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Crowley Wines 2018 Pinot Noir
“We cannot improve on nature.”
Tyson Crowley and Evan Roberts are serious wine geeks. But in the best possible way. If you’re lucky enough to spend some time with them in the winery, you’ll find yourself immersed in the best techniques of winemaking with none of the pretension.
You’ll also find yourself talking to two guys who are as passionate about where the grapes come from as they are in the process of making it. In fact, for a pair of guys who don’t own one, they’re pretty obsessed with finding exactly the right vineyards.
As proud members of the Deep Roots Coalition, Tyson and Evan are committed to working with family-owned vineyards that don’t irrigate and practice low-impact farming. The vineyards they partner with are LIVE Certified or certified organic, and they work closely with their growers to ensure that the grapes in their wine truly represent the land, climate, and season.
When making wine, they take a very light touch – eschewing additives, using native yeasts and neutral oak. As Tyson puts it, “we value purity of expression over stylized wines and hold essential the belief that we cannot improve on nature.”
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Crowley Wines, Portland, Oregon
2018 Pinot Noir
This may be a classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, but it will surprise you with power alongside its elegance.
Tyson and Evan have made a name for themselves in elevating classic varietals. Favoring older, classic clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from cooler, higher-elevation vineyards, they are an exceptional example of why Pinot Noir has made itself home in the Willamette Valley.
Their 2018 Pinot Noir brings together grapes from five vineyards -- Tuckwilla Vineyard, La Colina Vineyard, and Oracle Vineyard in the Dundee Hills; Wind Ridge in the Ribbon Ridge AVA; and Four Winds Vineyard in the McMinnville Coast Range. All five are dry farmed. This is Willamette Valley Pinot Noir in its purest expression.
You’ll smell ripe red cherries with a hint of graphite, anise and mushroom. One your first sip, you’ll get a high intensity and mouth-watering classic Pinot Noir flavor which includes ripe cherry with some subtle floral accents.
A Cellar 503 selection in February 2021, Oregon Classics Willamette Valley | Pinot Noir