Ripe and full bodied without being overly sweet, this Estate Zinfandel bursts out of the glass with juicy wild blackberry, cassis, fine black pepper.
Pairing: Dark Chocolate or with your favorite person
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
Bursting with big, ripe juicy wild blackberry and fine pepper, this slightly sweet delicacy will impress even the biggest critic of dessert wines finding it sweet but not not syrupy and happily lacking the typical viscosity of dessert wines.
The Harvest Moon: the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox. In the legend of the Harvest moon, it is said that all full moons have their own special characteristics based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible.
Harvest Moon Estate and Winery was founded on growing, producing and bottling world-class Russian River Valley wine in a balanced, elegant style. Our premise is that Russian River Valley Zinfandel can be just as layered and complex as any Pinot Noir or Bordeaux variety in the world and receive the same respect. The Pitts family has grown quality grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1976. In 2000, son Randy reverse migrated from San Francisco back to Sonoma County to assume the farming responsibilities at the family’s modest nine-acre ranch. In conjunction with lessons on farming by his Dad and a few viticulture/enology courses at the local junior college, Randy made a barrel of homemade Zinfandel off the ranch’s back block which turned out exceptionally tasty. Quickly concluding that properly farmed and judiciously fermented, Zinfandel has great capabilities of being California’s own wine nobility. The growers-turned winemakers birthed their inaugural vintage in 2002 and look forward to making their Zinprint on the winescene for decades to come.
In addition to growing Zinfandel, Harvest Moon also hand crafts small amounts of Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI
Harvest Moon Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
@klezman@rjquillin I’ll gladly take a pair if possible. I bought a bottle of this at cellar door pricing because it was that good. At this price? Dunzo.
Rattage follows.
Who would send me a dessert wine!? Ariana that’s who…
I’m no Molarche and don’t drink much in the way of dessert wines but I’ve tasted plenty so hopefully I can do Randy some justice here.
I opened this bottle Friday night after receiving it mid week after dinner. In appearance it really did not disappoint, deep clear ruby with a hint of purple. Looking thick and concentrated.
Nose: Youthful big nose full of red/black fruit, my initial impression was sweet black cherry in its purest form, but after spending some time with decided its more like cherry pie filling/raspberry jam. I didn’t notice any alcohol in the nose here and checking the % it seems modest for a dessert wine. Some wood is present but not particularly noticeably. Overall a really beautiful nose that I enjoyed over the course of the tasting over the weekend.
Taste: Sweet bordering on very sweet, medium bodied and tart, it comes across as lighter in body than it appears if that makes any sense at all. No tannins to speak of here. The overall balance of the wine by itself was off a bit with it being too tart but combined with a dark chocolate fudge brownie it was pretty much perfect. By itself it was too much,(sorry Randy) the wine was far too tart, but like most dessert wines this one I’m guessing isn’t meant to be drank en by itself, it should accompany dessert. The wine on its own flavor wise without dessert really reminds me of thanksgiving cranberry sauce but not in a negative way (no, no not the canned version!).
With chocolate this wine shines and all the things i mentioned above are completely smoothed out, the nose is beautiful and very inviting. Absolutely recommended.
FYI - Candace doesn’t do dessert wines and made an awesome (WTF! ) face when tasting it unprepared and without said dark chocolate brownie.
Randy, nice wine. thanks for offering it here, happy as always to provide feedback.
“Come a little bit closer, hear what I have to say…”
PnP—Wine pours with a beautiful deep ruby color. Right from the start, it’s evident that there’s a lot of personality crammed into this small bottle.
Both the cork and the initial welcome sip/bouquet provide exactly what the label description provides: lots and lots of blackberries and even some black pepper. Additionally, the alcohol presents strongly on the nose, but not enough to take away from the other flavors—tons of fruit, clear sweet but semi-tart flavor; everything you might want in a beverage to end a meal or a good dinner party (if you’re into that sort of thing!)
Thirty minutes in, the flavors start to mellow together, but fruits are still the forward leading push. Tart-sweetness is really settling in without losing any of the qualities that one would like in a dessert wine. Scent of alcohol is still around, but not overbearing by any means.
I did not decant the pour, and saw little change in flavors and mouth feel while stealing samples during the first 90 minutes or so. However, right about the two-hour mark things really took a change: having time to open up, this wine really started to relax; almost in the blink of an eye, some really great maturation occurred without the loss of any flavor or aroma. Here is why friends continually try to sell me on “dessert wine.”
Typically, these late harvest/sweeter wine styles aren’t my go to, but this offer is probably an automatic choice for those who appreciate this craft. Great timing on the sale though, because it’s an easy choice for me to look good and get my Pops something he’ll enjoy for Father’s Day, and something I might not mind taking sips of when he’s not paying attention (just like when I was eleven.)
Generally speaking, the long decant served so well that my absolutely non-professional recommendation is that this bottle should be aerated nicely and/or cellared for the next 3-5 years with no issue for maximum enjoyment. Appreciate it slowly while sitting in the backyard garden, preferably with a real dessert that features great chocolate and/or a bit of red pepper.
I really expected to like this wine. I’ve enjoyed Harvest Moon Zinfandel from a previous offer, and I’ve always enjoyed late harvest wines in general, and LH Zinfandel in particular. This one just didn’t do it for me. The flavor seemed more like grape juice than wine, it was extremely tart, not at all balanced. Frankly, it had me wondering if it was a flawed bottle.
I’ll definitely give it another try later today, after it’s been opened for a while, and hope for the best.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Harvest Moon Late Harvest Zinfandel - $60 - 29.99%
ddeuddeg and I had a bottle of the 2017 Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel diverted to us since one of our “local” Casemates friends was going to be on vacation when the bottle was scheduled to be delivered to him. We finally got the bottle on Friday and were able to give it a few days to rest after its trek to Buffalo.
I think we got a bad bottle. Upon first sniff, I didn’t get any identifiable bouquet. Upon first taste, I thought that I had just opened a freshly pressed bottle of Welch’s grape juice. The flavor of fresh grape juice exploded on my tongue but it had some sort of strange tang/sourness to it. It even poured with the bubbles around the sides of the glass like you get with grape juice! We’ve had plenty of late harvest zinfandel and it has never tasted like this! This wine didn’t get any better over the course of an hour of taking sips. I generally expect a dessert wine to work well on its own. This didn’t happen. As ddeuddeg said, I’ll try it again later.
@Harvest_Moon@Winedavid49 Hi Randy! Thank you for confirming that we got a bad bottle. I’m afraid that I cannot say what caused it. We will give it another taste later tonight, just to confirm. It was delivered to the Western New York (Buffalo)/Central New York (think Finger Lakes–its original destination–about a 90-minute drive from us) regions quite expeditiously from California. So, it was not riding across the country in trucks for extended periods of time.
I must say that writing a negative review of a particular wine is one of the most difficult things for me to do. I have had a number of conversations with @Winedavid49 while on RPM Tours and WineDavid always wants LabRats to be as honest as possible in our reviews of a particular wine. I am afraid that a negative review will damage sales. And, it can. ddeuddeg and I have been members of this and the other community pretty much since the very beginning. We are some of “the most traveled wooters” regarding the old gatherings/tastings that have occurred around the country. We have grown incrementally in our knowledge and appreciation of wine. And, yet, we are still learning.
I will say that this bottle was definitely NOT corked. I am very sensitive to “corked”. You say that it cannot be corked due to the composite cork that you use. Fair enough. But yes, it is a bad bottle. I wish we were closer and you could taste it to see/experience what we did. Then, perhaps you could figure out what happened to this bottle in particular.
And then, I can’t help but wonder: what does a really good bottle of this wine taste like? Buffalo/WNY peeps: anyone interested in going in on a case? That’s the best price on this wine. Don’t forget: it is a 375.
What’s up Casemates, WineGuy Randy here. When I Contacted by the good people that case mates regarding a dessert wine, I was stoked. This wine is the epitome of a balanced dessert wine. Have you made this wine from a special part of my Vineyard for 15 years, we’ve got this desert wine dialed!
I stuffed gobs of fruit, pepper and spice in this spilt bottle in 2017. It’ll cellar a decade or hit the spot tonight. Let’s chat!
@Harvest_Moon Thanks for stopping by! What would you say are some potentially non-standard pairings for this? We’ll all go to dark chocolate, but is there anything else you feel highlights what you created?
@Harvest_Moon Hey Randy!
molarchae and I are looking forward to adding this vintage to our substantial Harvest Moon Zin (table and dessert wine) collection!
What are your thoughts on the current state of the 2007-2013 vintages these days? Drinking windows?
@smittypap there has been talk of off bottles and corks here on previous offers as well. I’ve experienced some myself and no longer a buyer. I’ll get taken to task for posting this but it is what it is.
@smittypap Actually only one of three.
bahwn and ddeuddeg ratted the same bottle.
And, iirc, Randy and CM have been quite responsive in replacing any defects. @HarvestMoon@WineDavid49
@kaolis@smittypap No getting taken to task. There was a batch that had some iffy corks. But that was a few years ago. Obviously ymmv, but I’ve not had any cork issues in the last few years with anything aside from 2009 vintage late harvest. (The 2009 Sonoma Zin was one of our wedding wines and the few we have remaining are drinking phenomenally!)
We also had one corked bottle of an earlier vintage of the late harvest as well. Randy replaced it when we were up there visiting. @WineDavid49 will replace/refund if any issues come up, although if several years elapse you’ll probably have better luck just going to Randy directly. Remember, wines don’t get corked after bottling - it’s there when the bottling happens. Other things, like oxidation and turning to vinegar, are another story.
@klezman@smittypap@Winedavid49@rjquillin My bottles have had iffy corks, but wines were not corked, but off/flawed. imho. And a recent bottle while beginning to pull the cork, it just popped out on its own, with a small stream of wine with it. Just my personal experience, and since the topic came up, thought it worth mentioning. There is a previous casemates discussion and 99% sure came up on w**t but those notes are gone unfortunately.
@Harvest_Moon@smittypap No, I’ve had off bottles. I have purchased multiples of several wines. There is bottle variation. When the wine is sound, I love it. If the bottle is flawed, I don’t. Nothing to do with style. Nothing. I say off not corked because I’m particularly sensitive to TCA, although at small levels, sure it can just strip the wine of fruit and character.
We sell an average of 42 bottles every single week in our tasting room. People love it. We started using composite cork starting in 2017 which means there’s no more corkage issues. I’m inclined to think that shipping the wine during adverse times is causing the issues. There’s something going on with either the shipping or the type of client here. On this site. We are not experiencing the issues in our tasting room nor when we ship to our clients that I’m reading here. Quite interesting.
@Harvest_Moon Well, guess I’m not your “type of client here”. Whatever that means. I’m 63 years old and having been drinking serious wine since I was 25. I do not have any wine shipped unless it cool out. From anyone, including casemates here. My wines are stored temp/humidity controlled. I pull many corks, and admittedly do not buy a ton of Harvest Moon. But your failure rate, for me and maybe only me, is unacceptable. Enjoy your evening.
@Harvest_Moon this is quite insulting. I’m sorry to say this but i purchase many bottles here and what was WW. Very few flawed bottles over 8 years except yours. I would estimate 10-15 percent of HM bottles ive purchased have been flawed. Not trying to knock on you simply stating facts from personal experience.
@Harvest_Moon I think you read my review, indicating that, based on my experience, I expected to like this wine. I don’t know what you mean by “the type of client here,” but it doesn’t feel like a compliment. I’m 10 years older than @kaolis, and started drinking serious wine earlier in life as well. After 5 rpm tours, I think I have enough experience and integrity to write an honest review and let the chips fall where they may. As for the shipping, the wine was shipped by air, overnight, and arrived in New York State in temperatures that didn’t exceed 65° F. at any time. I doubt you have a shipping process better than that. I typically really enjoy late harvest Zinfandel, and I’m willing to assume the bottle we had was not representative. I wish I knew what to attribute it to.
@ddeuddeg@kaolis thanks for letting me know it was shipped in that format. Key. As dat as style, the vast majority of CA wines are big on body and booze. My wines are neither. It’s a traditional, non-CA style that, for many American palates, come off “thin” or light or weak. That’s all. Cheers
We will always resend bottles the first time if there was ever an issue when purchased from my tasting room and shipped thru us. That said, look at the discount you guys are receiving.
@Harvest_Moon Actually it appears like three, with the one bottle having two rat reports, and they agreeing it was an off bottle that was shipped to NY.
@Harvest_Moon@rjquillin Hi Guys! Just as an FYI: we’re still waiting for summer here. Temperatures were not above 65 degrees once the wine got into our area in New York state. We are in Buffalo, NY, at the far eastern edge of Lake Erie in Western NY. We are on the opposite end of the state from NYC.
THIS is why lab ratting is the best thing. We’ve now had the winemaker trash the shipping and clientele versus admitting the possibility of a flawed bottle.
@KNmeh7 I understand. I’m staying we don’t ship above a certain temp range. Which is why we do all our own fulfillment. Flaws are entirely possible. The wines I offer here tend to be of acceptable quality particularly based on the price they’re offered. I accept responsibility for potential flaws. Small lot winemaking isn’t as consistent as the large corporate lots and because of inconsistency, we offer to replace bottles that are purchase from our tasting room without question.
@rjquillin not sure I agree with you on this one. I work hard for my money and when a winemaker or winery insults me I take it personal. There’s plenty of competing wineries and customer service matters to me.
I think the forum can, at times, be fired up. I’ve seen it in other offers. We work very hard at crafting interesting, unique wines. Wines that are not for everyone. That was my point. I’m not making soft, super easy-drinking vino. Austerity, elegance are two goals. Cheers
@losthighwayz@rjquillin rjwuillin has been in these boards more than 2 other times criticizing my wines in the past. That’s why I say, these wines are not for everyone
@Harvest_Moon@losthighwayz@rjquillin Read my lips, we are not talking about your style of wines. We are talking about bottle variation, leaking corks, flawed bottles and bottles that ooze wine when you pull the cork.
I’m on night two of the 2013 estate Zinfandel and it’s delightful. More herbs than most, and even a touch green, but still with tasty fruit. I love the old school style Randy shoots for.
All this reading makes me want to drink some wine. IMO Randy makes some good funkin’ wines. Yes I’ve had a few cork problems with some vintages before 2015, but it was always made right when requested. @Harvest_Moon I’m excited to see some of the 2017 wines made with composite corks. I’ll try and visit y’all when wifey and I get a chance to escape parenthood.
@TechnoViking@Harvest_Moon
Same experience here. A couple cork issues on earlier vintages. One bottle of either 2008 or 2009 LHZ had some oxidation because of it but was still drinkable. Have otherwise greatly enjoyed Randy’s wines and have had no problems with more recent vintages. I can understand the concern but not the vitriol.
It’s something besides corkage. I got a case of the 2016 Russian River Pinot last fall and so far every bottle (five, I think) I’ve opened given the impression of being slightly fizzy or effervescent. It’s off-putting in a red.
@eburke Sometimes a good few minutes of swirling gets rid of any significant dissolved CO2 or whatever else the bubbles may be. Always worth a try to see how it evolves. It may or may not affect the quality of the wine for your palate. I’ve had both cases happen to me with other wines (i.e. where I’ve liked it after a few minutes or an hour and where I ended up dumping it).
For the 2016 Pinot there are three notes in CT, two from me. You can see the experiences for yourself: one reporting effervescence, one reporting deliciousness, and one reporting something that tasted (to me) like the result of some carbonic maceration.
@TechnoViking I don’t see the Mirage in my order history but I remember a case of something all fizzed up… maybe a Copa Del Rey CS or Costa Del Sol blend. (and wow… after loooking what I wouldn’t give for a bottle of Emergency Holiday Provisions, Dontspille le Black, or Adequate Gift Wine)
@klezman i opened another bottle of the 2016 last night. Whatever is going on was less pronounced (but still a hint). I enjoyed it much more than the first two bottles we opened last fall. I’ll have to take it off the “party gift wine to leave on someone’s sideboard” list.
@eburke@klezman@TechnoViking
I still have one bottle left of the “Fizzy Cab” as it was advertised. I think it was cleared out for $80/case, IIRC. Produced by Sextant winery whose eponymous Cabs also had some sporadic instances of secondary fermentation, although not to the extent of the Mirage Cab.
FWIW, I’ve received 3 bad/corked Chardonnay bottles from Sanford over the past 2 years, but I will continue to buy and enjoy their wines… This happens (to wines at all levels), and then I move on.
Got my case today. Delish! Wow! Fruity, cherryish, sweet, with a bit of tartness in the aftertaste along with a slight amount of tannin astringency. I love it! Just wish that I had more, and that it came in a 750 ml bottle. These 375 ml puppies will not last long.
Sometimes, folks have a whine story that they think is a corker. And sometimes others want to talk about the wine. It was the latter that I went with, and glad of it. You make some very, very good wine, Good Sirs.
For what it is worth, that was an unfair treatment in the discussion. Some pointed out that you readily replaced any and all bottles that were adversely affected. No one, who puts that much effort into making a quality product, deliberately chooses a bad cork!
The majority of silent folks to whom you shipped believe that. I am one of them.
So take comfort, and get back to crushing grapes instead of being crushed by words.
Corks be damned. I vote for screw closures on every bottle. As someone has said, they are good enough for $500 bottles of scotch and other potables, and I think that they are superior, when it comes to wine as well.
Tasting Notes
Ripe and full bodied without being overly sweet, this Estate Zinfandel bursts out of the glass with juicy wild blackberry, cassis, fine black pepper.
Pairing: Dark Chocolate or with your favorite person
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
Bursting with big, ripe juicy wild blackberry and fine pepper, this slightly sweet delicacy will impress even the biggest critic of dessert wines finding it sweet but not not syrupy and happily lacking the typical viscosity of dessert wines.
Cooperage: Oak chip bag during tank fermentation
Specifications
Price Comparison
$426/case (including shipping) at Harvest Moon Estate & Winery
About The Winery
The Harvest Moon: the moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox. In the legend of the Harvest moon, it is said that all full moons have their own special characteristics based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible.
Harvest Moon Estate and Winery was founded on growing, producing and bottling world-class Russian River Valley wine in a balanced, elegant style. Our premise is that Russian River Valley Zinfandel can be just as layered and complex as any Pinot Noir or Bordeaux variety in the world and receive the same respect. The Pitts family has grown quality grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1976. In 2000, son Randy reverse migrated from San Francisco back to Sonoma County to assume the farming responsibilities at the family’s modest nine-acre ranch. In conjunction with lessons on farming by his Dad and a few viticulture/enology courses at the local junior college, Randy made a barrel of homemade Zinfandel off the ranch’s back block which turned out exceptionally tasty. Quickly concluding that properly farmed and judiciously fermented, Zinfandel has great capabilities of being California’s own wine nobility. The growers-turned winemakers birthed their inaugural vintage in 2002 and look forward to making their Zinprint on the winescene for decades to come.
In addition to growing Zinfandel, Harvest Moon also hand crafts small amounts of Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, KS, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 1st - Friday, July 5th
Harvest Moon Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Harvest Moon Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel
Just as I say I need to really scale back you come out with one of the house favorites! And I’m drinking a 2013 Pitts Ranch Zinfandel tonight, too.
@klezman
aloof-loony-mole
coming your way
I’ll take 3 or 4; you divvy the rest.
@klezman @rjquillin I’ll take 2 if possible
@klezman @rjquillin I’ll gladly take a pair if possible. I bought a bottle of this at cellar door pricing because it was that good. At this price? Dunzo.
@radiolysis @rjquillin @losthiwayz
So that’s 2 for radiolysis, 2 for lost, 4 for Ron and 4 for us. Good? Happy to make adjustments…
@klezman sounds good to me!
@klezman @radiolysis I could back down to three if Radio wants an extra.
@klezman @rjquillin two is enough for me.
@radiolysis @rjquillin Ron, I leave it to you to enter into the spreadsheet
Rattage follows.
Who would send me a dessert wine!? Ariana that’s who…
I’m no Molarche and don’t drink much in the way of dessert wines but I’ve tasted plenty so hopefully I can do Randy some justice here.
I opened this bottle Friday night after receiving it mid week after dinner. In appearance it really did not disappoint, deep clear ruby with a hint of purple. Looking thick and concentrated.
Nose: Youthful big nose full of red/black fruit, my initial impression was sweet black cherry in its purest form, but after spending some time with decided its more like cherry pie filling/raspberry jam. I didn’t notice any alcohol in the nose here and checking the % it seems modest for a dessert wine. Some wood is present but not particularly noticeably. Overall a really beautiful nose that I enjoyed over the course of the tasting over the weekend.
Taste: Sweet bordering on very sweet, medium bodied and tart, it comes across as lighter in body than it appears if that makes any sense at all. No tannins to speak of here. The overall balance of the wine by itself was off a bit with it being too tart but combined with a dark chocolate fudge brownie it was pretty much perfect. By itself it was too much,(sorry Randy) the wine was far too tart, but like most dessert wines this one I’m guessing isn’t meant to be drank en by itself, it should accompany dessert. The wine on its own flavor wise without dessert really reminds me of thanksgiving cranberry sauce but not in a negative way (no, no not the canned version!).
With chocolate this wine shines and all the things i mentioned above are completely smoothed out, the nose is beautiful and very inviting. Absolutely recommended.
FYI - Candace doesn’t do dessert wines and made an awesome (WTF! ) face when tasting it unprepared and without said dark chocolate brownie.
Randy, nice wine. thanks for offering it here, happy as always to provide feedback.
DIPLOMAT! RAT-A-TAT! FAT CAT! AWESOME!
@CorTot Thanks for the back label bottle shot.
“Come a little bit closer, hear what I have to say…”
PnP—Wine pours with a beautiful deep ruby color. Right from the start, it’s evident that there’s a lot of personality crammed into this small bottle.
Both the cork and the initial welcome sip/bouquet provide exactly what the label description provides: lots and lots of blackberries and even some black pepper. Additionally, the alcohol presents strongly on the nose, but not enough to take away from the other flavors—tons of fruit, clear sweet but semi-tart flavor; everything you might want in a beverage to end a meal or a good dinner party (if you’re into that sort of thing!)
Thirty minutes in, the flavors start to mellow together, but fruits are still the forward leading push. Tart-sweetness is really settling in without losing any of the qualities that one would like in a dessert wine. Scent of alcohol is still around, but not overbearing by any means.
I did not decant the pour, and saw little change in flavors and mouth feel while stealing samples during the first 90 minutes or so. However, right about the two-hour mark things really took a change: having time to open up, this wine really started to relax; almost in the blink of an eye, some really great maturation occurred without the loss of any flavor or aroma. Here is why friends continually try to sell me on “dessert wine.”
Typically, these late harvest/sweeter wine styles aren’t my go to, but this offer is probably an automatic choice for those who appreciate this craft. Great timing on the sale though, because it’s an easy choice for me to look good and get my Pops something he’ll enjoy for Father’s Day, and something I might not mind taking sips of when he’s not paying attention (just like when I was eleven.)
Generally speaking, the long decant served so well that my absolutely non-professional recommendation is that this bottle should be aerated nicely and/or cellared for the next 3-5 years with no issue for maximum enjoyment. Appreciate it slowly while sitting in the backyard garden, preferably with a real dessert that features great chocolate and/or a bit of red pepper.
Cheers all; Thanks Harvest Moon, and thanks WD!
@Aureliano LOVE the Neil Young reference!!
I really expected to like this wine. I’ve enjoyed Harvest Moon Zinfandel from a previous offer, and I’ve always enjoyed late harvest wines in general, and LH Zinfandel in particular. This one just didn’t do it for me. The flavor seemed more like grape juice than wine, it was extremely tart, not at all balanced. Frankly, it had me wondering if it was a flawed bottle.
I’ll definitely give it another try later today, after it’s been opened for a while, and hope for the best.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Harvest Moon Late Harvest Zinfandel - $60 - 29.99%
Pardon my ignorance but what makes this a dessert wine?
@the5balls In this case pretty much the RS:
But also the style in which it was created.
Hopefully Randy will join in and give his more accurate assessment.
ddeuddeg and I had a bottle of the 2017 Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel diverted to us since one of our “local” Casemates friends was going to be on vacation when the bottle was scheduled to be delivered to him. We finally got the bottle on Friday and were able to give it a few days to rest after its trek to Buffalo.
I think we got a bad bottle. Upon first sniff, I didn’t get any identifiable bouquet. Upon first taste, I thought that I had just opened a freshly pressed bottle of Welch’s grape juice. The flavor of fresh grape juice exploded on my tongue but it had some sort of strange tang/sourness to it. It even poured with the bubbles around the sides of the glass like you get with grape juice! We’ve had plenty of late harvest zinfandel and it has never tasted like this! This wine didn’t get any better over the course of an hour of taking sips. I generally expect a dessert wine to work well on its own. This didn’t happen.
As ddeuddeg said, I’ll try it again later.
@bahwm you got a bad bottle.
@Harvest_Moon @Winedavid49 Hi Randy! Thank you for confirming that we got a bad bottle. I’m afraid that I cannot say what caused it. We will give it another taste later tonight, just to confirm. It was delivered to the Western New York (Buffalo)/Central New York (think Finger Lakes–its original destination–about a 90-minute drive from us) regions quite expeditiously from California. So, it was not riding across the country in trucks for extended periods of time.
I must say that writing a negative review of a particular wine is one of the most difficult things for me to do. I have had a number of conversations with @Winedavid49 while on RPM Tours and WineDavid always wants LabRats to be as honest as possible in our reviews of a particular wine. I am afraid that a negative review will damage sales. And, it can. ddeuddeg and I have been members of this and the other community pretty much since the very beginning. We are some of “the most traveled wooters” regarding the old gatherings/tastings that have occurred around the country. We have grown incrementally in our knowledge and appreciation of wine. And, yet, we are still learning.
I will say that this bottle was definitely NOT corked. I am very sensitive to “corked”. You say that it cannot be corked due to the composite cork that you use. Fair enough. But yes, it is a bad bottle. I wish we were closer and you could taste it to see/experience what we did. Then, perhaps you could figure out what happened to this bottle in particular.
And then, I can’t help but wonder: what does a really good bottle of this wine taste like? Buffalo/WNY peeps: anyone interested in going in on a case? That’s the best price on this wine. Don’t forget: it is a 375.
Chicago area (mainly nw suburbs folks) open to a split? I would take 3-4 and manage ordering.
@illini_john I think I’m out
What’s up Casemates, WineGuy Randy here. When I Contacted by the good people that case mates regarding a dessert wine, I was stoked. This wine is the epitome of a balanced dessert wine. Have you made this wine from a special part of my Vineyard for 15 years, we’ve got this desert wine dialed!
I stuffed gobs of fruit, pepper and spice in this spilt bottle in 2017. It’ll cellar a decade or hit the spot tonight. Let’s chat!
@Harvest_Moon Thanks for stopping by! What would you say are some potentially non-standard pairings for this? We’ll all go to dark chocolate, but is there anything else you feel highlights what you created?
@radiolysis salty cheese, like a veiny blue or aged Gouda as an app in the beginning of the evening. Don’t wait till the end of the night. We forget!
@Harvest_Moon Hey Randy!
molarchae and I are looking forward to adding this vintage to our substantial Harvest Moon Zin (table and dessert wine) collection!
What are your thoughts on the current state of the 2007-2013 vintages these days? Drinking windows?
@klezman hey guys, all are drink now. 08 can go longer but drink up!
Really want to pull the trigger on this, but two out of four rats with bad bottles is not a good ratting average.
@smittypap there has been talk of off bottles and corks here on previous offers as well. I’ve experienced some myself and no longer a buyer. I’ll get taken to task for posting this but it is what it is.
@smittypap Actually only one of three.
bahwn and ddeuddeg ratted the same bottle.
And, iirc, Randy and CM have been quite responsive in replacing any defects.
@HarvestMoon @WineDavid49
@kaolis @smittypap No getting taken to task. There was a batch that had some iffy corks. But that was a few years ago. Obviously ymmv, but I’ve not had any cork issues in the last few years with anything aside from 2009 vintage late harvest. (The 2009 Sonoma Zin was one of our wedding wines and the few we have remaining are drinking phenomenally!)
We also had one corked bottle of an earlier vintage of the late harvest as well. Randy replaced it when we were up there visiting. @WineDavid49 will replace/refund if any issues come up, although if several years elapse you’ll probably have better luck just going to Randy directly. Remember, wines don’t get corked after bottling - it’s there when the bottling happens. Other things, like oxidation and turning to vinegar, are another story.
@klezman @smittypap @Winedavid49 @rjquillin My bottles have had iffy corks, but wines were not corked, but off/flawed. imho. And a recent bottle while beginning to pull the cork, it just popped out on its own, with a small stream of wine with it. Just my personal experience, and since the topic came up, thought it worth mentioning. There is a previous casemates discussion and 99% sure came up on w**t but those notes are gone unfortunately.
@kaolis @smittypap I used a composite cork on this bottling. Not corked.
@Harvest_Moon @smittypap I never said corked. Not once. Never.
@smittypap pull the trigger. If you don’t like it, I’ll send you your $ back. It’s got great fruit, spice pepper.
@kaolis @smittypap so you don’t like the style.
@Harvest_Moon @smittypap No, I’ve had off bottles. I have purchased multiples of several wines. There is bottle variation. When the wine is sound, I love it. If the bottle is flawed, I don’t. Nothing to do with style. Nothing. I say off not corked because I’m particularly sensitive to TCA, although at small levels, sure it can just strip the wine of fruit and character.
Thanks, @Harvest_Moon! Trigger pulled. I’m not worried about temperature. Hasn’t hit 65 here in a month or more.
/giphy macho-fragile-arch
We sell an average of 42 bottles every single week in our tasting room. People love it. We started using composite cork starting in 2017 which means there’s no more corkage issues. I’m inclined to think that shipping the wine during adverse times is causing the issues. There’s something going on with either the shipping or the type of client here. On this site. We are not experiencing the issues in our tasting room nor when we ship to our clients that I’m reading here. Quite interesting.
@Harvest_Moon Well, guess I’m not your “type of client here”. Whatever that means. I’m 63 years old and having been drinking serious wine since I was 25. I do not have any wine shipped unless it cool out. From anyone, including casemates here. My wines are stored temp/humidity controlled. I pull many corks, and admittedly do not buy a ton of Harvest Moon. But your failure rate, for me and maybe only me, is unacceptable. Enjoy your evening.
@kaolis haha ok. Cheers
@Harvest_Moon this is quite insulting. I’m sorry to say this but i purchase many bottles here and what was WW. Very few flawed bottles over 8 years except yours. I would estimate 10-15 percent of HM bottles ive purchased have been flawed. Not trying to knock on you simply stating facts from personal experience.
@Harvest_Moon I think you read my review, indicating that, based on my experience, I expected to like this wine. I don’t know what you mean by “the type of client here,” but it doesn’t feel like a compliment. I’m 10 years older than @kaolis, and started drinking serious wine earlier in life as well. After 5 rpm tours, I think I have enough experience and integrity to write an honest review and let the chips fall where they may. As for the shipping, the wine was shipped by air, overnight, and arrived in New York State in temperatures that didn’t exceed 65° F. at any time. I doubt you have a shipping process better than that. I typically really enjoy late harvest Zinfandel, and I’m willing to assume the bottle we had was not representative. I wish I knew what to attribute it to.
@ddeuddeg @kaolis thanks for letting me know it was shipped in that format. Key. As dat as style, the vast majority of CA wines are big on body and booze. My wines are neither. It’s a traditional, non-CA style that, for many American palates, come off “thin” or light or weak. That’s all. Cheers
We will always resend bottles the first time if there was ever an issue when purchased from my tasting room and shipped thru us. That said, look at the discount you guys are receiving.
Price to value people. Price to value.
The two lab rats had the bottles shipped. What was the temp of the states as it travelled?
@Harvest_Moon Actually it appears like three, with the one bottle having two rat reports, and they agreeing it was an off bottle that was shipped to NY.
@Harvest_Moon @rjquillin Hi Guys! Just as an FYI: we’re still waiting for summer here. Temperatures were not above 65 degrees once the wine got into our area in New York state. We are in Buffalo, NY, at the far eastern edge of Lake Erie in Western NY. We are on the opposite end of the state from NYC.
THIS is why lab ratting is the best thing. We’ve now had the winemaker trash the shipping and clientele versus admitting the possibility of a flawed bottle.
@KNmeh7 I understand. I’m staying we don’t ship above a certain temp range. Which is why we do all our own fulfillment. Flaws are entirely possible. The wines I offer here tend to be of acceptable quality particularly based on the price they’re offered. I accept responsibility for potential flaws. Small lot winemaking isn’t as consistent as the large corporate lots and because of inconsistency, we offer to replace bottles that are purchase from our tasting room without question.
$#!t happens; it’s made good and we move on.
Can we get back to talking about what’s in the bottle?
@rjquillin not sure I agree with you on this one. I work hard for my money and when a winemaker or winery insults me I take it personal. There’s plenty of competing wineries and customer service matters to me.
I think the forum can, at times, be fired up. I’ve seen it in other offers. We work very hard at crafting interesting, unique wines. Wines that are not for everyone. That was my point. I’m not making soft, super easy-drinking vino. Austerity, elegance are two goals. Cheers
@losthighwayz @rjquillin rjwuillin has been in these boards more than 2 other times criticizing my wines in the past. That’s why I say, these wines are not for everyone
@Harvest_Moon @losthighwayz @rjquillin Read my lips, we are not talking about your style of wines. We are talking about bottle variation, leaking corks, flawed bottles and bottles that ooze wine when you pull the cork.
I’ve said this before. I enjoy HM wine but always run across flawed bottles from this winery. Not sure why .
I’m on night two of the 2013 estate Zinfandel and it’s delightful. More herbs than most, and even a touch green, but still with tasty fruit. I love the old school style Randy shoots for.
All this reading makes me want to drink some wine. IMO Randy makes some good funkin’ wines. Yes I’ve had a few cork problems with some vintages before 2015, but it was always made right when requested.
@Harvest_Moon I’m excited to see some of the 2017 wines made with composite corks. I’ll try and visit y’all when wifey and I get a chance to escape parenthood.
@TechnoViking @Harvest_Moon
Same experience here. A couple cork issues on earlier vintages. One bottle of either 2008 or 2009 LHZ had some oxidation because of it but was still drinkable. Have otherwise greatly enjoyed Randy’s wines and have had no problems with more recent vintages. I can understand the concern but not the vitriol.
No shipping to CT this time around unfortunately
It’s something besides corkage. I got a case of the 2016 Russian River Pinot last fall and so far every bottle (five, I think) I’ve opened given the impression of being slightly fizzy or effervescent. It’s off-putting in a red.
@eburke Sometimes a good few minutes of swirling gets rid of any significant dissolved CO2 or whatever else the bubbles may be. Always worth a try to see how it evolves. It may or may not affect the quality of the wine for your palate. I’ve had both cases happen to me with other wines (i.e. where I’ve liked it after a few minutes or an hour and where I ended up dumping it).
For the 2016 Pinot there are three notes in CT, two from me. You can see the experiences for yourself: one reporting effervescence, one reporting deliciousness, and one reporting something that tasted (to me) like the result of some carbonic maceration.
@eburke @klezman haha speaking of fizzy, remember that 2009 Mirage CS back in the day? That was my first case split with coworkers.
@TechnoViking I don’t see the Mirage in my order history but I remember a case of something all fizzed up… maybe a Copa Del Rey CS or Costa Del Sol blend. (and wow… after loooking what I wouldn’t give for a bottle of Emergency Holiday Provisions, Dontspille le Black, or Adequate Gift Wine)
@klezman i opened another bottle of the 2016 last night. Whatever is going on was less pronounced (but still a hint). I enjoyed it much more than the first two bottles we opened last fall. I’ll have to take it off the “party gift wine to leave on someone’s sideboard” list.
@eburke @klezman @TechnoViking
I still have one bottle left of the “Fizzy Cab” as it was advertised. I think it was cleared out for $80/case, IIRC. Produced by Sextant winery whose eponymous Cabs also had some sporadic instances of secondary fermentation, although not to the extent of the Mirage Cab.
@chipgreen @eburke @klezman @TechnoViking
Should have paid you $80 a case to take it off their hands
@chipgreen @eburke @klezman @TechnoViking
I so remember that Sextant offer.
Sad to see HM getting compared to it.
@chipgreen @eburke @rjquillin @TechnoViking
Unfair comparison in so many ways.
FWIW, I’ve received 3 bad/corked Chardonnay bottles from Sanford over the past 2 years, but I will continue to buy and enjoy their wines… This happens (to wines at all levels), and then I move on.
Got my case today. Delish! Wow! Fruity, cherryish, sweet, with a bit of tartness in the aftertaste along with a slight amount of tannin astringency. I love it! Just wish that I had more, and that it came in a 750 ml bottle. These 375 ml puppies will not last long.
@Jackinga @Harvest_Moon
Tagging Randy on this; he needs some love after the rough-up during the sale.
Thanks for the follow up TN.
Sometimes, folks have a whine story that they think is a corker. And sometimes others want to talk about the wine. It was the latter that I went with, and glad of it. You make some very, very good wine, Good Sirs.
For what it is worth, that was an unfair treatment in the discussion. Some pointed out that you readily replaced any and all bottles that were adversely affected. No one, who puts that much effort into making a quality product, deliberately chooses a bad cork!
The majority of silent folks to whom you shipped believe that. I am one of them.
So take comfort, and get back to crushing grapes instead of being crushed by words.
Corks be damned. I vote for screw closures on every bottle. As someone has said, they are good enough for $500 bottles of scotch and other potables, and I think that they are superior, when it comes to wine as well.
You make some very, very good wine, Good Sirs.
@Jackinga @harvest_moon
Need to tag the producer, Larry, so he knows you’ve made a comment…
Thanks.