Tyson Crowley grew up in upstate New York, where his grandfather's family had been in the dairy business for generations. A weekend in the Finger Lakes and a tasting at a local winery lit his passion for wine. After Syracuse University, he wrote to a dozen wineries in the Willamette Valley looking for work. In 1995, he was taken on as a cellar hand under Rob Stuart at Erath.

He stayed at Erath for seven vintages. Then, after working harvest in 2002 at Framingham in New Zealand, he came back to Oregon to work alongside Doug Tunell at Brick House, then Jim Prosser at J.K. Carriere, as well as Archery Summit. For five years he was assistant winemaker to John Paul at Cameron in Dundee. It was there, with John Paul's support, that he made his first four barrels under his own name in 2005.In 2007, he moved the wines to August Cellars in Newberg, where they are still made 20 years later.

He is purposely small, making 3000 cases a year. Tyson works only with family-owned vineyards that are dry-farmed, and he is a member of the Deep Roots Coalition, a group of Oregon farmers and winemakers dedicated to producing wine exclusively from dry-farmed vineyards. Their philosophy and mission include conserving water through dry farming and sustainable viticulture. Members believe that watering vines dilutes the natural impact of regional rainfall and local soil, whereas dry-farming forces roots to grow deep into the earth to authentically reflect their geographic origin. Producers adhere to European-style traditional quality approaches that prioritize lower yields and minimal cellar manipulation over high-volume output.

He prefers cool, high sites and the older clones: Wente for Chardonnay and Pommard and Wädenswil for Pinot Noir. He usually picks earlier than his neighbors, focusing on freshness and acidity.

Four Winds is the vineyard he farms himself. It lies at 800 feet above sea level on a south-facing slope in the McMinnville Coast Range, on shallow volcanic soil. It is own-rooted and never irrigated. The site’s elevation and late ripening mean the fruit holds its acidity while still reaching full flavor, which is a harder needle to thread than it sounds.

In the cellar, his instinct is the same as it is in the vineyard: get out of the way. Fermentations and élevage are decided vintage by vintage rather than by formula, and the wines rest in the underground barrel room for 12 to 20 months before release — sometimes longer — because Crowley believes wine needs the time as much as the fruit needs the site.

What I love about these wines is that each one readys as a specific place in a specific year rather than tasting like a winemaker’s signature - Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that are built for elegance and freshness over power.

Chardonnay ‘Willamette Valley’
From Four Winds vineyard, planted in 1993 Wente and Dijon clone, with some Draper clone added in 2017.  The vines sit at 825 feet above sea level facing south and are own-rooted and dry-farmed. The soil here is volcanic, with a strip of Jory along the northwestern edge of the vineyard. It is a rock base of weathered basalt under wind-blown loan that eroded from higher in the Coast Range. The soils are unusually shallow for the Willamette Valley and hold little water, and the wine shows it in its leanness and mineral tone. Thee grapes are whole-cluster pressed and fermented in barrel with native yeasts. The wine then spends 12 months on its lees in barrel, without stirring, and goes through full malolactic before finishing with 5 months in steel.

Chardonnay ‘Phoebe’
Tyson makes two single-vineyard Chardonnays, each named for one of Tyson's grandmothers. Phoebe is from his Wente clone, from the 1993 planting. It is picked at fuller ripeness than its sister, Helen, and raised in a more oxidative way. The vines sit at 825 feet above sea level facing south and are own-rooted and dry-farmed. The soil here is volcanic, with a strip of Jory along the northwestern edge of the vineyard. It is a rock base of weathered basalt under wind-blown loan that eroded from higher in the Coast Range. The soils are unusually shallow for the Willamette Valley and hold little water, and the wine shows it in its leanness and mineral tone. Wente block selection will define Phoebe. Picked as late as possible, Wente clone always bursts with acidity and freshness. The own-rooted old vines handle any vintage adversity to remain calm and clear. Fermentation is spontaneous and barrel aging long, 16 months, finished with 2 months in stainless. Intentionally oxidative to promote complexity, Wente stands up to this classic approach perfectly.

Pinot Noir ‘Willamette Valley’
Drawn from family-owned, dry-farmed vineyards Tyson has worked with for years
across the valley; 40% La Colina, and 15% Tuckwilla in the Dundee Hills, 38% from his own
Four Winds in the McMinnville Coast Range, and 7% and Sojeau in the Eola-Amity Hills. La Colina and Tuckwilla sit on red volcanic Jory, which was formed from ancient basalt, and is well drained. Four Winds brings its shallow Saum soils. Sojeau is a rocky site of Nekia, Ritner and Witzel soils; it faces southwest, and the Van Duzer winds cool it most evenings, keeping it temperate and acid-driven. The fruit is fully destemmed and cold-soaked for 10 days, with the cap left alone until fermentation starts on its own. The native fermentation runs about 28 days in tank, with a mix of pumpovers and punchdowns. The wine then spends 9 months in barrel, 5% of which is new, followed by 6 months in stainless steel.

Pinot Noir ‘Four Winds’
Four Winds is a 4.4-acre site planted to Pommard clone in 1990 at over 825 feet above sea level,  on a south-facing slope. Some Wädenswil clone was added later. It is own-rooted and dry-farmed. The soil here is volcanic, with a strip of Jory along the northwestern edge of the vineyard. It is a rock base of weathered basalt under wind-blown loan that eroded from higher in the Coast Range. The soils are unusually shallow for the Willamette Valley and hold little water. They produce a lean, fresh Pinot Noir with a mineral tone. The fruit is fully destemmed and given a 10- to 12-day cold soak. Native fermentation lasts about 20 days in tank, worked only by pumpover. After pressing, the wine settles for 24 to 48 hours. It is aged in barrel for 18 months, 15% of which is new. 150 cases made.