Medium garnet with pink edges. Oaky nose not showing much of what I have come to expect from this briary favorite. Moderate dark-thinnish fruit, shallow and under-whelming. I have worshiped this bottle for decades and this is easily the least impressive of many vintages. It really drinks as a low-budget Pinot offering from RRV or Sonoma and not the Anderson Valley powerhouse I have come to expect.
In the mouth, definite barnyard and heat and nothing compellingly representative of the genre or pedigree. Fruit one-dimensional and boring. Finish brings back woodsy memories but an a-typical afterthought of where this wine should be. A lackluster vintage, and hopefully not a bellwether of where the label is headed. I’ve had La Cremas and Castle Rock’s more impressive than this.
2012 Navarro Methode A’Lancienne Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Mendocino 14.3