Producer Article
Amalie Robert
Last edited on 12/13/2010 by rjuskiewicz
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Amalie Robert Estate was founded by Dena Drews and Ernie Pink in 1999. Dena and Ernie left the corporate world behind and began a journey to pursue a vision. What they found was a beautiful cherry orchard, and the opportunity to follow their dreams.
Only Dena and Ernie could see their vineyard under that orchard. The cherries were harvested in the summer of 1999 and the transformation to vineyard began in earnest. With the help of some new friends, it was Earth Day 2000 when the last vine was planted, and the vineyard at Amalie Robert Estate was established.
The timing could not have been better. The local community college was in the infancy of developing a viticulture and wine making program. With three bachelors and a masters degree between them, they applied their skills to the task at hand. Between the course work, hands on experience in their vineyard and help from some of Oregon’s pioneers, the vineyard thrived.
The 2006 harvest marked another milestone for Amalie Robert Estate - our first estate crush. We began planning our estate winery in august of 2005, and we broke ground on February 9, 2006. The grapes and the winery were ready at the same time - just as if we had planned it that way! Harvest began on October 3rd with the Pinot Noir, followed by the Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and wrapping up with the Syrah on Halloween. When the buckets were washed and the bins put away, we had fermented 30 tons.
Amalie Robert Estate has come a long way. What started out as sketches and notes on cocktail napkins has become the achievement of two very unique people. From deciding on clones and rootstocks to planting vines and pounding posts, they have done it all. Add to that, designing and building a gravity flow estate winery, and the circle is complete. Dena and Ernie invite you to experience their desire for "wines true to the soil and true to the vintage®".
Amalie Robert Estate was founded by Dena Drews and Ernie Pink in 1999. Dena and Ernie left the corporate world behind and began a journey to pursue a vision. What they found was a beautiful cherry orchard, and the opportunity to follow their dreams.
Only Dena and Ernie could see their vineyard under that orchard. The cherries were harvested in the summer of 1999 and the transformation to vineyard began in earnest. With the help of some new friends, it was Earth Day 2000 when the last vine was planted, and the vineyard at Amalie Robert Estate was established.
The timing could not have been better. The local community college was in the infancy of developing a viticulture and wine making program. With three bachelors and a masters degree between them, they applied their skills to the task at hand. Between the course work, hands on experience in their vineyard and help from some of Oregon’s pioneers, the vineyard thrived.
The 2006 harvest marked another milestone for Amalie Robert Estate - our first estate crush. We began planning our estate winery in august of 2005, and we broke ground on February 9, 2006. The grapes and the winery were ready at the same time - just as if we had planned it that way! Harvest began on October 3rd with the Pinot Noir, followed by the Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and wrapping up with the Syrah on Halloween. When the buckets were washed and the bins put away, we had fermented 30 tons.
Amalie Robert Estate has come a long way. What started out as sketches and notes on cocktail napkins has become the achievement of two very unique people. From deciding on clones and rootstocks to planting vines and pounding posts, they have done it all. Add to that, designing and building a gravity flow estate winery, and the circle is complete. Dena and Ernie invite you to experience their desire for "wines true to the soil and true to the vintage®".