

2007 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

This vivid red has an ethereal perfume suggesting spice notes of bergamot, violets and black tea. The flavors of wild strawberry contrast savory olive and bay laurel scents, the finish as complex as it is attractive. 93 points.

Follow this link to read the 2007 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir tasting notes.

2007 Syrah

Year's Best American Syrah

The intoxicating scent of this wine reveals classic aromas of peppercorn, olive, smoke and tree bark. Those savory scents lead into flavors of firm black plum. The cool-weather quality of the wine pinches the texture slightly, but that is likely to to resolve in time; then serve with a wild mushroom risotto. 93 points.

Follow this link to read the 2007 Syrah tasting notes.

Two Clusters - Highly Recommended, Stellar Selection

Pretty scents of strawberry and red cherry fruit have a sweet sense on the nose, with gentle backing notes of tea leaf. The light mouthfeel nevertheless carries potent flavors of sweet, ripe red cherries and lush strawberries, with subtle notes of dried herbs, star anise, and baking spice. Extremely fine tannins are barely noticeable, yet admirably contain the intense fruit essence of this wine. Great balance, excellent length, and powerful fruit combine to make this the ultimate salmon wine. For those who think 2007 in Oregon was a bad vintage-just taste this!

Follow this link to read the 2007 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir tasting notes.

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - July/August 2010

Two Clusters - Highly Recommended

Distinctly light in color, with clear red cherry fruit aromas that also offer a gentle sense of dried herbs. Tasty and clean flavors of cherry and red raspberry spill over the tongue with a juicy character, full of sweet/tart fruitiness. Notes of tea and dried herbs add a satisfying complexity. The forward fruit character belies the gentle coloration proving once again that you can't judge  Pinot's power (or a Pinot vintage) by color density. Excellent balance of fruit, acid, and a lush texture helps create a deep and long tasting experience. While fresh wild salmon is the obvious pairing, try it also with Pasta Primavera.

Follow this link to read the 2007 Vintage Debut Pinot Noir tasting notes.

2007 Vintage Debut Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2007 Amalie's Cuvee Pinot Noir: Double Gold

2007 Estate Pinot Noir: Double Gold

Follow this link to learn more about the Oregon Wine Awards.

2006 Pinot Noir – Dijon Clones: (14.5%, $40, 1,030 cases, 12 months in French oak 34% new, 4th vintage for this wine). An attractive aromatic profile of red and blue pinot fruit that possesses subtle spice and sandalwood hints gives way to sweet, round and delicious medium weight flavors that culminate in a sappy and lingering finish where only the barest trace of warmth can be seen. This is really quite pretty and could be drunk now with pleasure or cellared for up to 5 years or so. 89/2013+

The Wine Advocate

Jay Miller - October 2009

2006 Amalie’s Cuvée Pinot Noir

The 2006 Pinot Noir Amalie's Cuvee is a barrel selection aged for 12 months in French oak. Dark ruby-colored, it exhibits an aromatic array of cedar, black cherry, black raspberry, and violets. This is followed by a fleshy, ripe, balanced Pinot Noir that has enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years but can be enjoyed now. 90 pts.

2006 Estate Pinot Noir

The 2006 Pinot Noir Estate delivers an aromatic array of spice box, smoke, cherry, and raspberry. Medium-bodied, on the palate it has good concentration and depth, savory red fruit flavors, light tannin, and an easy-going personality. It will provide pleasure over the next eight years. 90 pts.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Paul Gregutt - October 1, 2009

2006 Amalie’s Cuvée Pinot Noir

This is the third vintage for this estate-grown wine, made from Pommard, Wadenswil and Dijon clones. The mix seems just right, giving the wine some flesh and density, as it rolls across the tongue with red and blue fruits, spice and caramel. The alcohol is a hefty 15%, and it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. - P.G. (10/1/2009) - 89

2006 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

From the estate vineyard, this blend of several Dijon clones was fermented with indigenous yeast, 10% whole cluster, cellared a year in one third new French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Young vines give it youthful cherry and berry flavors, with a lively mouthfeel and highlights of herb, spice and mocha. - P.G. (10/1/2009) - 90

2006 Estate Pinot Noir

This is essentially a reserve, similar to the Dijon Clones bottling but given more time in oak. It is a powerful, muscular wine, and the strawberry and cherry flavors are sweet and candied. Almost half the oak was new, and adds a chocolaty twist to the finish. - P.G. (10/1/2009) - 91

Executive Wine Seminars - Published September 16, 2009

Please follow this link to the article: www.erobertparker.com/members/ews/ews154.asp

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - May/June 2009

2006 Pinot Meunier

Bright red. Spicy cherry on the nose, with deeper cocoa and black tea notes adding an element of seriousness. Red berry and bitter cherry flavors are complicated by brown spice and succulent herb qualities and given structure by gentle tannins. Finishes with good spicy lift and sweet persistence. More structured than the pinot noir; in fact, this benefited from decanting. 90

2006 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

Vivid red. Intensely perfumed bouquet displays fresh raspberry, cherry, rose and magnolia scents, along with a suave, smoky mineral underpinning. The red fruit repeats in the mouth, picking up candied flowers and licorice with air. Impressively pure, with excellent finishing sweetness and persistence. As alluring as this wine is today, I'd give it another three or four years in the cellar. 92

2006 Estate Pinot Noir

Medium red. Fresh strawberry and raspberry aromas are complicated by dried rose, underbrush and licorice notes. Fleshy, gently sweet red berry flavors coat the palate and are framed by fine-grained tannins, which are slowly absorbed by the fruit. The sweet berry flavors linger on the finish, which is broad, velvety and edge-free. This is delicious right now. 92

2006 The Reserve Pinot Noir

Saturated red. Inviting aromas of raspberry, cherry-cola, dried rose and Asian spices, with a suave undercurrent of smoky minerals. Powerful red and dark berry flavors are framed by silky tannins and complicated by candied flowers and anise. Expands with air, picking up deeper cherry and black cardamom qualities that extend through the sweet, lively and finely focused finish. While this is concentrated to age, there's a lot going on right now.  93

Northwest Palate Magazine - May/June 2009

2006 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir: Recommended

2006 Estate Pinot Noir: Recommended

Oregon Wine Awards - May 2009

2006 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir: Gold

2006 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir: Gold

2006 Estate Pinot Noir: Bronze

Wine & Spirits Magazine - April 2009

2006 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir: 89 points

Great Wine Buys, Portland, OR - April 2009

Amalie Robert Dijon Clones Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2006

 On our travels in the Willamette Valley last Fall, this winery was the one that just blew us away. The entire lineup featured impeccably-crafted wines that were elegant, vibrant and full of personality. Smack-dab next to Freedom Hill Vineyard near Dallas, Ernie Pink and Dena Drews have turned a cherry orchard into a 30-acre vineyard and winery. The estate-bottled Pinots are 100% Dijon clone, and this one is a field blend from all seven Dijon vineyard blocks, planted on different rootstocks and soil types.
 
 "If it's not in the field, it's not gonna be in the glass," is Pink's mantra. Small lot fermentation, indigenous yeast, and moderate new oak usage display a light hand in the cellar. "Your job as a winemaker is to let the fruit develop and express itself." The result? Bright high-toned aromatics that won't quit; a creamy mid-weight texture with supple tannins and brisk minerality; and a parade of flavors: dark tangy cherry and smoky plum, sweet earth, baking spices, hints of black pepper and cinnamon. Then a long, long clean finish that leaves you smiling.
 
 Pink's assured focus on what he wants to achieve in the vineyard and cellar makes sense: he spent time hanging out with Steve Doerner at Cristom and Mike Etzel at Beaux Freres, two of Oregon's top winemakers. "With Pinot Noir I'm looking for concentration and complexity - and an interesting ride," says Pink. "Because that's what Pinot's all about." Taste this wine and you'll see that he has delivered on that promise.

Oregon Pinot Noir Club

Robert Wolfe - March 2009

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - May/June 2008

2006 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Bright red. Christmas spices and red berry aromas are complemented by an exotic orange peel quality. Light-bodied red berry flavors are brightened by tangy minerality and white pepper, with a fine dusting of tannins adding grip. Gains weight with air but remains lively. Clean and brisk on the finish, which emphasizes tightly wound, slightly tart red berries and bitter cherry skin.  89 points.

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - May/June 2007

2005 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

Dark red. Brooding cherry and dark berry aromas are further deepened by suggestions of tobacco and dark chocolate. Dark cherry and cherry skin flavors are given a juicy quality by a tangy mineral note and supported by firm tannins. Finishes fresh and sweet, with the bitter cherry note repeating. This is pretty wound up right now and should benefit from a year or so of bottle age. 89 (+?) points.

2005 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Medium red. Fresh cherry and raspberry aromas are enlivened by tangy pepper and baking spice accents. Zesty, smoky red berry flavors gain sweetness and depth with air and are nicely framed by a dusting of fine-grained tannins. The lush, creamy finish features very good lift and persistence. 89 points.

2005 Estate Pinot Noir

Bright medium red. Black raspberry, kirsch and Indian spices on the nose, with a subtle floral undertone gaining strength with air. Red and dark berry flavors offer medium body and good depth and sweetness, with the suave, velvety finish displaying sneaky mineral lift, a strong blackberry quality and no obvious tannins. 90 points.

Northwest Palate Magazine - May/June 2007

2005 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Abundant aromas of ripe black cherry, smoky oak, fine garden soil, and a touch of tar delay you from tasting because the perfume is so appealing. When you do taste, your mouth is filled with swarming flavors of ripe cherry, plum, and cola with accents of cinnamon and charred toast. Big and mouth-filling, the plump style works thanks to a sound structure of tannins and trenchant acidity. Roast up some lamb chops for a great pairing treat.

The Oregonian

Katherine Cole - November 13, 2007

2005 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Cinnamon-spiced cocoa in a wineglass - or, if you like, an example of how delicious pinot noir can be when aged judiciously in oak barrels. Uncork aromas of toasted coconut, caramel and raspberry truffle; then taste a soft and silky balance of fruit, minerality, acidity and tannin, finishing with nutmeg and cinnamon. Sip this sumptuous red by the fire while wearing your holiday best.

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds  - May/June 2006

2004 Amalie's Cuvée Pinot Noir

Dark red. Raspberry and strawberry preserves on the nose, with hints of cola and dark chocolate. Sweet, plump cherry and blackberry on the palate, with good breadth and depth… A lush, weighty wine that picks up some exotic spice notes on the back end, finishing on a sweet, ripe note. (This was the first vintage under the label of this estate, which still sells half of its harvest to top local producers like Beaux Frères and Cristom.) 89 points.

2004 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

Light red. Flat-out gorgeous nose of red berries, yellow rose and five-spice powder, with a chalky mineral element adding energy and lift. Juicy, vibrant and pure, the nicely concentrated flavors running the red gamut (especially wild strawberry), with an earthy note of rhubarb. Wonderfully clean and brisk, but with no shortage of concentration or flavor impact through the finish. Develops a wild, sweet note of underbrush with air. This is strikingly pure, unadorned and pretty pinot. 91 points.