14.2%. Stored temperature controlled since release. Opened then filled up a resealable 250ml bottle. This note is from the 250ml bottle after a few weeks in the ref. Medium red slightly cloudy, pale red-orange rim. Fragrant strawberry and pink guava fruit. With air time some candied notes appear. Good broad swathe of acid and soft but still there tannins. Medium short finish. The tartness and lack of coffee/ cocoa scents make this more drinkable than the 14.2% alcohol would otherwise suggest. There are later vintages of this wine where the alcohol seeems to have been dialed down - those might be even better.
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PnP. Light red. Red fruits on the nose. Medium weight on the palate with a nice balance of fruit and acidity. Ready to drink; has aged nicely at age 8.
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Not sure why this 2009 is still available, but glad we had a chance to give it a try. Navarro is a special place. Often referred to as "The best white wine house in California" they only have to make red wine if they want to, and they seem to have a passion for Pinot Noir, and why not considering they are in a perfect spot. Immediately we know something is different because the color is more purple than red, though still not very opaque. The fruit on the palate is way more dark than red. But, the beauty of this wine is it's remarkable, lively vibrancy. They were organic before organic was chic. Natural yeast and long fermentation bring the bright pure fresh fruit, but also some intriguing secondary leafy, earthy, tobacco and wet leather flavors. Really inspired use of oak. Superb balance. Lingering maraschino cherry finish.
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Solid QPR, but a little thin in spots and overall rough around the edges. Nice bing cherries, baking spices, and Cherry Coca-Cola on the palate, but the finish eviscerates. Still, held up nicely to grilled chicken. Best with food and before 2017.
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Smooth, medium to big body, good fruit, tannin softening. Nice wine, good with chicken. Should last a couple more years and the aroma will improve. Solid effort for the middle wine from Navarro.
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Rather foursquare, with somewhat sweet PN fruit, moderate extraction and just adequate acids. It certainly wasn't goopy or overextracted, but it lacked excitement.
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Opened and ran through an aerator, had with bbq pork chops. Splendid, balanced, much more body and fruit than I expected. Looking forward to development of more PN aromatics, which are restrained so far.
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Navarro is always a very reliable, low-cost option, no matter what the variety. This Pinot Noir "Methode Anciennes" is no exception. Full, fruity nose. Nice mouth feel, a little thin but full of fruit and flavor. A little bit of a harsh edge at the sides and back of the mouth and tongue. Overall, very nice for the money.
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Needed an hour of air. Nice nose - chocolate cake, vanilla, some oak. Some cola and cherry on the palate, but not typical of a young CA pinot. The fruit does not really soften a sharper somewhat bitter edge. I enjoyed it and qpr is good, but not the best Navarro PN I have had.
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Popped and poured. Medium red; lovely red fruits on the nose. Sappy with good red fruits and acidity on the palate; nicely balanced. Excellent QPR. Will age medium term (5 years?) or perhaps longer.
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Wiff of charred oak upon opening was a bit concerning but it blew off in 30 minutes to reveal dark fruit and cola aromas. THis is solid enough but nothing to rave about. Dark fruit and spice on palate. Short finish. I'm not big on decanting and rarely do but, this might have been better with an hour in the decantor to smooth this out a bit more. ALC is 14.2 and I detected some heat. I think for $25 I can do much better with the more layered Bourgogne for $5 less from Michel Noellat. This is well made but really fairly pedestrian and should sell for around $15.
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Excellent QPR because fruit forward but restrained with nuances of herbs with the layers of fruit (red berries and a hint of tea with red licorice. Balanced tannins and acid with long finish. Model of what Pinot should be.
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This is such a good Pinot! Just came back from tasting in Anderson Valley and this is still my favorite. Wonderful rich balance to the fruit and such a satisfying smooth finish. Highly recommended
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(14.2%) Soft, elegant entry with smooth fruit. A touch bitter on the mid-palate with some cola acidity before the fruit returns turning richer with juicy cherries. This leads to a warm cinnamon spiced finish that lasts nicely. Nicely done though in a bigger, warmer style than I am used to which makes sense given the vintage. That said as this creeps closer and closer towards $30 it is no longer the screaming deal it once was…
Wine Geek Notes: 4,910 cases made
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Always reliable, this excellent Pinot will bring you the cool coastal air of Mendocino with just enough cherry and blackberry to complement the evening. Clearly still a bit young, but who wants to wait?
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Moderate fruit, good acid, bitter start but mellows with air. Already showing fruity/smokey flavors, which I like in PN. Heavily aerated before dinner, which helps a lot.
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A nice, lightweight, dusty cherry and spice infused Pinot. Simple and mouthwatering, but perhaps a bit light in the finish. This was a pop and pour, and I can't help but assume this would do better with decanting.
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2/21/2021 - Davidalan Likes this wine: 97 Points
Needs to open more. Light red in color and not much staying power. Got a lot of years on it.
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2/29/2020 - Nico P. Likes this wine:
14.2%. Stored temperature controlled since release. Opened then filled up a resealable 250ml bottle. This note is from the 250ml bottle after a few weeks in the ref. Medium red slightly cloudy, pale red-orange rim. Fragrant strawberry and pink guava fruit. With air time some candied notes appear. Good broad swathe of acid and soft but still there tannins. Medium short finish. The tartness and lack of coffee/ cocoa scents make this more drinkable than the 14.2% alcohol would otherwise suggest. There are later vintages of this wine where the alcohol seeems to have been dialed down - those might be even better.
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9/26/2018 - roxles wrote:
Still wonderful in Sept. 2018. Good fruit.
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5/27/2017 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Light red. Red fruits on the nose. Medium weight on the palate with a nice balance of fruit and acidity. Ready to drink; has aged nicely at age 8.
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2/24/2016 - daveste Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours before dinner. Elegant, silky mouth feel, medium body, soft tannin. Better at the end.
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12/19/2015 - Janstan Likes this wine: 90 Points
cherry, red raspberry, cola and a spice, nutmeg? Fun, delightful to drink. Had with chicken.
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12/12/2015 - Mike Kopanski wrote: 91 Points
Not sure why this 2009 is still available, but glad we had a chance to give it a try. Navarro is a special place. Often referred to as "The best white wine house in California" they only have to make red wine if they want to, and they seem to have a passion for Pinot Noir, and why not considering they are in a perfect spot. Immediately we know something is different because the color is more purple than red, though still not very opaque. The fruit on the palate is way more dark than red. But, the beauty of this wine is it's remarkable, lively vibrancy. They were organic before organic was chic. Natural yeast and long fermentation bring the bright pure fresh fruit, but also some intriguing secondary leafy, earthy, tobacco and wet leather flavors. Really inspired use of oak. Superb balance. Lingering maraschino cherry finish.
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7/29/2015 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 87 Points
Solid QPR, but a little thin in spots and overall rough around the edges. Nice bing cherries, baking spices, and Cherry Coca-Cola on the palate, but the finish eviscerates. Still, held up nicely to grilled chicken. Best with food and before 2017.
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7/27/2015 - daveste Likes this wine: 90 Points
Smooth, medium to big body, good fruit, tannin softening. Nice wine, good with chicken. Should last a couple more years and the aroma will improve. Solid effort for the middle wine from Navarro.
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7/3/2015 - Janstan wrote: 90 Points
cola, cherry. had with marinated london broil
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6/16/2015 - rosenst1 wrote: 89 Points
PnP. Quite rich for Navarro and Anderson Valley; lovely velvety mouthfeel but a bit over the top in terms of cola influence. OK
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10/8/2014 - daveste wrote:
V.g. but not super. Pop and pour through bubbler which did not help much.
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5/10/2014 - Janstan Likes this wine: 90 Points
Juicy, raspberry, fun to drink, had with grilled pork chop with cherry sauce pretty good together
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3/2/2014 - MLipton wrote:
Rather foursquare, with somewhat sweet PN fruit, moderate extraction and just adequate acids. It certainly wasn't goopy or overextracted, but it lacked excitement.
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2/19/2014 - dchorton Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wonderful.
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12/20/2013 - daveste Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened and ran through an aerator, had with bbq pork chops. Splendid, balanced, much more body and fruit than I expected. Looking forward to development of more PN aromatics, which are restrained so far.
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7/16/2013 - curtispomeroy wrote: 89 Points
Agree with other reviews that this tasted a little thin but enjoyable nonetheless.
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6/14/2013 - agorman wrote:
Navarro is always a very reliable, low-cost option, no matter what the variety. This Pinot Noir "Methode Anciennes" is no exception. Full, fruity nose. Nice mouth feel, a little thin but full of fruit and flavor. A little bit of a harsh edge at the sides and back of the mouth and tongue. Overall, very nice for the money.
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4/1/2013 - Doblk Likes this wine: 89 Points
Needed an hour of air. Nice nose - chocolate cake, vanilla, some oak. Some cola and cherry on the palate, but not typical of a young CA pinot. The fruit does not really soften a sharper somewhat bitter edge. I enjoyed it and qpr is good, but not the best Navarro PN I have had.
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2/10/2013 - GARDEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
90 on night 1 and 91 on night 2
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12/17/2012 - ChezAlice wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very naive right now and expect it to get better over the next few years.
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11/24/2012 - ChezAlice wrote: 91 Points
Subtle hints of cinnamon in nose and light lemon sorbet on the palate. Very smooth nice drinking wine.
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11/18/2012 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Medium red; lovely red fruits on the nose. Sappy with good red fruits and acidity on the palate; nicely balanced. Excellent QPR. Will age medium term (5 years?) or perhaps longer.
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9/28/2012 - chablis28 wrote: 88 Points
Wiff of charred oak upon opening was a bit concerning but it blew off in 30 minutes to reveal dark fruit and cola aromas. THis is solid enough but nothing to rave about. Dark fruit and spice on palate. Short finish. I'm not big on decanting and rarely do but, this might have been better with an hour in the decantor to smooth this out a bit more. ALC is 14.2 and I detected some heat. I think for $25 I can do much better with the more layered Bourgogne for $5 less from Michel Noellat. This is well made but really fairly pedestrian and should sell for around $15.
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9/28/2012 - jfarley3 wrote: 90 Points
Excellent QPR because fruit forward but restrained with nuances of herbs with the layers of fruit (red berries and a hint of tea with red licorice. Balanced tannins and acid with long finish. Model of what Pinot should be.
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8/20/2012 - GarrettG wrote: 91 Points
Always excellent... tastes great, good value.
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7/27/2012 - topher18 wrote: 89 Points
Medium dark purple red color with a floral, cherry cola nose. Very soft and elegant on the palate. Lingering finish. Very smooth and well balanced.
color 4/5
nose 7/10
taste 16/20
balance 8/10
finish 4/5
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7/8/2012 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 85 Points
Black fruit, cola, cedar, and a bunches of unbalanced acidity. B
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5/31/2012 - corrieb wrote: 92 Points
This is such a good Pinot! Just came back from tasting in Anderson Valley and this is still my favorite. Wonderful rich balance to the fruit and such a satisfying smooth finish. Highly recommended
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4/29/2012 - ctbob wrote:
Fine light quaffer, good structure; to drink, not to hold
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3/19/2012 - Jason Rzutkiewicz wrote: 89 Points
(14.2%) Soft, elegant entry with smooth fruit. A touch bitter on the mid-palate with some cola acidity before the fruit returns turning richer with juicy cherries. This leads to a warm cinnamon spiced finish that lasts nicely. Nicely done though in a bigger, warmer style than I am used to which makes sense given the vintage. That said as this creeps closer and closer towards $30 it is no longer the screaming deal it once was…
Wine Geek Notes: 4,910 cases made
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1/6/2012 - ChezAlice wrote: 89 Points
Always reliable, this excellent Pinot will bring you the cool coastal air of Mendocino with just enough cherry and blackberry to complement the evening. Clearly still a bit young, but who wants to wait?
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1/6/2012 - Syuchno wrote: 90 Points
Nice cherry flavors herbs on the mid palate.
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1/1/2012 - daveste wrote: 88 Points
Moderate fruit, good acid, bitter start but mellows with air. Already showing fruity/smokey flavors, which I like in PN. Heavily aerated before dinner, which helps a lot.
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12/12/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 88 Points
A nice, lightweight, dusty cherry and spice infused Pinot. Simple and mouthwatering, but perhaps a bit light in the finish. This was a pop and pour, and I can't help but assume this would do better with decanting.
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