2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
There were quite a few wineries that limited their production or decided not to make wine in 2020. We produced about 1/2 of what we typically make. Between the heat spells, COVID craziness, and the local fires, it was a challenging year. Usually, our sparkling Zin is dark, peppery, and structured however we decided to make a pink rose so to avoid the smoke taint that permeates the skins but not into the juice of the berry. We picked the grapes cold, used a lot of dry ice, and pressed off the skins very gently thus the opaque color. No matter, the wine is absolutely delicious.
Fresh tart strawberry, floral hibiscus, and juicy crancherry burst out of the glass and onto the palate begging for another sip.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Sonoma County
Alcohol: 12.5%
2020 Harvest Moon Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
2020 Vintage in the Russian River Valley was flat-out hot. With many heat spells, a local forest fire to contend with, and well, COVID, there were some wineries who didn’t make a lot of wine. We harvested our Pinot Noir in late August with a brix of 19.8, perfect for tiny pink bubbles. We tirage-bottled in early 2021 and allowed the sediment to rest in bottle until the Spring of 2023 where we riddled, disgorged, added a 5 ml dosage per bottle (very small) and released in summer 2023. Our 2020 sparkling Pinot Noir rosé is crafted from an 828 clone Pinot Noir clone.
With classic pinot noir characteristics, this light pink sparkling wine is a delightful and refreshing take on a Russian River Valley flagship varietal. Zippy, floral strawberry, crisp nectarine, and a ripe cantaloupe finish.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Alcohol: 12.5%
What’s Included
2-bottles:
1x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé, Russian River Valley
1x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley Case:
6x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley
6x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé, Russian River Valley
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 wine scene for decades to come.
In addition to growing Zinfandel, Harvest Moon also handcrafts small amounts of Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
2020 vintage Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Sparkling Zinfandel
This is certainly an interesting bottle, and one I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of. It’s certainly nice to see a sparkling wine with a vintage on it.
When I first opened the box this bottle was shipped in and saw the dark green glass and that the label mentioned Zinfandel I thought this was likely to be a red wine. (These are, after all, red wine grapes!) However, the lighting was dark when I reached that conclusion, and when looking at the bottle the next day to take the bottle photo it was surprising to see that this appears to be a white wine!
I know intellectually that the color in a typical red wine comes not so much from the juice itself, but from the juice being allowed to macerate with the skins and other parts of the whole fruit for an extended period of time. In my experience, though, I only ever see that concept come up with something like a rosé, but I’m not sure if this qualifies as one of those or not.
With this, it’s really more of a straw color with only the faintest pinkish hue to hint at the red grape origin:
(Apologies about not using the Casemates glass included with the wine for this photo, but as a sparkling wine it only makes sense to use a fluted glass)
On the nose there’s a distinct dry stone fruit quality.
Taking a sip there is a distinct taste of apricot, melon, citrus, and some complexity I am having difficulty putting my finger on. The flavors are registering more in the back of my mouth and less so on the front of my tongue.
The wine has a semi-sweet flavor to it, but it definitely leaves my mouth feeling dry at the end so I suspect the sugar is pretty low. It is quite enjoyable.
Everything above was written before I saw the listing. Now that I have seen the listing I know that this is indeed a rosé, and at this price I am going to end my dry spell for the year and am in for a case!
@nklb I just read the story on the home page about WHY this wine is so light in color, where they took extra care to minimize skin contact to avoid the wine being tainted by the smoke from the local fires that year; that and the low yield make this particular vintage something special
Randy, did these get harvested before the fires?
Did you detect some taint and that’s why you went to the efforts described in the write-up?
Any additional labs available?
@bdb I by no means claim to be an expert so take what I say with a grain of salt. (Not literally because that probably wouldn’t go good in the wine)
This wine has a disadvantage in the aging department because of the lack of soak time to macerate and take on the tannins you would typically see with a red, however this is a sparkler and I have had good experiences with those being good long past their expected dates as long as you store them on their sides to prevent the cork from drying out and control the temperature they are exposed to to some extent.
While I think this wine is fully ready to drink, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect it to get much better with more time, I think it’ll be a good number of years before it starts to degrade. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, and the unusual circumstances around this particular vintage make it a bit special.
@Harvest_Moon this will be a stupid question, but I’m asking anyway. Is this your super secret way of saying I can call to get a case shipped to me in IL at this price if I mention I’m a casemates member? If so, please respond with your choice of animal emoji… or a heart or something.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Harvest Moon Mixed Sparkling Rosés - $105 = 34.99%
Lab Rat here (finally! whew it’s been a while)
I was thrilled to get my box and even more surprised to find it was a sparkling Pinot Noir.
I chilled it well and popped it pre dinner for a sip, and right away was pleased. It had a lot of fizz and a beautiful pale very-pink-not-salmon color. I expected some sweetness, but truly it was really very dry. A nose of strawberry and maybe some other crushed berries, and really more of a “wine-ey” finish, which I actually prefer in sparkling/ champagne. There was no biscuit or dough aftertaste on the finish. The palate was pleasing, pretty much bone-dry but the sweet berries took that edge off. I told my P2 immediately that this would go well with thai food (not that I had any on hand, sadly) I think this would be an excellent food sparkler and a crowd pleaser for parties.
I had it again this morning (don’t judge!) and it was still pretty fizzy on the pour and I felt my notes from last night were spot on. The price is good, although I’d probably want a straight case of this and not the zin, but the other Ratt report is good, so I say go for it! With Moms, Dads, Grads, Easter, Passover, BBQs etc all looming in the next few months, I’m sure there will be ample opportunity to run through a case quick!
@tastebud Yes, Randy hopped on earlier and he addressed the picking and vinification choices head on in the write-up. But there’s nothing like boots on the ground to verify his assertion that he successfully kept the smoke out of the finished product.
@klezman Just tasted the last little bit. it’s flat, of course, but it’s still a tasty wine, more “wine-ey” as I said earlier, on the finish, and I detect no flaws. you may or may not know my history but I do work for a Napa winery and have a fairly good nose/palate for the usual flaws. I don’t see any here. Even flat it’s pretty drinkable.
I am interested in a three way or two way split near Boston Massachusetts (I really want only 4 bottles). I have free shipping, so I would like to order, and then offer pickup in Newton (five minutes from 128) or east end of Cambridge.
2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2020 Harvest Moon Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
2-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$648.00/Case for 6x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, Russian River Valley + 6x 2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel Rosé, Russian River Valley at Harvest Moon Estate & Winery
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 25 - Tuesday, Mar 26
Harvest Moon Mixed Sparkling Rosés
2 bottles for $49.99 $25/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $194.99 $16.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Zinfandel
2020 Harvest Moon Estate Sparkling Pinot Noir
2020 vintage Harvest Moon Russian River Valley Sparkling Zinfandel
This is certainly an interesting bottle, and one I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of. It’s certainly nice to see a sparkling wine with a vintage on it.
When I first opened the box this bottle was shipped in and saw the dark green glass and that the label mentioned Zinfandel I thought this was likely to be a red wine. (These are, after all, red wine grapes!) However, the lighting was dark when I reached that conclusion, and when looking at the bottle the next day to take the bottle photo it was surprising to see that this appears to be a white wine!
I know intellectually that the color in a typical red wine comes not so much from the juice itself, but from the juice being allowed to macerate with the skins and other parts of the whole fruit for an extended period of time. In my experience, though, I only ever see that concept come up with something like a rosé, but I’m not sure if this qualifies as one of those or not.
With this, it’s really more of a straw color with only the faintest pinkish hue to hint at the red grape origin:
(Apologies about not using the Casemates glass included with the wine for this photo, but as a sparkling wine it only makes sense to use a fluted glass)
On the nose there’s a distinct dry stone fruit quality.
Taking a sip there is a distinct taste of apricot, melon, citrus, and some complexity I am having difficulty putting my finger on. The flavors are registering more in the back of my mouth and less so on the front of my tongue.
The wine has a semi-sweet flavor to it, but it definitely leaves my mouth feeling dry at the end so I suspect the sugar is pretty low. It is quite enjoyable.
Everything above was written before I saw the listing. Now that I have seen the listing I know that this is indeed a rosé, and at this price I am going to end my dry spell for the year and am in for a case!
@nklb I just read the story on the home page about WHY this wine is so light in color, where they took extra care to minimize skin contact to avoid the wine being tainted by the smoke from the local fires that year; that and the low yield make this particular vintage something special
@nklb Is there any hint of smoke at all?
@klezman No, none whatsoever; I would not have known the smoke story if I hadn’t read it here
@klezman @nklb @Harvest_Moon
Randy, did these get harvested before the fires?
Did you detect some taint and that’s why you went to the efforts described in the write-up?
Any additional labs available?
@nklb Appreciate the update!
Anyone more knowledgeable than I am who can opine how long these will stay at their best? IE how long do I have to drink them?
@bdb I by no means claim to be an expert so take what I say with a grain of salt. (Not literally because that probably wouldn’t go good in the wine)
This wine has a disadvantage in the aging department because of the lack of soak time to macerate and take on the tannins you would typically see with a red, however this is a sparkler and I have had good experiences with those being good long past their expected dates as long as you store them on their sides to prevent the cork from drying out and control the temperature they are exposed to to some extent.
While I think this wine is fully ready to drink, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect it to get much better with more time, I think it’ll be a good number of years before it starts to degrade. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would, and the unusual circumstances around this particular vintage make it a bit special.
@bdb greetings, if stored in cook, dark spot, these dry sparklings will age a decade. Once opened, keep it cold and you’ll get three days.
No IL? I’ll be writing a strongly worded email to someone.
@warpedrotors +1
@warpedrotors Rats … I was in until I saw that!
@warpedrotors reach out to the winery direct. 707-573-8711
@Harvest_Moon this will be a stupid question, but I’m asking anyway. Is this your super secret way of saying I can call to get a case shipped to me in IL at this price if I mention I’m a casemates member? If so, please respond with your choice of animal emoji… or a heart or something.
2 or 3 way split for SoCal? Randy does great stuff with red bubbly so I expect these to be great.
@klezman @cortot
got any interest yet?
The case price is compelling, but I sure don’t need six…
@klezman I could take 4.
@CorTot @klezman
ship to you or klez?
@CorTot @rjquillin ideally not here
@CorTot @klezman
Guess Cory gets the nod then, since 2/3 will remain up there.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Harvest Moon Mixed Sparkling Rosés - $105 = 34.99%
Estate Dry Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé
Lab Rat here (finally! whew it’s been a while)
I was thrilled to get my box and even more surprised to find it was a sparkling Pinot Noir.
I chilled it well and popped it pre dinner for a sip, and right away was pleased. It had a lot of fizz and a beautiful pale very-pink-not-salmon color. I expected some sweetness, but truly it was really very dry. A nose of strawberry and maybe some other crushed berries, and really more of a “wine-ey” finish, which I actually prefer in sparkling/ champagne. There was no biscuit or dough aftertaste on the finish. The palate was pleasing, pretty much bone-dry but the sweet berries took that edge off. I told my P2 immediately that this would go well with thai food (not that I had any on hand, sadly) I think this would be an excellent food sparkler and a crowd pleaser for parties.
I had it again this morning (don’t judge!) and it was still pretty fizzy on the pour and I felt my notes from last night were spot on. The price is good, although I’d probably want a straight case of this and not the zin, but the other Ratt report is good, so I say go for it! With Moms, Dads, Grads, Easter, Passover, BBQs etc all looming in the next few months, I’m sure there will be ample opportunity to run through a case quick!
@tastebud Is there any hint of smoke taint?
@klezman no, none that I discern. I found it to be a really clean wine. is the vintner on here? they could probably chime in on when it was picked
@tastebud Yes, Randy hopped on earlier and he addressed the picking and vinification choices head on in the write-up. But there’s nothing like boots on the ground to verify his assertion that he successfully kept the smoke out of the finished product.
@klezman @tastebud zero taint because of evasive procedures at the crushpad
@klezman Just tasted the last little bit. it’s flat, of course, but it’s still a tasty wine, more “wine-ey” as I said earlier, on the finish, and I detect no flaws. you may or may not know my history but I do work for a Napa winery and have a fairly good nose/palate for the usual flaws. I don’t see any here. Even flat it’s pretty drinkable.
@tastebud Thanks! I couldn’t remember which winery you were at but I did recall you being in the category of “trusted palate”.
I need more sparkling, Sadly no SC on the list, these sound very interesting.
Zin = Silver Medal 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in it’s category (Non-Pinot Noir Sparkling Rosé )
…I think that’s about it
fwiw
;
Anyone else having an issue placing an order?
@browncj7 Worked on my phone
/giphy snooty-superfluous-shelf
I am interested in a three way or two way split near Boston Massachusetts (I really want only 4 bottles). I have free shipping, so I would like to order, and then offer pickup in Newton (five minutes from 128) or east end of Cambridge.
@bdb Replying to myself - Nobody has stepped forward yet, and I am not going to be able to order between now and the end of the offer.
/giphy discordant-forthright-hound
