Philosophy

 About

Our passion is introducing wine enthusiasts to the luxury of Oregon Pinot noir, specifically Willamette Valley Pinot noir. Our premium wines are crafted from select vineyards and express the unique terroir of each unique site.

Our Process

Growing

We believe the first place great wine begins is in the vineyard. Each and every aspect of the vineyard is important, from optimum sun exposure and annual rainfall, to low-fertility and well-drained soils. Each characteristic provides uniqueness to the grapes and is vital in producing a premium product.

Harvesting 

Once the grapes have reached their optimum ripeness, they are harvested in the cool morning hours. The grapes are picked by hand and machine for quality and efficiency. Transportation to the winery for processing is immediate. At the winery, the fruit is sorted using the best equipment prior to entering the fermenters.

Fermentation / Winemaking

After the grapes enter the fermentation vessels, the temperature is lowered using custom cooling jackets. Here, the grapes are allowed to “soak” for several days to allow the deep color of the Pinot noir to flourish. The temperature is then raised for fermentation of the sugars to begin. This will continue for approximately 7-10 days. Following fermentation, the wine is allowed to remain in contact with the skins for additional time in order to extract more color and flavor from the skins. This process is called maceration. Following maceration the wine is drained off of the skins and it is racked to empty French oak barrels. Here the wine is aged.

Cellaring

Samuel Robert Winery uses French oak barrels for cellaring its wines accompanied by a few stainless steel tanks to preserve the brightness of the fruit. The percentage of new French oak the wine is exposed to will vary depending on the particular vintage. The winemaking team regularly tastes the wines in barrel to monitor the development and suggest modifications if necessary. It is only in the final steps that it is determined which lots will be selected for our final blend.