Our 2021
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is a cuvée produced primarily from two vineyard sites plus a smattering of barrels from several other vineyard lots. The largest component—45% of this cuvée—was produced from grapes grown in the Marking Corral. This site is Navarro's highest elevation vineyard where the ocean breezes keep the vines cool; consequently this is our last Pinot Noir vineyard to ripen. As a possible contender for our
Méthode à l'Ancienne and
Deep End bottlings, this lot was aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, about 33% new. The flavor profile is reminiscent of red cherry with vanilla and Asian spices from the new barrels with intense flavors from the slow-ripening crop tempered by ocean breezes.
Navarro's 2021 harvest crew after they had harvested the Winery block at night.