2001 Méthode à l’Ancienne Pinot Noir

Delicate floral scents edge this pinot, its light but piercingly long flavors extended by the cool, coastal nights of the Anderson Valley. The texture is firm, the flavors are crisp as red apple and tart as tangerine. Dusty tannins in the end will focus those flavors on veal and mushrooms. - Wine & Spirits Magazine, "The Year’s Best Pinot Noir", January 2004.

Fresh and fragrant, with snappy black cherry and wild berry fruit that offers a hint of jam. Focused and persistent, with fine-grained tannins, and a whiff of blueberry on the finish adding to the complexity. Drink now through 2008. - James Laube, Wine Spectator, April 30, 2004.

It is my belief that Pinot Noir, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon for instance, can be absolutely delicious in pure, fruity, lightish, early-maturing form. There is something so delicate, flirtatious and beguiling about a Pinot made to express this unadorned face of the grape - particularly at this time of year when, in the northern hemisphere at least, we are starting to look for red wines suitable for drinking in warmer weather, wines that may be flattered by being served very slightly cool….the easiest way to buy is from their own atmospheric website www.navarrowine.com where this wine is a refreshing change from so many California wine prices. Suffice it to say that this wine is pure pleasure at a very reasonable price. And what more could one ask for? Look out for it on wine lists of American restaurants with particularly astute sommeliers. - Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com, April 27, 2004.

Navarro’s Ancienne always seems to produce a fresh Pinot, not an ageable heavyweight, and this one’s no exception. It has pretty flavors of cherries, coffee and smoke, with silky tannins. - Wine Enthusiast, June 2004.