2012 Pahlmeyer Wayfarer Vineyard Pinot Noir Golden Mean
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The Golden Mean is made exclusively from Pommard and Swan clones. Medium ruby colored, the 2012 Pinot Noir Golden Mean has a savory nose of charcuterie and Marmite toast with a core of dried cranberries, potpourri, spice box and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a beautiful earthy/savory character with lovely, fine-grained tannins and a good long finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Brought up in barrels with slightly higher toast levels, the 250-case 2012 Pinot Noir Golden Mean offers a ripe, hedonistic style in its blackberry, melted licorice, roasted herb and forest floor bouquet. Ripe, opulent and layered on the palate, with tons of mid-palate depth and a broad, expansive texture, it’s not for those craving cooler-climate, green, tart aromas and flavors. This sexy beast has the concentration and balance to keep for another 10-15 years.
A more masculine, virile expression of Sonoma Coast Pinot emerges from the 2012 Pinot Noir Golden Mean. Dark cherries, new leather and savory herbs blossom in a big, broad-shouldered wine endowed with tremendous power. The 2012 was bottled just two weeks before this tasting, so it is still a bit shocked, but super-impressive just the same. There is plenty of upside here.