As you know, it was a rough winter (which I expected the tree to handle just fine), but the tree came out of winter with a faded green color. The pot hasn't been draining well since I received it, but I wanted to wait to pot it until it was more established. But, given the poor needle color, a couple few weeks ago I repotted in pumice and lava (60/40). When I took the tree out, the existing soil was pretty hard, and there weren't many fine feeder roots.
Since the repot, the color isn't deteriorating any more and might actually be improving slightly. And, the buds are starting to swell, which I take as a good sign. It's not guaranteed to thrive or even survive, but I am optimistic its health will improve dramatically this year because it will be able to establish much better roots.