Wine critic Steven Baker follows the cool climate back roads of Oregon Pinot noir country and shares his journal. His business, Authentica Wines, is a membership based wine club.

~ July 2010

For those fans of the 2007 Crowley Willamette Valley pinot noir - and there are many - this will come as welcome news. The highly anticipated 2008 vintage has just been released and it is everything Tyson and his fans hoped for.

It's hard to not gush about this wine. When I first stuck my nose in the glass I was taken aback by the complex array of floral and red and blue fruit aromas and their rich presentation. But it just got better in the mouth, with an explosion of juicy, ripe but vibrant fruits - currants, raspberries, crushed black cherry along with some really bright floral elements like violets and cherry blossom.

If the 2007 was a study in balance with a restrained, complex elegance; the 2008 is a rambunctious, joyful and effusive expression of ripe summer fruit. Although tasted alongside the 2007 Gehrtz Vineyard bottling that sells for a lot more money, this was the clear standout in my mind.

The 2008 is a blend of Lz Collinas, Gehrtz Vineyard and another Red Hills Vineyard - some of the best sources used by Tyson Crowley's mentor John Paul of Cameron winery. Although simply a Willamette Valley blend, it's probably one of the more impressive 2008s I have yet tasted, and that includes some very expensive company.

At 24 bucks I would run to buy this by the case before it disappears.

~ Steve Baker

Note: For more on Tyson Crowley, see the January 2010 column.

Crowley
Willamette Valley, 2008
Release Price: $24.00

Pinot Underground Recent Columns

January, 2010 ~ Crowley
February, 2010 ~ Evesham Wood
March, 2010 ~ Westrey
May, 2010 ~ Evening Land
June, 2010 ~ Iota