It is always
exciting to catch a new winery at the beginning of their journey. You can hear
the owner’s vision, ambitions, and passion about their mission and plans for
their business and see that reflected in their wine. Crowson Wines opened last April by Henry
Crowson. Though he may seem young and
the place is new, his wines reflect that of a 30+ year winemaking veteran. Yes,
they are that damn good! But then, Henry
is no stranger to Texas wines. He
“graduated” from customer to employee at William Chris Vineyards a few years
ago. Under Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett’s
tutelage, he quickly learned the art and science of crafting Texas grapes into top
quality wine. One thing that interested Henry was letting the natural process
of grapes do the work in creating the wine. That is right, he takes a very
minimalist approach to putting “extra stuff” in his wines and likes to work
with the fruit as it is. He picked up on
the techniques of using the grapes own natural yeast to do the fermentation and
adding no artificial chemicals. Now
don’t get this wrong, it is not easy working this way, but with patience and
attention to detail one can yield a high-quality wine. Henry’s work is proof of that! To give more of that natural wine appeal, the
wines are unfiltered, so you will get the unadulterated peak flavors of the
grapes. Henry started with his own line
of wines at William Chris in 2016. After getting accolades, he was off to craft
his 2017 vintage and start his own business.
He has produced about 500 cases for 2017 and is looking at 1300 cases
for 2018. He has a nice range of 2017
wines to sample right now, including a “sneak-peak” at a 2018 red. Texas has become a rising star for Rosé and Henry’s version does not disappoint.
His 2017 Rosé is made from Merlot grapes sourced from
Granite Hill Vineyards in the Texas Hill Country AVA. The wine has citrus
aromas and minerality and a nice lemon note that will certainly be a pleasure
for Texas warm winters! The 2017
Malvasia Bianca was sourced from Nara Vineyards in the Texas High Plains
AVA. Barrel aged for six months, this
wine has a grapefruit nose and tropical flavors that are a delight. Unlike most
Malvasia Bianca wines, this one is not sweet, but quite delightful. The 2017 Roussanne
was skin fermented for 17 months and looks reminiscent of a sherry in the glass
and presents as such on the nose, with toasted nut notes and bright
acidity. Sourced from Nara Vineyards,
this low alcohol Roussanne (10%) will be a great crowd pleaser and should pair
nicely with cheese. You will notice that the Rosé and white wines
are “cloudy”. This is due to the
unfiltered approach used for these more natural wines. By no means does it distract from the aroma
and taste. We think it makes them better! The red wines are equally pleasing. Mourvedre
has been a great grape for Texas Red wines. There are two versions of his 2017
vintage, barrel aged and concrete aged. Both were sourced from Buena Suerte Vineyards in the Texas High
Plains, yet each has a different flavor profile. Both are equally well structured and packed
with super rich flavors. The concrete version tends to express more of the
natural fruit than the barrel aged. The
2017 Tannat was also sourced from Nara Vineyards and is big, bold, opaque, and
is incredibly smooth. It is hard to find a single varietal Tannat this
excellent from abroad. Finally, we were
able to try a barrel aged Zinfandel from Nara Vineyards. This Zin was made in
the nouveau style presenting bright fruit notes and is planned to be an annual
release each fall. The onsite winery is
taking shape next to the outdoor covered patio and soon in-house winemaking will
be occurring at the tasting room location. We recommend you call and make an appointment
for a tasting as it is well worth your valuable wine time. Tastings are
currently by appointment and you can sit and hear directly from Henry. Crowson
Wines is off to a great start and makes a fine addition to Johnson City.
Henry’s goal is to make the best wines and we believe his creativity, passion,
and attention to detail will help him be successful in this endeavor. He is passionate
about his craft and we see him as a rising wine rock star in Texas. We look
forward to following his journey and tasting more of his future wines as we
believe there will be lots of great bottles in his future!
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