Navarro Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

Pleasant and charming at release, great QPR from a reliable producer. Not that this entry-level appellation wine was ever "supposed" to age, but at eight years old this bottle is tired, almost dead.

2015 vintage

Red center, red rim with clear signs of age. Herbs, jam, cooked cherries, still fairly bright, curry. Smooth, macerated raspberries, low acidity and tannin, nice bright fruit finish. Expectations weren't high, but this is okay given the advanced age (well stored since release by someone reliable).

2008 vintage

This is really savory now, with a little leather and herb coming out. Delish, although very light.

2009 vintage

Tasty wine, but not very interesting. No real complex flavors. Ripe berries with a little mineral backbone.

2015 vintage

Clear garnet with slight rim browning. Strawberry, pencil shavings, light oak. Ow acids, low tannins. White pepper short balanced finish.

2015 vintage

Loved this Pinot. Medium color, dark berries. Ate with marinated chicken and was wonderful

2015 vintage

Nice wine. Drank with Ham dinner. Little complexity. Short finish. Cherries and other red fruits.

2015 vintage

Color - Light to medium Garnet Nose - Lighter, Strawberry, raspberry then berry fruits Palate - Medium body, soft tannins, strawberry and berry fruits.

2015 vintage

PnP cellar temp. Clear, lighter purple/red color. Nice nose. This drank very nice with good balance, resolved tannin's, soft and fruity. Mix of red and blue fruit with med finish. Clear, and proper Pinot flavor, med finish. Great everyday wine at good value price, $25. Nothing off.

2015 vintage

Ruby with hints of cherries.

2015 vintage

Dark ruby color. Nice nose of cinnamon and raspberry. Rich mouthfeel and simpler flavors of black cherry and red fruits. Shorter finish. Paired well with fresh sockeye salmon.

2015 vintage

Nice color and typical nose. Cherries and fruit with modest complexity. Good value for this price range. Never disappoints.

2015 vintage

Nice, simple, soft. Cherry, herbs and hints of cola. Enjoyable, with a nice, cool-climate character. A bit short.

2015 vintage

Pop and pour. Tasted without food. Wonderful nose of black cherries and some fresh earth. The wine shows depth of flavors, mixing good dark fruits with spice notes of anise, nutmeg and cloves. Good value. Enjoyable.

2015 vintage

Ruby color, nose of red fruit jam (cassis and forest berries), baking spices (clove, dried blood orange rind and cinnamon), and just a hint of chocolate nibs. Balanced fruit and acidity - tucking away some for down the road. This is just so good.

2015 vintage

Not your typical Pinot noir. Drinks smooth but with complexity.

2009 vintage

Very enjoyable.

2009 vintage

Great full bodied pinot with power and delicacy. Earthy bouquet, bright cherries and raspberries on the nose with the same in the mouth. Good grip, long bright finish. A bit bitter and oaky so it probably won't benefit from time. Drinky, Drinky...

2009 vintage

Color: vibrant, medium red, not opaque. Nose: Ripe and lush red fruit and earth. Taste: Ripe red fruit - I get raspberries, among others - opening more over time, but not requiring extended breathing or decanting. Lovely, smooth finish. Very good value for the price, which I'm coming to expect from Navarro.

2009 vintage

Went well with a plainly prepared grilled salmon. Cherry, cola, and cocoa.Not what I expected for a NaVARRO PINOT BUT would buy this year again as it went so nicely with the food.

2009 vintage

Nice flavors and fruit. Good balance with the tannins but a little light in body.

2009 vintage

Open an hour before tasting. Minty nose. Plums, mocha, cola. Good acidity but not a lot of tannin. Very enjoyable now and may not improve. Great qpr.

2009 vintage

Pooped and poured, to smell, then let it breathe a short while. Bright, medium dark red. Great nose: Some light earthiness, a blend of red fruits - not just straight up strawberry. The bit of age is showing very nicely in the nose... some old world style here. Medium body in the mouth with a good balance between fruit, mineral, earth enough rounded tannin to mean it will age a few more years nicely. Nice complexity that shines in the …

2009 vintage

Good value, easy drinking and surprisingly refined for the price.

2009 vintage

Great well built Pinot. Really impressed the crowd with its restrained power and good structure.

2009 vintage

Nice

2009 vintage

light red in color. cherry, floral, raspberry, on the nose. cherry, raspberry, vanilla, on the palate. medium acid on the finish.

2009 vintage

I'm sure the secret formula for this is locked in a vault in Atlanta.

2008 vintage

The smokiness has really subsided, but it took most of the wine's character with it. Pleasant and inoffensive, medium body, rather short finish. Mostly cola with some cherries. Worked pretty well with coq au vin.

2008 vintage

Nose of cherries and red licorice. Palate with some cough syrup, tea and cherry cola. Just enough alcohol and tannin to balance it out. Food friendly in that it compliments rather than dominates.

2009 vintage

Mid-dark garnet; varietal nose, berries and cherries; mid-body, balanced, decent tannins; good fruit and finish. w/beef burgundy.

2009 vintage

This is the third time I've had this, and the third different score. Beautifully expressive nose of rose petals. i was worried that the nose would make the wine cloying, but far from it. I didn't get loads of fruit, but this was very subtle, and elegant, which has been my observation in the past. The difference is that the nose was much more pleasing this time. I think my previous experience with the wine was a little too hot …

2009 vintage

This is an impressive wine and incredible PQR for pinot noir. Not a light and perfumey pinot, but very fruit fruit forward and delicious to drink. Bing cherry, sweet but dry, big pinot nose.

2009 vintage

Dark brick red, slight haze on anotherwise shimmering complexion Opens with an intriguing bouquet of dried mushrooms, sous-bois, cigar box, rose petal, dried strawberries and dried cherries. Medium bodied, plus acidity. Strong notes of dark chocolate, rose scented tobacco and dried red fruits on succulent medium bodied palate with a nice plus note of acidity. Nice backbone of astringency compliments the acidity and richness. Very well balanced, and has an incredible minute + long finish. Simply delicious wine that really …

2001 vintage

The '09 vintage of this stand-by is a winner. Reliable fruity+smoky for delicious every day drinking.

2009 vintage

With roast chicken - a perfect match, We had tried another pinot that was a disappointment - this made a splendid backup wine!

2004 vintage

I tasted this semi-blind over the weekend, and my score is two points lower than a previous rating. This was number four of six wines, and this wine was just bland in comparison to others. Nothing offensive, but the nose, and especially the palate, just weren't expressive. However, I've had this before and remember it being better, although the flavors are more subtle. I think this is a more elegant Pinot, more burgundian in style, so it's not preferable if …

2009 vintage

14.3% Medium ruby red. Smells like pinot should; has a sweet generous nose. Medium weight mouth feel, soft tannins. Good acidity allows pairing with food. Almost Burgundian - definitely not syrah masquerading as pinot. Agree with the note that describes this as "light on its feet." Poured off half a bottle into an airtight container and stored in the ref. A week later, taste had improved, seemed more seamless and the aromas a bit more complex. Despite the high alcohol …

2009 vintage

(13.4%) Still drinking fresh. Light on the tongue with ripe strawberries and a bit of bramble. Medium bodied, well balanced and soft on the palate. A nice acidity emerges on the mid-palate to pair with the juicy, ripe fruit flavors. The finish is comfortable with warm vanilla notes. Not a tannin to be found. A nice, elegant, restrained wine that has yet to change much. That’s okay because I like it as is; luckily I have 3 more in the …

2004 vintage

A cut above most entry-level pinots -- better balance and structure than most; more classic than new world in scope and design; the sad part (to tightwad me) is that it takes $16 to get this... Drink now -- as good as it will ever be

2009 vintage

(14.3%) Medium to dark purple, ruby color in the glass with cherries, chocolate and vanilla barrel notes on the nose. On the palate plush and juicy with more cherry fruit along with a touch of tart cranberries. Though this one is "big" and fruit forward the acidity on the mid-palate keeps it nicely balanced. From there creamy, sweet, vanilla flavors emerge on finish which linger nicely with clove spice and tangy tannins. This one is clearly made from a warmer …

2009 vintage

Popped and poured. Medium to dark ruby in color. Dark flavors here: black cherry, cloves, bittersweet chocolate, subtle oak spice. While the flavors are a bit heavy, the texture is light and airy. Medium, tangy length. This ends up, surprisingly, with an overall sensation of being light on its feet. At under $20, this holds decent QPR. For me, the best wine in Navarro's recent pre-release shipment. UPDATE: On day 2, this showed more dark flavors of cola and coffee. …

2009 vintage

First impressions: dominant cherry with very good nose of tobacco and cinnamon. Slightly chocolatey too. Will probably get more.

2009 vintage

Good quaffable pinot. Nothing special, but at the price it's a good QPR.

2008 vintage

A bit disappointing for a Navarro Pinot. The Pinotc character is there, but it's a little hot and astringent. Pass this year.

2009 vintage

A good wine, no flaws really but not as complex as Navarro's other two pinots. Great every day drinker.

2008 vintage

This was supposed to be Navarro's reserve Pinot, but it was declassified and bottled under the Indian Creek label because of excessive smokiness due to nearby wildfires. What a pleasant surprise. Opened about 90 minutes before drinking. Much of the smokiness that was present when it was opened blew off by the time we started drinking it. Very bright cherry and cola notes on the nose and palate, and the remaining smoke only added another dimension. Medium body and not …

2008 vintage

OK, decent value

2008 vintage

Markedly better than the second label, which is nice; v. pleasant light pinot with varietal character; this bottle was probably as good as it was ever going to get, which is always a good thing

2008 vintage

Tasted at the source and enjoyed this one for its decent QPR. There is a lot of talk about the impact of smoke on the 2008 Anderson Valley pinots, but after tasting this bottling, I am more convinced than ever that the concern has reached an almost hysterical level. This edition of the Navarro Pinot Noir is clearly a notch below the 2007 bottling when it comes to aromatics. That being said, I found that with some time outside of …

2008 vintage

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Navarro Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

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