2010 Crowley Wines Pinot Noir La Colina Vineyard

A Crowley 2010 Pinot Noir La Colina – from the eponymous site at 700 foot elevation near the southwestern edge of the Dundee Hills, planted with Pommard and Wadenswil selections – offers tart-edged fresh elderberry accented with nutmeg and blond tobacco on a lean but polished, bright, and downright succulent palate. A sweet, saline mineral suffusion akin to shrimp shell reduction conveys satisfying saliva-inducement to a lingering finish in this deliciously fascinating, in some respects rather white wine-like Pinot Noir that should prove intriguing as well as versatile over at least the next half dozen years. Tyson Crowley is one of several Oregonian winemaking talents to have spent formative years working with John Paul at Cameron and launched his own label from that base. (In Crowley’s case that was in 2005. His experience prior to Cameron included stints in New Zealand, as well as with Erath, Brick House, and J. K. Carriere.) Crowley somewhat provocatively announced to me that “my goal is to pick at higher acid, even if maybe this comes off as a bit under-ripe.” Well, it does – at least in 2010. But that doesn’t by any means result in wines devoid of interest or appeal, on the contrary, especially when it comes to the two Crowley Pinots I tasted. Only 75-100 cases were produced of any of the three on which I report on this occasion; and none reached even 13% alcohol. Tel. (971) 645-3547