A hint of vanilla, white pepper, ripe raspberry, clove, and hints of cola on the nose while the juicy raspberry, ripe blackberry and white pepper are found on the palate. This wine has a soft mid-palate, notes of persimmon, and currant with a touch of coffee on the finish.
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 familyās 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 ranchās back block which turned out exceptionally tasty. Quickly concluding that properly farmed and judiciously fermented, Zinfandel has great capabilities of being Californiaās 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 GewĆ¼rztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
this was our first nv wine. I blended in some 2018 and 2019 Zin. I found the sum of them was more interesting that the individual vintages. This is a very tasty, complex wine
@rjquillin yes! I tasted the 18 vintage and felt it needed something more. The 19 vintage was light on gallons and it added what the 18 lacked so we blended
Good morning and welcome to my review of the RandyZin from Harvest Moon. The bottle came in earlier this week and had plenty of time to settle on our wine rack at room temperature (in our case about 65F).
The weather was finally cooperating with recent rain and no wind so my wife and I took the bottle outside to enjoy next to the fire pit. Gotta set the stage ya know!
Pulling the cork out of this whimsically-labeled and sturdy bottle provided a tight and satisfying POP. Thereās also a fun little note on the cork so packaging-wise and aesthetically weāre off to a good start. It would have been nice to have seen the vintage and/or the grapes used.
The nose on the pop and pour was a pleasant and non-descript fruit. Blackberry with a touch of bright apricot? Hard to say. Smells good albeit strange. We gave it a few more swirls and a few more minutes and it didnāt change really at all.
My wife and I each took a sip and pondered. As per the norm when tasting a new wine we wait to make sure we each have our own notes before sharing. It didnāt take long before she hesitantly said āit tastes like grape juiceā, almost confused by her own words. Yep I had to concur.
Letās let this thing breathe for a while longer and not let a first impression be the end of it. Given some air the acidity finally jumps out on the front, quickly transitioning to a very tannic and mouth drying finish. So sure thatās definitely an improvement (Iām no longer sipping on a glass of Welchās) but unfortunately whatever flavor there may have been wasnāt pronounced enough to compensate for the acidity. We really couldnāt taste anything.
We set the bottle aside to try the next day (did not help) and just to make sure our palates werenāt previously wrecked we popped a different zin (delicious).
Zinfandel is one of our favorites, whether itās a fun jam explosion or an elegant evening sipper. Unfortunately we did not like this.
Thanks yāall for giving me the opportunity to rat this wine. Itās always an adventure!
Everything Iāve had from Harvest Moon has been fantastic. I bought a case of RandyZin last time it was offered and it was very good and all gone! I trust Randyās comments above that this is quality juice. In for a case at this price.
I also trust the rats, thanks for a detailed description. Iāve just experience first hand some good wines that didnāt drink well after the quick 2 day labrat ship from CA. That labrat wine sounds like it was not happy with itās trip and decided not to come out and play. Itās always a bummer when a labrat bottle doesnāt show well. Thanks for writing an honest review.
@wnance I figured something was amiss. We specifically avoid looking up any kind of review before writing down our thoughts so reading about this winery later we were pretty confused. Did the bottle get too hot or too cold in transit? I was hoping another rat would show up with their experience.
@ludwigmace Hard to say. In my neck of the woods (Rochester, NY) itās too cold for sure, sometimes the wines are just scared to come out, lol. Iād love to see other rats as well, Iām surprised how dead the discussion board is for this offer.
Iād bet the wine was cooler than normal keeping the aromatics closed and obscuring the beautiful fruit in the wine. Itās also young, warranting time in bottle or a good decant and temp warm up
@losthighwayz thanks for the recommendation. We havenāt tried either of those; Iāve added them to the list to check out. Hook and Ladder was the other one Matt recommended.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Ā Harvest Moon RandyZin Zinfandel - $ = 28.20%
Yah, Harvest Moon. The name grabs your attention on this site, previously well known, and reliable. Not anymore.
Iāve had the RandyZin before. Different years offered here and they were enjoyable. Some were fabulous.
Good marketing, really like the labels. A sure buyer anytimeā¦butā¦this offer? Bad, really bad. Sour cherry, worst than any cheap Michigan wine ever. So tart and acidic that my eyes closed and my lips puckered.
This is actually a wine from Casemates?! Ridiculous I say! No way!
Sorry, will never purchase a RandyZinagain.
@kitkat34@WCCwinegirl sorry Michigan, no disrespect just an example because Iāve had the sour cherry wine here and I would expect much more from Santa Rosa than a Zinfandel like this oneā¦belongs on the shelf at Rite Aid with all the rest at $4.99/btl.
Harvest Moon RandyZin Zinfandel, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $408/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 21 - Friday, Feb 25
Harvest Moon RandyZin Zinfandel
4 bottles for $64.99 $16.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
This really an NV botttling?
I think most, all (?), of my other five are vintage dated.
@rjquillin Good question. Would also help with drinking window.
@rjquillin
this was our first nv wine. I blended in some 2018 and 2019 Zin. I found the sum of them was more interesting that the individual vintages. This is a very tasty, complex wine
@rjquillin @woopdedoo this wine will age a decade for sure
@Harvest_Moon Just happened to find some leftover barrels hanging around?
Gotta be a story how this came to beā¦
@rjquillin yes! I tasted the 18 vintage and felt it needed something more. The 19 vintage was light on gallons and it added what the 18 lacked so we blended
@Harvest_Moon howās the RS?
/giphy reflective-domineering-clock
Good morning and welcome to my review of the RandyZin from Harvest Moon. The bottle came in earlier this week and had plenty of time to settle on our wine rack at room temperature (in our case about 65F).
The weather was finally cooperating with recent rain and no wind so my wife and I took the bottle outside to enjoy next to the fire pit. Gotta set the stage ya know!
Pulling the cork out of this whimsically-labeled and sturdy bottle provided a tight and satisfying POP. Thereās also a fun little note on the cork so packaging-wise and aesthetically weāre off to a good start. It would have been nice to have seen the vintage and/or the grapes used.
The nose on the pop and pour was a pleasant and non-descript fruit. Blackberry with a touch of bright apricot? Hard to say. Smells good albeit strange. We gave it a few more swirls and a few more minutes and it didnāt change really at all.
My wife and I each took a sip and pondered. As per the norm when tasting a new wine we wait to make sure we each have our own notes before sharing. It didnāt take long before she hesitantly said āit tastes like grape juiceā, almost confused by her own words. Yep I had to concur.
Letās let this thing breathe for a while longer and not let a first impression be the end of it. Given some air the acidity finally jumps out on the front, quickly transitioning to a very tannic and mouth drying finish. So sure thatās definitely an improvement (Iām no longer sipping on a glass of Welchās) but unfortunately whatever flavor there may have been wasnāt pronounced enough to compensate for the acidity. We really couldnāt taste anything.
We set the bottle aside to try the next day (did not help) and just to make sure our palates werenāt previously wrecked we popped a different zin (delicious).
Zinfandel is one of our favorites, whether itās a fun jam explosion or an elegant evening sipper. Unfortunately we did not like this.
Thanks yāall for giving me the opportunity to rat this wine. Itās always an adventure!
Everything Iāve had from Harvest Moon has been fantastic. I bought a case of RandyZin last time it was offered and it was very good and all gone! I trust Randyās comments above that this is quality juice. In for a case at this price.
I also trust the rats, thanks for a detailed description. Iāve just experience first hand some good wines that didnāt drink well after the quick 2 day labrat ship from CA. That labrat wine sounds like it was not happy with itās trip and decided not to come out and play. Itās always a bummer when a labrat bottle doesnāt show well. Thanks for writing an honest review.
@wnance I figured something was amiss. We specifically avoid looking up any kind of review before writing down our thoughts so reading about this winery later we were pretty confused. Did the bottle get too hot or too cold in transit? I was hoping another rat would show up with their experience.
@ludwigmace Hard to say. In my neck of the woods (Rochester, NY) itās too cold for sure, sometimes the wines are just scared to come out, lol. Iād love to see other rats as well, Iām surprised how dead the discussion board is for this offer.
@ludwigmace @wnance
Iād bet the wine was cooler than normal keeping the aromatics closed and obscuring the beautiful fruit in the wine. Itās also young, warranting time in bottle or a good decant and temp warm up
@wnance @ludwigmace I received mine to try and it was not enjoyable. You can read the rest of my thoughts at the end.
I do love Harvest Moon and still have a handful of the 2013-2014 RRV zins, but have more āeverydayā zins like this one than I need already
Wine Guerrilla was our club, when they shuttered (a sad day) @Harvest_Moon was one of two that Matt recommended. Looking forward to trying some!
@TK4TWO1 have you tried Bruce Patch wines? I also recommend Wilson in Dry Creek. Much closer to wine guerilla style than Harvest Moon
@losthighwayz thanks for the recommendation. We havenāt tried either of those; Iāve added them to the list to check out. Hook and Ladder was the other one Matt recommended.
@TK4TWO1 bruce was the original owner/winemaker at Wine Guerilla
/giphy fitful-sedate-salad
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
Ā Harvest Moon RandyZin Zinfandel - $ = 28.20%
Yah, Harvest Moon. The name grabs your attention on this site, previously well known, and reliable. Not anymore.
Iāve had the RandyZin before. Different years offered here and they were enjoyable. Some were fabulous.
Good marketing, really like the labels. A sure buyer anytimeā¦butā¦this offer? Bad, really bad. Sour cherry, worst than any cheap Michigan wine ever. So tart and acidic that my eyes closed and my lips puckered.
This is actually a wine from Casemates?! Ridiculous I say! No way!
Sorry, will never purchase a RandyZinagain.
@kitkat34 @WCCwinegirl sorry Michigan, no disrespect just an example because Iāve had the sour cherry wine here and I would expect much more from Santa Rosa than a Zinfandel like this oneā¦belongs on the shelf at Rite Aid with all the rest at $4.99/btl.