The Harvest Moon, a celestial occurrence near the autumnal equinox, is known for its unique characteristics based on the ecliptic’s position in the sky. Inspired by this natural wonder, Harvest Moon Estate and Winery was established to grow, produce, and bottle exceptional Russian River Valley wines with a balanced, elegant style.
The Pitts family has cultivated quality grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1976. In 2000, Randy Pitts left San Francisco to oversee the family’s nine-acre ranch, learning farming techniques from his father and taking viticulture and enology courses at a local college. Randy’s homemade Zinfandel from the ranch’s back block was a delightful success, leading him to realize Zinfandel’s potential as one of California’s distinguished wines. Embracing their roles as growers and winemakers, the Pitts family released their first vintage in 2002 and continue to make their mark on the wine scene.
Beyond Zinfandel, Harvest Moon handcrafts limited quantities of Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, and Syrah; Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon; Alta Mesa Malbec; and Alexander Valley Sangiovese.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
2021 Harvest Moon Rosé of Sangiovese
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $134.99 $11.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
We had the privilege of ratting this bottle on our first night home from a Christmas trip to family. My wife and my daughter were my indispensable helpers in this review.
We opened this straight out of the fridge, and we all agreed that it needed to breathe more. Our initial impressions were of a floral sweetness with some strawberry aromas. As it warmed up, the floral notes were accompanied by the smell of a ripe, freshly cut watermelon.
In the glass, the wine stayed in a rim around the high point of the swirl, lingering and falling slowly in moderately thick legs. The initial sip was bright and fruity with some zingy acid that prickled the tongue, lingering long afterward. The acid was more pronounced early and settled noticeably as the wine woke up. There was a touch of tannic dryness in the mouthfeel that persisted throughout the tasting. The aftertaste was more like raspberry, shedding the initial alcohol bite in the later glasses.
As we thought more about it, we decided that there was a candy sweetness to the later sips, and all three of us agreed that it smelled and tasted like a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher candy. My daughter felt that there was a lingering aroma of whatever those purple springtime flowers are that mysteriously appear in my lawn before the spring grasses arrive.
This wine would be an amazing accompaniment to watching the stars around a campfire on a summer evening. Given that we are the furthest season away from that, it would be nice with a fruit and cheeseboard, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace with company.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 Harvest Moon Rosé of Sangiovese - $65 = 32.49%
It’s an honor and pleasure when a Lab Rat wine shows up! The Harvest Moon Rose of Sangiovese showed up in the midst of the Christmas whirlwind with friends and family.
We have enjoyed many Alexander Valley wines in years past, and were unfamiliar with this Russian River based winery, but excited to try it. After chilling, we uncorked it during our first intense snow storm here in the upper Midwest.
On the nose, strawberry and melon, and a little green apple. On the palate, the strawberry and melon flavors are there, with a little apple, and some floral - perhaps chamomile.
In a nutshell, this wine screams summer in the glass! It’s nicely sessionable, with very light acidity, but slightly tart and nicely fresh. Kind of an interesting juxtaposition, a nice Rose in this crummy winter weather. I can easily envision sipping this on the patio this summer.
We tried the wine with an assortment of cheeses, and spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce our eldest visiting daughter cooked for us. Not a bad pairing, and I think this paired particularly nice with the aged parmesan. Not to be outdone by her older sister, our youngest had also prepared some cacio e pepe which this wine paired beautifully with.
We enjoyed it, and are definitely in for some. Great summer bang for the buck!
@losthighwayz No, not at all. Perfectly still. Have some bottles I purchased showing up here tomorrow. We’ll likely uncork one this weekend. I’ll report back if we see fizz.
Curmudgeon here again. I visited 5 wineries in Sonoma and this was the absolute worst with hospitality and care. We had a “wine-tender?” who was ready to head back to Australia, and were told that we had to go outside on our paid-for guided tour because they had a wedding.
No remorse. Nothing from the winemaker. Why? You are a stupid tourist, not worth my time. You won’t be back.
Fuck Harvest Moon and anything they make. Randy is as good of a business owner as he is a winemaker: not good.
@KNmeh7 This is NOT hate. These are facts. I went to a wedding in North San Francisco. The goddamn flights and rooms were more than the wedding gift.
I do not understand how that place stays in business. I hated every instance of being there. Shit-ass wine people who needed an instagram account. Absent winemaker. It was like going to a college bar and asking for the shot of the day.
@CorTot@rjquillin Oh, I thought we got to air all the grievances. Randy–who is fucking absent for this offer–runs a winery that relies on tourism. No European Royalty or Michelin-Starred restaurants are serving his wine. I went there because of casemates. His staff fumbled that ball. He never really cared to make it right.
So, yea, it is apropos to this offer. Fuck Harvest Moon. They were leaps and bounds beyond trash considering the 4 other wineries we visited.
You ARE A TOURIST SPOT. If a tourist has a shit time at your place, you own it. Your wine, in itself, isn’t that special. (FWIW Iron Horse treats you like a commoner until you throw down some info, but then they act like you matter.)
@KNmeh7 apologies, I didn’t realize you were replying to yourself and missed the context in the original post. No worries, your criticism is fine here.
I don’t agree on your notes on the quality of HM wines, I always felt they were good but never stayed there and didn’t have a bad tasting stop so I can’t contribute to that part of the conversation.
I’ve met Randy once at the winery and was treated well and we enjoyed the wine. Now, I have had over the last 10+ years a higher than normal number of bad corks on his bottles. I have not purchased anything for a while so hopefully it was just a past issue.
Sonoma in general has changed a lot in the last 10 years but not on the surface, driving around it still looks and feels the same but prices went up dramatically on all things for people visiting. Makes it harder to want to go back unless you have a large chunk of change saved up.
Iron Horse is still a quality stop, the reservations required and tastings fees at $35 is bullshit. The View of the valley is amazing as are the wines.
@KNmeh7 hello! Come on man, can’t we all get along? I have apologized literally 4 times, offering comp tastings, free wine and my apologizes. When will it end?
@KNmeh7 There’s always one of you- confused, disgruntled, unhappy. We’ve never, ever had the pleasure of employing an Australian tasting room employee, ever. Your special attention is flattering. More importantly, this rosé has been a club and house favorite over the past year, with numerous repeat customers and rave reviews, for which we are so grateful.
@CorTot@Harvest_Moon great news! I was also concerned about corks but at ease now. In for a case! Never had your rose. Is it stainless? Has it lost some of its vibrancy being it’s a 21? Thanks
@CorTot@losthighwayz As one of the lab rats reported, it’s still very vibrant. The key to rosés and Harvest Moon wines in general is acidity, which never disappears like tannin, rather integrates. This wine is still very juicy!
Greetings Casematers! Randy the winemaker here. Thanks very much for checking out our freshest deal. The grapes from our 2021 Rose of Sangiovese hail from the beautiful Alexander Valley. This rosé was the highlight of our tasting room this past summer and I wanted to offer the last 40 ish cases to Casemates. Although I don’t have a lot of experience crafting rosés, I feel we nailed this wine with the perfect balance of fruit, acidity and sweetness. Reach out for questions! It’s raining here in the Russian River Valley so I’m in my sweatpants here to chat! Cheers!!
@losthighwayz We fermented in stainless and bottled 70 days there after so the freshness was captured and vibrancy still remains. This is a juicy rosé!
@rjquillin While we were in rural South Dakota, the coverage was surprising good. Between driving 90 mph on the interstate (posted speed limit is 80 and we were being passed at 90) and wedding festivities my “when you get a free moment pick up two cases” idea fell by the wayside.
@Harvest_Moon but why? Was this intentional? In all honesty I purchased this wine because I wanted a still wine. This is not that. I’m thinking this may be a flaw or bacteria based on the condition of the cork (wet all around) and my wife stating “this reminded me of a “yeasty champagne”
@losthighwayz@Harvest_Moon I got a slightly-fizzy bottle with a suspicious cork, too. It was drinkable but definitely tasted off – pretty frustrating. Other bottles in the same case were still, with a slight hint of sweetness and no off flavors. Seems like there’s a quality control issue in this wine. We’ve opened three of the bottles so far and had one of the three be “weird” – hopefully the rest of the case doesn’t have this issue.
2021 Harvest Moon Rosé of Sangiovese, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $456/case MSRP
About The Wineries
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 22 - Tuesday, Jan 23
2021 Harvest Moon Rosé of Sangiovese
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $134.99 $11.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2021 Harvest Moon Rose of Sangiovese
We had the privilege of ratting this bottle on our first night home from a Christmas trip to family. My wife and my daughter were my indispensable helpers in this review.
We opened this straight out of the fridge, and we all agreed that it needed to breathe more. Our initial impressions were of a floral sweetness with some strawberry aromas. As it warmed up, the floral notes were accompanied by the smell of a ripe, freshly cut watermelon.
In the glass, the wine stayed in a rim around the high point of the swirl, lingering and falling slowly in moderately thick legs. The initial sip was bright and fruity with some zingy acid that prickled the tongue, lingering long afterward. The acid was more pronounced early and settled noticeably as the wine woke up. There was a touch of tannic dryness in the mouthfeel that persisted throughout the tasting. The aftertaste was more like raspberry, shedding the initial alcohol bite in the later glasses.
As we thought more about it, we decided that there was a candy sweetness to the later sips, and all three of us agreed that it smelled and tasted like a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher candy. My daughter felt that there was a lingering aroma of whatever those purple springtime flowers are that mysteriously appear in my lawn before the spring grasses arrive.
This wine would be an amazing accompaniment to watching the stars around a campfire on a summer evening. Given that we are the furthest season away from that, it would be nice with a fruit and cheeseboard, enjoying the warmth of the fireplace with company.
@ejrunion Such a poetic review! I really enjoyed reading it.
@ejrunion incredibly thoughtful review. Thank you for your critique!
/giphy enjoyable-slushy-memories
Can’t stay away
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2021 Harvest Moon Rosé of Sangiovese - $65 = 32.49%
It’s an honor and pleasure when a Lab Rat wine shows up! The Harvest Moon Rose of Sangiovese showed up in the midst of the Christmas whirlwind with friends and family.
We have enjoyed many Alexander Valley wines in years past, and were unfamiliar with this Russian River based winery, but excited to try it. After chilling, we uncorked it during our first intense snow storm here in the upper Midwest.
On the nose, strawberry and melon, and a little green apple. On the palate, the strawberry and melon flavors are there, with a little apple, and some floral - perhaps chamomile.
In a nutshell, this wine screams summer in the glass! It’s nicely sessionable, with very light acidity, but slightly tart and nicely fresh. Kind of an interesting juxtaposition, a nice Rose in this crummy winter weather. I can easily envision sipping this on the patio this summer.
We tried the wine with an assortment of cheeses, and spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce our eldest visiting daughter cooked for us. Not a bad pairing, and I think this paired particularly nice with the aged parmesan. Not to be outdone by her older sister, our youngest had also prepared some cacio e pepe which this wine paired beautifully with.
We enjoyed it, and are definitely in for some. Great summer bang for the buck!
@efamily wow! Thanks for the kind words and detailed tasting notes. Fun to hear your take on my rosé!
@efamily hello did you notice fizz in your bottle? Opened one up just now and fizz was overwhelming
Thanks!
@losthighwayz No, not at all. Perfectly still. Have some bottles I purchased showing up here tomorrow. We’ll likely uncork one this weekend. I’ll report back if we see fizz.
@efamily thanks I shook all my bottles just now and all have visible carbonation curious about yours
Curmudgeon here again. I visited 5 wineries in Sonoma and this was the absolute worst with hospitality and care. We had a “wine-tender?” who was ready to head back to Australia, and were told that we had to go outside on our paid-for guided tour because they had a wedding.
No remorse. Nothing from the winemaker. Why? You are a stupid tourist, not worth my time. You won’t be back.
Fuck Harvest Moon and anything they make. Randy is as good of a business owner as he is a winemaker: not good.
@KNmeh7 This is NOT hate. These are facts. I went to a wedding in North San Francisco. The goddamn flights and rooms were more than the wedding gift.
I do not understand how that place stays in business. I hated every instance of being there. Shit-ass wine people who needed an instagram account. Absent winemaker. It was like going to a college bar and asking for the shot of the day.
@KNmeh7 not really appropriate for the daily, this chatter with nothing to do with the offer is why we have the Cyber Pub
@rjquillin I wish we had the reddit feature to downvote off topic and S posts like this into oblivion.
@CorTot @rjquillin Oh, I thought we got to air all the grievances. Randy–who is fucking absent for this offer–runs a winery that relies on tourism. No European Royalty or Michelin-Starred restaurants are serving his wine. I went there because of casemates. His staff fumbled that ball. He never really cared to make it right.
So, yea, it is apropos to this offer. Fuck Harvest Moon. They were leaps and bounds beyond trash considering the 4 other wineries we visited.
You ARE A TOURIST SPOT. If a tourist has a shit time at your place, you own it. Your wine, in itself, isn’t that special. (FWIW Iron Horse treats you like a commoner until you throw down some info, but then they act like you matter.)
@KNmeh7 apologies, I didn’t realize you were replying to yourself and missed the context in the original post. No worries, your criticism is fine here.
I don’t agree on your notes on the quality of HM wines, I always felt they were good but never stayed there and didn’t have a bad tasting stop so I can’t contribute to that part of the conversation.
I’ve met Randy once at the winery and was treated well and we enjoyed the wine. Now, I have had over the last 10+ years a higher than normal number of bad corks on his bottles. I have not purchased anything for a while so hopefully it was just a past issue.
Sonoma in general has changed a lot in the last 10 years but not on the surface, driving around it still looks and feels the same but prices went up dramatically on all things for people visiting. Makes it harder to want to go back unless you have a large chunk of change saved up.
Iron Horse is still a quality stop, the reservations required and tastings fees at $35 is bullshit. The View of the valley is amazing as are the wines.
@KNmeh7 hello! Come on man, can’t we all get along? I have apologized literally 4 times, offering comp tastings, free wine and my apologizes. When will it end?
@KNmeh7 There’s always one of you- confused, disgruntled, unhappy. We’ve never, ever had the pleasure of employing an Australian tasting room employee, ever. Your special attention is flattering. More importantly, this rosé has been a club and house favorite over the past year, with numerous repeat customers and rave reviews, for which we are so grateful.
@CorTot we are using a different cork so our corkage rate has dropped to near zero.
Thanks for checking us out!
@CorTot @Harvest_Moon great news! I was also concerned about corks but at ease now. In for a case! Never had your rose. Is it
stainless? Has it lost some of its vibrancy being it’s a 21? Thanks
@CorTot @losthighwayz As one of the lab rats reported, it’s still very vibrant. The key to rosés and Harvest Moon wines in general is acidity, which never disappears like tannin, rather integrates. This wine is still very juicy!
@CorTot @Harvest_Moon thanks for getting back. At ease with my purchase
Greetings Casematers! Randy the winemaker here. Thanks very much for checking out our freshest deal. The grapes from our 2021 Rose of Sangiovese hail from the beautiful Alexander Valley. This rosé was the highlight of our tasting room this past summer and I wanted to offer the last 40 ish cases to Casemates. Although I don’t have a lot of experience crafting rosés, I feel we nailed this wine with the perfect balance of fruit, acidity and sweetness. Reach out for questions! It’s raining here in the Russian River Valley so I’m in my sweatpants here to chat! Cheers!!
@Harvest_Moon Is it stainless? Has it lost some of its vibrancy being it’s a 21? Thanks
@losthighwayz We fermented in stainless and bottled 70 days there after so the freshness was captured and vibrancy still remains. This is a juicy rosé!
Anyone up for a Marin/SF split?
Dang - was out of town and missed the offer.
@sosptuba RF dead zone?
@rjquillin While we were in rural South Dakota, the coverage was surprising good. Between driving 90 mph on the interstate (posted speed limit is 80 and we were being passed at 90) and wedding festivities my “when you get a free moment pick up two cases” idea fell by the wayside.
@sosptuba reach out to us. We’ll honor your order! Cheers
Not sure about this bottle
Color is closer to copper
Lots of fizz
Cork looks suspect. Is Caston a cork maker?
Taste is ok but presentation worries me
@losthighwayz that’s a cork rarity. We ran out of Hzm corks day of bottling so we used a clients cork.
@losthighwayz @Harvest_Moon
@losthighwayz Looks like maybe you got some Pet Nat!
@losthighwayz dissolved co2. All good!
@Harvest_Moon but why? Was this intentional? In all honesty I purchased this wine because I wanted a still wine. This is not that. I’m thinking this may be a flaw or bacteria based on the condition of the cork (wet all around) and my wife stating “this reminded me of a “yeasty champagne”
@Harvest_Moon @losthighwayz New Year Party Bottle!
@losthighwayz @Harvest_Moon I got a slightly-fizzy bottle with a suspicious cork, too. It was drinkable but definitely tasted off – pretty frustrating. Other bottles in the same case were still, with a slight hint of sweetness and no off flavors. Seems like there’s a quality control issue in this wine. We’ve opened three of the bottles so far and had one of the three be “weird” – hopefully the rest of the case doesn’t have this issue.
Bummer. Mother Nature took out my case. Frozen and shattered bottles. I was looking forward to this. And I need rose. Hopefully a new offer soon.
And customer service was great with a refund. Sounds like too many damages to replace them.
@Polarbear22 go to berserker 15
I’ve bought the Sandler&Hem rose the past three years
It’s amazing and at $15 w/free shipping for BD a steal imo
I also bought a case of liquid farm rose at $20 per a bit higher than I usual spend on rose but it’s consistently great imo
What is the free shipping on Sandar &Hem? BD?
I got it. And this wine won’t ship to CT. Thanks for the tip regardless.