Domaine Anderson, Anderson Valley (Mendocino County, California) Pinot Noir 2012

Confession:  This bottle has been idling on my tasting runway for a couple of years, after being sent to me as a press sample that then got lost in the shuffle.  Last night it finally got cleared for take-off, and it was fantastic.  There’s no doubt in my mind that it was more complex and integrated thanks to the additional aging it received, and more than 20 retailers around the USA are still selling this vintage, so "better late than never" really applies in this case.  The wine shows lovely aromas with interwoven scents of dark cherry fruit and mushroom-y accents, and the flavors are even more complex.  Almost all the wood notes are now integrated, and the tannins super soft but still sufficient to provide framing.  $50 is the list price and also the one most commonly charged at the moment, and though the wine is easily worth that, some retailers are charging less than $40–which is a steal.