Crowley La Colina Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2013 750ML ($59.95) Buy Now: $51.90 special
The Dundee Hills AVA is delineated in part by the soil, termed Jory. Jory soil is a very old, dark red loam, silt and clay soil formed from the decomposed basalt deposited by 15 million year old lava flows. The soil is well-draining and is credited for giving the AVA’s wines classic red fruit and dusty spice notes. The vineyard in question, La Colina, was planted by George Hillberry in 1999. Since 2005 (first under the Entre Nous bottling and now also as a single vineyard) Tyson Crowley has worked with the non-irrigated vineyard. La Colina is between 450 and 550 feet in elevation and boasts over 6 feet of Jory soil.
This is my third time visiting with the 2013 La Colina, which has just begun to open up. The wine is very much true to its origins: it opens with a classic dusty, darker spice note. On the palate, it shows bright black raspberry notes with hints of iron. The flavors sit on the palate for over a minute after tasting, lingering with savory notes of Assam tea and red cherries. Tannins are present yet fine. This bottling from Crowley continues to impress and suggests yet again a long life ahead. -Suzanne