2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
91 points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Dark color with flavors reminiscent of strawberries and blueberries this spicy well-structured wine has a bright red fruit finish.
Vineyard & Winemaker Notes
Grown on steep mountainous terrain in the higher elevations of the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County, California. 2018 bud break and harvest were late, producing a larger than average crop with good flavors of ripe, but not over ripe fruit, due to long hang time into the fall.
Produced in the Italian old world, food friendly style.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: Barbera 85% & Syrah 15%
Appellation: Amador County
Cooperage: 20 months in French Oak
Alcohol: 14.9%
pH: 3.47
Residual Sugar: Dry <.2%
Cases Produced: 1133 Cases
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast Editorās Choice
Tasting Notes
Fruit forward, rich, and full flavors expressing both the varietal and the Amador Terroir. This complex wine has notes of bright raspberry, earthy tones, briary Zinfandel character with a fresh finish.
Vineyard & Winemaker Notes
Amador County is extremely well suited to Zinfandel. Zinfandel has been grown in the Amador County Gold Rush area for over 150 years. These old head pruned dry land farmed vineyards produce low yields of extractive flavorful Zinfandel
2018 was a colder larger than average size crop. The late harvest allowed the grapes to ripen long into the fall developing full complex favored wines.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: Zinfandel 76% & Syrah 24%
Appellation: Amador County
Cooperage: 22 months in French Oak
Alcohol: 14.9%
pH: 3.42
Residual Sugar: Dry<.2%
Cases Produced: 1,011 cases
Whatās Included
6-bottles:
3x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
3x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
Case:
6x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
6x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
After decades of creating and crafting premium wines for wineries like Santino and Folie a Deux ā and putting Amador County on the map as a world-class appellation ā Scott Harvey launched his own winery in 2004. With decades of winemaking experience on two continents, itās no wonder his wines have become an immediate sensation. Itās an overnight success 35 years in the making. (Oh, and Scottās not too shabby with a pen, either.)
Scott Harvey Wines was created out of market demand for Scottās wines ā āniche wines that over deliver.ā The Scott Harvey line focuses on Scottās roots ā Barbera, Zinfandel, and Syrah from the Sierras. Approachable, food friendly and full of luscious fruit, these wines have struck a chord in the marketplace.
Barbera
Zinfandel
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Hi Casemates wine drinkers. Great to be back on. Mollie has been with us for six years. She is a graduate in enology and viticulture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and apprenticed in New Zealand and South Africa. She is doing a great job and it was time to move her into the full winemaker position. The company is growing and Iām not going anywhere. I changed my title to executive winemaker. Title names have changed, but we both are very much involved in making and blending the the wines.
Pretty good dollop of Syrah in both of these.
How does that play in with the Barb and Zin and is it reflected in other vintage blends as well?
A bit of a common theme weāll taste in both bottlings?
Howās the '18 Mountain Syrah coming along?
Mollie and I have always blended Syrah into these wines. The Syrah comes from the Pam York vineyard in Fiddletown. It adds a lot of center structure and roundness to the blend. The 2018 Mt. Selection Syrah is real popular in the tasting rooms. Especially once people taste it.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Reds - $30 = 16.66%
PDX split anyone? I just checked and Iāve been over a year without any SH wines, which is likely some kind of wrongdoing. Perhaps I need to buy a whole case myself as penance.
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
Good evening all! We were lucky enough to rat the 2018 Mountain Select Barbara! But the delivery was not without drama. Although my shipping address has been corrected, the bottle found itās way to my former employer. Luckily the shipping guys let me know I had a package after signing for the bottle instead of keeping it for themselves!
I picked up the bottle 4 hours after delivery last Thursday. The bottle was warm but not hot - I am not complaining as the temps were in the low 100s in Denver last week. It rested 5 days in our wine fridge at 55F to allow it to recover from shipping.
Full disclosure, we love Scottās wines and have had previous vintages of his M.S. Barbera.
Originally we wanted to drink this with another couple to gain a range of opinions, but our plans fell through this weekend. My SO and I drank 3/4 of the bottle this evening and paired it with spaghetti and meatballs with a vodka cream sauce. Unfortunately we have no other Barberas to open alongside this wine so it was drank alone. We did recently acquire new stemware during Berzerkerās Day this year, so did a little tasting between glasses as well in case anyone is interested (SO said no one cares, haha!). Onto the tasting!
Initial tastes and a glass with dinner were drank with Zalto Universals - our go-to for most red wines.
The bottle is heavier than I remember for Scottās Barberas, but the label is as expected; elegant, simple, definitely works for us.
The wine is free of sediment and gas, and I would put the color at clear ruby. The wine has an agglomerated cork which was barely stained, but the color of the stain was darker than I remember from previous bottlings.
We let the wine warm to room temp, about 70F, and did a PnP before dinner. SO got cherry and black pepper on the nose while I got bing cherry and red fruit. No noticeable alcohol. First sip and we both tasted cherry, very mild black pepper, good acidity, and some tannins but they are definitely in the background. The finish is medium to short which is what I associate with Scottās Barberas. The wine is fruit forward (young) but is produced in the old world style for which Scott is known.
The wine paired really well with the acidic and fatty dinner and really worked with the sauce to clear the palate before the next bite. I would absolutely recommend this with Italian food!
After two hours we cleaned up after dinner and had another glass. The nose was not nearly as intense as before, but the cherry was clearly present. The pepper had faded and thereās now a faint hint of mocha or chocolate. Palate had cherry and red fruit, the finish was longer (about 20 seconds), acidity was holding up well, and the tannins were more present, probably due to the fruit not being so forward.
We then tasted out of Grassl Mineralites (white wine glass). The nose had taken on a slightly dusty nature, but in a good way. The cherry and black pepper were still present. The palate had cherry and red fruit but was more focused and the acidity had mellowed making the wine taste very well integrated. I simply wrote, āThis wine is good.ā
Next up was Grassl Crus (Burgundy glass). The nose was once again dusty with cherry and black pepper but was showing very restrained making the wine smell much older than 3 years after vintage. The palate had much less perceived acidity and was almost muted. I had guessed we would like this glass the best, so our tasting was against my initial thoughts.
Finally we tasted the wine out of Grassl 1855s (Bordeaux glass). The nose was more juicy out of this glass and retains the red fruits, and my SO called brulee (I do not question her, she is much more talented tasting that I!). The palate was fresh, had good acidity, and I picked up a little hint of oak. The finish was much shorter and the wine tasted weakest from this glass.
Glass winner is the Mineralite which is very close to most universal glasses. Iād recommend drinking it from the glass you use for zins, but it was very good from all 4!
Final thoughts, this is a well made wine. Apparently I havenāt added a MS Barbera to Cellar Tracker since the 2012 vintage, but this wine aligns with what I would expect and had tasted from previous vintages. While I really enjoyed it, my SO prefers more bold wines; but this checks all the boxes if you like the style. The wine is very well made and tasty on its own or paired with food, especially Italian. Previous vintages could be found locally in the $20 - $22 dollar range, so anything under $20 for this 2018 will be a steal. If we were not on a wine buying freeze, we would be all over this case!
Looking at the description now and tasting again, neither of us got any of the blueberry or strawberry mentioned.
We are saving what is left (about 1 glass) for tasting tomorrow and I will post an update. Thanks to Alice and @Winedavid49 for the chance to taste for everyone!
Sorry for the long review everyone! If you want the readers digest version, the wine is restrained, good with food, and quite delicious. Itās a good deal for $20/bottle and the case price is a steal!
Day two and the wine is still going strong. The nose is similar but may have picked up a very slight bit of alcohol, but nothing off-putting. Palate is still juicy and very tasty with good acidity and red fruits. I donāt think you need to lay this wine down to enjoy as it is ready to go now, but Iām sure it has several years of life ahead, if not more.
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
We were recently sent a rat bottle for the Tercero mixed case, but unfortunately received both the advance email and bottle while we were on vacation in New Orleans. I responded to Aliceās email to please forgive us and give us another chance to rat soon. We were happy that she responded with a rat bottle of the Scott Harvey 2018 Mountain Estate Barbera. We tasted the bottle over two days.
Day One: Pop and pour: A gorgeous plum to garnet color in the glass (Reidel Old World Syrah per their wine glass guide app). Nose is somewhat muted, my sense of smell is never great, DH has a great sense of smell and he also said it was muted, but did get some cherry and strawberry. First sips: slight plum, good bit of tart cherry, a bit of strawberry, very slight heat that quickly dissipated. More sipsā¦ Great acidity, well balanced, smooth tannins. This is what good Barbera is supposed to taste like! Paired one glass with authentic seafood gumbo (we just took a fantastic heritage New Orleans cooking class) and it complemented the dish well. Stopper (no vacuvin or special treatment) and refrigerate until day two.
Day Two: What a beautiful elegant wine. This is clearly old world style, if you are looking for jammy this is not your jam. The cherry takes center stage on day two, but again, in an elegant way; itās not āin your faceā. The mouthfeel is luscious (thatās the best term I can come up with) but in a really good way, definitely not in a cloying sense. There is an earthiness I canāt quite describe, but again, it is just damn delicious. We also got a hint of white pepper āspiceā that we didnāt notice yesterday. Paired with marinara, chicken sausage with roasted garlic, and three cheese ravioli. Again, an excellent pairing; this wine is so versatile and food friendly. I will defer to Scott but I think the aging potential on this is many years. We recently opened and thoroughly enjoyed a 2012.
For me, Scott Harvey is a master with Barbera. He just is, and this wine solidifies that opinion for me. I donāt know how much longer Scott will be making wine; I sense that he is edging toward retirement (a la Peter Wellington) and we will all be kicking ourselves for not squirreling away more of his wines. Do yourself a favor and take your foot out of your ass and just buy this! You wonāt regret it.
I may be able to resist for myself until we make more room in our cellar by drinking what we have, but always a good one that my parents get a case of.
/giphy buttered-impossible-derby
Barbera. 91 Points. This lush yet vibrant wine is saturated with red- and black-cherry flavors and is nicely accented by chocolate and baking spices. Itās full in feel, a little tangy in texture and especially appealing due to its expansive fruitiness. JG 3/1/21
Zinfandel. 93 Points. Editorsā Choice. A wonderful, spicy, woodsy complexity in the aroma leads to luxuriously rich blackberry and raspberry flavors and echoes of cedar, vanilla and sage. With 24% Syrah blended in, this beautifully composed and relaxed wine is hard to resist. JG 3/1/21
And from Kenās Wine Guide:
April 9, 2021. Kenās Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)
This medium ruby colored Zinfandel opens with a blueberry and plum bouquet with hints of black cherry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, smooth, fruit forward and juicy. The flavor profile is a smoky oak influenced plum with notes of cola and stony minerality. We also detected hints of cocoa and red cherry mixed in. The finish is dry and its medium tannins drift nicely. The Panel would pair this Zin with steak fajitas, Irish lamb stew, or carnitas tacos. Enjoy ā KWGTP
June 21, 2021. Kenās Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)
This medium ruby colored Barbera opens with a mild red cherry bouquet with hints of baked blueberry pie eucalyptus, and graphite. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and round. The flavor profile is spiced black plum and Bing cherry with notes of mild minerality. We also detected hints of pomegranate and cedar mixed in. The finish is very dry, shows a little heat and has chewy tannins that stick around for quite a while. The Panel would pair this teriyaki steak tips or with a Kansas City bone-in strip steak. Enjoy ā KWGTP
@ScottHarveyWine Welcome back! Always happy to see you and your wines here. If we live in a state that isnāt on the ship-to list, can we still get this deal directly through the winery?
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
The bottle of Scott Harveyās Mountain Selection Zinfandel arrived last week. Thank you, Alice and everyone at WCC!! Scott and Janaās wines are one of my favorite wines and when they came to Ohio we went to their wine dinners, so it puts me in a pickle as to how to evaluate their wine while remaining unbiased. But as a Quality Manager for most of my career, Iāve always told it as it is with the good and the bad! So here it goesā¦
I donāt buy wine that has gimmicky names nor do I buy it for the label or that I can recycle the glass bottle. I buy wine for the contents! Scott and Jana put their names on the bottle and if you ever met them you would know that it means a lot to us Casemates Winos. Scottās wines have been around since the old wine site this site replaced. Now I could easily say āyes, the fermented grape juice was goodā, but that would not do justice to all the hard work that Scott, Jana, and their employees do to make us HAPPY!! So hereās my rattage notes:
Upon opening the bottle last night, noted the cork was perfect, stained where it was supposed to be. Then I did something I never doā¦I smelled the bottle opening with disturbing the wine. It smelled great!! Red berries and spice, no alcohol.
As I poured the wine into my stemless Casemates glass, the color was a beautiful clear red that you would expect. Clear does not mean that it was a light wine. To me, it means the wine is not cloudy or dense that light canāt penetrate. From what I saw visually I thought that the wine was a little more than a medium body wine.
On the nose, I got a blend of red fruit like raspberries and dark cherry along with a spice that reminded me of apple pie and well-integrated alcohol.
To me, the most important factor in drinking wine is taste and finish. I canāt remember when Iāve tasted a more balanced wine! What I smelled came perfectly through with the taste. A nice amount of red raspberry and dark cherry blended with earthiness, spice, and integrated alcohol with light tannins on the finish followed again by minutes of the fruit and spice profile.
The wine was outstanding on its own and I very seldom say āoutstandingā very often with wine tasting, but how would it hold up to my sonās excellent smoked beef short ribs and smoked beef brisket?? Now my sonās smoked BBQ doesnāt need BBQ sauce because he uses great rubs, plus I wanted the wine to meet the meat!
This Zinfandel won the contest! I could still taste the nuances of the wine along with the leaner brisket and fattier short ribs.
Scottās Zinfandel was a GRAND SLAM with the smoked meats that would probably somewhat mute most other wines!!
With my STRICT SIWBM in place for a while because of more wine than Iāll ever drink in my lifetime, I BOUGHT TWO CASES!!!
So Alice, David, and everyone at WCC, THANK YOU for this rattage and most of all to Scott and Jana Harvey, keep putting your names on great wine!! Never forget that NEO loves you very much and next time you come into town give us a heads up so we can meet, wine dinner or not!
THIS OFFER NEEDS TO SELL OUT AT THIS PRICING!!
(I hope that darn banner shows up at the top! RJās the man, if it doesnāt!)
@Boatman72 I tried to edit my post earlier when I saw a typo about āI smelled the bottle opening with disturbing the wine.ā Should beā¦" I smelled the open bottle without disturbing the wine."
Plus I forgot to add that I tasted it again today just before posting and the wine characteristics did not change from the night before. Also, my son came over later in the day and finish the bottle. He too thought it was very good!
@scottharvywine
Well, tried to help with a sellout, by ordering 3 cases, but the system would only let me order 2 casesā¦thatās ok, one must not be greedyā¦ Just by chance my wife and I had last years 2017 Zin offer with a BBQ Ribeye for supper last night (thatās Dinner for you non Iowa people) loved it. ( thus the desire to order 3 cases)
Scott, if you are on here, any chance of a Jana wine showing up again sometime in the future? Loved the 2019 S.B. From last August.
This years 2020 Sauvignon Blanc is from Napa. Right on Highway 29 just south of Yountville. At harvest early in the morning just before sunrise the whole eastern ridge above Yountville was on fire. Luckily, the prevailing winds were blowing the smoke further east and away from the vineyard. Turned into a wonderful wine. Look it up on the website. Iāll ask Jana if we have enough to do a mixed white casemates offer. Real happy with the Vermentino from Amador.
@dawnlac@knlprez@ScottHarveyWine@winecaseaholic I think Iām going to resist this time, because of the large unopened wine box problem many of us seem to have developed over the last year. Plus I got the Magnum ones earlier this year.
But if a mixed case offer came up, with some whites included for variety, that would be hard to resist, for sure. OK pretty much impossible.
@greeneggsanham
Costco has Instacrates on sale for $1 off. They hold 18 bottles like these, and I stack them 2 high. Put about three cases in a smaller footprint than a casemates box.
@greeneggsanham@Springbank Are those the fold-up plastic crates? They are pretty versatile! Never thought of that for wine. I have one sitting in my entryway. I gotta go test some bottle fits.
@greeneggsanham@pmarin
Those are the ones. Some of the smaller pinot style bottles nest really well and you can fit more in. Others you just have to lay side by side, but I still get 18 in a crate.
This was an easy one! Although we do have some Scott Harveyās other labels, all out of Mountain Selection- glad to see the Barbera riding shotgun with the Zin! Both are excellent.
I was thinking I should at least try one of the bottles of the 2017 Zin I got a while ago before buying a case of this offer. FOMO got to me, and I bought first. The 2017 is fantastic. Very different from most of the Zins Iāve been drinking lately. Just an incredibly flavored and balanced wine. If the 2018 is near this good itās a steal at this price.
Love to see a case of mixed whites. Not too soon, since I have no room, and my wife will kill me, but loved the last ones I got.
Anyone know a good divorce lawyer in DFW? I bought another case and she is going to kill me. The last Scott Harvey zins were so good I couldnāt resist.
After a long absence from Casemates, pretty much since WW gave the shaft, Iām back in for 2 cases. Good to see a lot of familiar names and a bunch of new ones. Salud!
Wow. However, I just bought a case of the Barbera in February (and I love it), so an offering of just the Zin would let me make my own mixed selection!
Since these Mt. Selection wines are our main wines, we make more of them. Jana offered twice as much to casemates as we normally do. The only problem is I will have to make two trips to casemates with my big box truck instead of just one. Kind of problems I like to have. Cheers
Scott and Jana are just too nice (and they make too good of wines) to skip this deal. (One last kiss White and Red at my daughterās wedding.) In for a case!
@FritzCat My vintage notes for 2013 are āGood crop size, warm dry spring, good growing conditions. Good winter rain early in the season followed by spring and summer with drought conditionsā Bright red fruit wines with bright acidity and good extraction.
The previous Casemates box literally just arrived a couple of minutes agoā¦ despite trying to be more frugal I have to trust all the glowing recommendations.
/giphy toasty-tolerant-barley
I received my case here a few days ago. It was packed in styrofoam and cool to the touch on a hot summer afternoon when it came. I was super happy with that! Tasted both varieties and they were great, especially the Zin. Scott Harvey is automatic for at least a case from now on.
cracked a zin after waiting a difficult 11 days post-delivery, and it is great-- the nose is so complex you could just not bother sipping ā¦ ok , but I didā¦
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
91 points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Vineyard & Winemaker Notes
Specs
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Editorās Choice
Tasting Notes
Vineyard & Winemaker Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$397.07/Case at Scott Harvey Wines for 6x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County and 6x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
About The Winery
Barbera
Zinfandel
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Tuesday, Jul 6 - Thursday, Jul 8
Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Reds
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel
This is a no brainer.
Anyone in the Twin Cities interested in a split?
@kawichris650
Iād be in for a split. I would take anywhere from 1-3 of each. Whatever works for you.
@kawichris650 I will take 2 of each.
@kawichris650 So, split case or do I need to order for myself?
@kawichris650 @PRH2
Iām still up for a split. I donāt care who I split with but I really would like to keep it to 3 or less of each.
@Heyjude1 @PRH2
It turns out Iām splitting a case with a family member, but you two can split a case together.
Ok, so Iām sure what many of us want to know is what Scottās involvement will be with Mollie taking over as head winemaker!
@klezman
Hi Casemates wine drinkers. Great to be back on. Mollie has been with us for six years. She is a graduate in enology and viticulture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and apprenticed in New Zealand and South Africa. She is doing a great job and it was time to move her into the full winemaker position. The company is growing and Iām not going anywhere. I changed my title to executive winemaker. Title names have changed, but we both are very much involved in making and blending the the wines.
@ScottHarveyWine Awesome!
I was wondering if youād decided it was time for a semi-retirement
HIKING! VIKINGS! STRIKE KING [BRAND FISHING LURES]! AWESOME!
whenever @mediocrebot has to explain the STRIKE KING thing it feels a bit, um, mediocre. Letās get an intern to write some more clever rhymes.
/giphy predominant-mad-cod
@MarkDaSpark
FOMO?
@MarkDaSpark Agreed! Incredible deal as well!
@rjquillin. How dare you say that!
The anti mystery case.
@msten Also anti-misery?
@msten and only $10 more than that disappointment
@knotworking @msten $10 more, wow, now Iām even sadderā¦
Pretty good dollop of Syrah in both of these.
How does that play in with the Barb and Zin and is it reflected in other vintage blends as well?
A bit of a common theme weāll taste in both bottlings?
Howās the '18 Mountain Syrah coming along?
@rjquillin good catch
Iāve seen Syrah with Zin plenty of times but not with Barbera.
@rjquillin 2017 barbera is 84/17 syrah. 2017 Zin is 76/24 syrah
i think both are delicious.
expect 2018s to be a great QPR as well.
@rjquillin
Mollie and I have always blended Syrah into these wines. The Syrah comes from the Pam York vineyard in Fiddletown. It adds a lot of center structure and roundness to the blend. The 2018 Mt. Selection Syrah is real popular in the tasting rooms. Especially once people taste it.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Reds - $30 = 16.66%
PDX split anyone? I just checked and Iāve been over a year without any SH wines, which is likely some kind of wrongdoing. Perhaps I need to buy a whole case myself as penance.
@LambruscoKid Interested and could do 4-6.
@jfuruno Done! Iāll order this time, and I could also do 4 or 6, so the doorās open for one more if anyone else wants to join in.
arbitrary-conventional-newt. Done. Tried a few reloads of the Giphy thing, but wasnāt happy with the political convention clips that kept coming up
@LambruscoKid Thanks!
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
Good evening all! We were lucky enough to rat the 2018 Mountain Select Barbara! But the delivery was not without drama. Although my shipping address has been corrected, the bottle found itās way to my former employer. Luckily the shipping guys let me know I had a package after signing for the bottle instead of keeping it for themselves!
I picked up the bottle 4 hours after delivery last Thursday. The bottle was warm but not hot - I am not complaining as the temps were in the low 100s in Denver last week. It rested 5 days in our wine fridge at 55F to allow it to recover from shipping.
Full disclosure, we love Scottās wines and have had previous vintages of his M.S. Barbera.
Originally we wanted to drink this with another couple to gain a range of opinions, but our plans fell through this weekend. My SO and I drank 3/4 of the bottle this evening and paired it with spaghetti and meatballs with a vodka cream sauce. Unfortunately we have no other Barberas to open alongside this wine so it was drank alone. We did recently acquire new stemware during Berzerkerās Day this year, so did a little tasting between glasses as well in case anyone is interested (SO said no one cares, haha!). Onto the tasting!
Initial tastes and a glass with dinner were drank with Zalto Universals - our go-to for most red wines.
The bottle is heavier than I remember for Scottās Barberas, but the label is as expected; elegant, simple, definitely works for us.
The wine is free of sediment and gas, and I would put the color at clear ruby. The wine has an agglomerated cork which was barely stained, but the color of the stain was darker than I remember from previous bottlings.
We let the wine warm to room temp, about 70F, and did a PnP before dinner. SO got cherry and black pepper on the nose while I got bing cherry and red fruit. No noticeable alcohol. First sip and we both tasted cherry, very mild black pepper, good acidity, and some tannins but they are definitely in the background. The finish is medium to short which is what I associate with Scottās Barberas. The wine is fruit forward (young) but is produced in the old world style for which Scott is known.
The wine paired really well with the acidic and fatty dinner and really worked with the sauce to clear the palate before the next bite. I would absolutely recommend this with Italian food!
After two hours we cleaned up after dinner and had another glass. The nose was not nearly as intense as before, but the cherry was clearly present. The pepper had faded and thereās now a faint hint of mocha or chocolate. Palate had cherry and red fruit, the finish was longer (about 20 seconds), acidity was holding up well, and the tannins were more present, probably due to the fruit not being so forward.
We then tasted out of Grassl Mineralites (white wine glass). The nose had taken on a slightly dusty nature, but in a good way. The cherry and black pepper were still present. The palate had cherry and red fruit but was more focused and the acidity had mellowed making the wine taste very well integrated. I simply wrote, āThis wine is good.ā
Next up was Grassl Crus (Burgundy glass). The nose was once again dusty with cherry and black pepper but was showing very restrained making the wine smell much older than 3 years after vintage. The palate had much less perceived acidity and was almost muted. I had guessed we would like this glass the best, so our tasting was against my initial thoughts.
Finally we tasted the wine out of Grassl 1855s (Bordeaux glass). The nose was more juicy out of this glass and retains the red fruits, and my SO called brulee (I do not question her, she is much more talented tasting that I!). The palate was fresh, had good acidity, and I picked up a little hint of oak. The finish was much shorter and the wine tasted weakest from this glass.
Glass winner is the Mineralite which is very close to most universal glasses. Iād recommend drinking it from the glass you use for zins, but it was very good from all 4!
Final thoughts, this is a well made wine. Apparently I havenāt added a MS Barbera to Cellar Tracker since the 2012 vintage, but this wine aligns with what I would expect and had tasted from previous vintages. While I really enjoyed it, my SO prefers more bold wines; but this checks all the boxes if you like the style. The wine is very well made and tasty on its own or paired with food, especially Italian. Previous vintages could be found locally in the $20 - $22 dollar range, so anything under $20 for this 2018 will be a steal. If we were not on a wine buying freeze, we would be all over this case!
Looking at the description now and tasting again, neither of us got any of the blueberry or strawberry mentioned.
We are saving what is left (about 1 glass) for tasting tomorrow and I will post an update. Thanks to Alice and @Winedavid49 for the chance to taste for everyone!
BUY ALL THE SCOTT HARVEY!!
@knlprez
Sorry for the long review everyone! If you want the readers digest version, the wine is restrained, good with food, and quite delicious. Itās a good deal for $20/bottle and the case price is a steal!
@knlprez Thank you for the rattage. interesting glass comparisons
@knlprez
Day two and the wine is still going strong. The nose is similar but may have picked up a very slight bit of alcohol, but nothing off-putting. Palate is still juicy and very tasty with good acidity and red fruits. I donāt think you need to lay this wine down to enjoy as it is ready to go now, but Iām sure it has several years of life ahead, if not more.
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Barbera, Amador County
We were recently sent a rat bottle for the Tercero mixed case, but unfortunately received both the advance email and bottle while we were on vacation in New Orleans. I responded to Aliceās email to please forgive us and give us another chance to rat soon. We were happy that she responded with a rat bottle of the Scott Harvey 2018 Mountain Estate Barbera. We tasted the bottle over two days.
Day One: Pop and pour: A gorgeous plum to garnet color in the glass (Reidel Old World Syrah per their wine glass guide app). Nose is somewhat muted, my sense of smell is never great, DH has a great sense of smell and he also said it was muted, but did get some cherry and strawberry. First sips: slight plum, good bit of tart cherry, a bit of strawberry, very slight heat that quickly dissipated. More sipsā¦ Great acidity, well balanced, smooth tannins. This is what good Barbera is supposed to taste like! Paired one glass with authentic seafood gumbo (we just took a fantastic heritage New Orleans cooking class) and it complemented the dish well. Stopper (no vacuvin or special treatment) and refrigerate until day two.
Day Two: What a beautiful elegant wine. This is clearly old world style, if you are looking for jammy this is not your jam. The cherry takes center stage on day two, but again, in an elegant way; itās not āin your faceā. The mouthfeel is luscious (thatās the best term I can come up with) but in a really good way, definitely not in a cloying sense. There is an earthiness I canāt quite describe, but again, it is just damn delicious. We also got a hint of white pepper āspiceā that we didnāt notice yesterday. Paired with marinara, chicken sausage with roasted garlic, and three cheese ravioli. Again, an excellent pairing; this wine is so versatile and food friendly. I will defer to Scott but I think the aging potential on this is many years. We recently opened and thoroughly enjoyed a 2012.
For me, Scott Harvey is a master with Barbera. He just is, and this wine solidifies that opinion for me. I donāt know how much longer Scott will be making wine; I sense that he is edging toward retirement (a la Peter Wellington) and we will all be kicking ourselves for not squirreling away more of his wines. Do yourself a favor and take your foot out of your ass and just buy this! You wonāt regret it.
@pseudogourmet98
@pseudogourmet98 thank you for the report & pics
Scott Harvey for $12.50/bottle? Ummā¦ OK.
/giphy spectacular-clingy-finch
Got way too much, but got it anyway.
/giphy dynamic-fouled-temper
/giphy immaculate-towering-nail
/giphy rascally-wooden-bison
In for a case! I was happy to see some Syrah in both types.
/giphy https://casemates.com/orders/olden-wishful-border
My willpower is crushed. Case splits? Whatās that?
Itās ALL MINE!!!
/giphy buttered-psychedelic-lithium
I may be able to resist for myself until we make more room in our cellar by drinking what we have, but always a good one that my parents get a case of.
/giphy buttered-impossible-derby
Someone mention Wine Enthusiast reviews??
Barbera. 91 Points. This lush yet vibrant wine is saturated with red- and black-cherry flavors and is nicely accented by chocolate and baking spices. Itās full in feel, a little tangy in texture and especially appealing due to its expansive fruitiness. JG 3/1/21
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/scott-harvey-2018-mountain-selection-barbera-amador-county/
Zinfandel. 93 Points. Editorsā Choice. A wonderful, spicy, woodsy complexity in the aroma leads to luxuriously rich blackberry and raspberry flavors and echoes of cedar, vanilla and sage. With 24% Syrah blended in, this beautifully composed and relaxed wine is hard to resist. JG 3/1/21
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/scott-harvey-2018-mountain-selection-zinfandel-amador-county/
And from Kenās Wine Guide:
April 9, 2021. Kenās Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)
This medium ruby colored Zinfandel opens with a blueberry and plum bouquet with hints of black cherry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, smooth, fruit forward and juicy. The flavor profile is a smoky oak influenced plum with notes of cola and stony minerality. We also detected hints of cocoa and red cherry mixed in. The finish is dry and its medium tannins drift nicely. The Panel would pair this Zin with steak fajitas, Irish lamb stew, or carnitas tacos. Enjoy ā KWGTP
https://www.kenswineguide.com/wine_review/Scott-Harvey-2018-Mountain-Selection-Zinfandel
fwiw
@kaolis Back to Ken:
June 21, 2021. Kenās Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)
This medium ruby colored Barbera opens with a mild red cherry bouquet with hints of baked blueberry pie eucalyptus, and graphite. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied and round. The flavor profile is spiced black plum and Bing cherry with notes of mild minerality. We also detected hints of pomegranate and cedar mixed in. The finish is very dry, shows a little heat and has chewy tannins that stick around for quite a while. The Panel would pair this teriyaki steak tips or with a Kansas City bone-in strip steak. Enjoy ā KWGTP
https://www.kenswineguide.com/wine_review/Scott-Harvey-2018-Barbera
Any Green Bay, WI area folks want to split?
@dwieske Iām down in MSN so probably not realistic
@sosptuba Yeah, thatās a bit farther away than would be convenient at the moment.
Gonna need another wine fridge.
/giphy mainstream-dapper-sloth
Hi Everyone, Iām here all day, so will get on to answer questions through out the day. Thanks for the two great Lab Rat reviews.
Cheers
@ScottHarveyWine Welcome back! Always happy to see you and your wines here. If we live in a state that isnāt on the ship-to list, can we still get this deal directly through the winery?
@winer Sure, just call Jana at 415 264-5641.
/giphy promiscuous-wavy-squid
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
The bottle of Scott Harveyās Mountain Selection Zinfandel arrived last week. Thank you, Alice and everyone at WCC!! Scott and Janaās wines are one of my favorite wines and when they came to Ohio we went to their wine dinners, so it puts me in a pickle as to how to evaluate their wine while remaining unbiased. But as a Quality Manager for most of my career, Iāve always told it as it is with the good and the bad! So here it goesā¦
I donāt buy wine that has gimmicky names nor do I buy it for the label or that I can recycle the glass bottle. I buy wine for the contents! Scott and Jana put their names on the bottle and if you ever met them you would know that it means a lot to us Casemates Winos. Scottās wines have been around since the old wine site this site replaced. Now I could easily say āyes, the fermented grape juice was goodā, but that would not do justice to all the hard work that Scott, Jana, and their employees do to make us HAPPY!! So hereās my rattage notes:
Upon opening the bottle last night, noted the cork was perfect, stained where it was supposed to be. Then I did something I never doā¦I smelled the bottle opening with disturbing the wine. It smelled great!! Red berries and spice, no alcohol.
As I poured the wine into my stemless Casemates glass, the color was a beautiful clear red that you would expect. Clear does not mean that it was a light wine. To me, it means the wine is not cloudy or dense that light canāt penetrate. From what I saw visually I thought that the wine was a little more than a medium body wine.
On the nose, I got a blend of red fruit like raspberries and dark cherry along with a spice that reminded me of apple pie and well-integrated alcohol.
To me, the most important factor in drinking wine is taste and finish. I canāt remember when Iāve tasted a more balanced wine! What I smelled came perfectly through with the taste. A nice amount of red raspberry and dark cherry blended with earthiness, spice, and integrated alcohol with light tannins on the finish followed again by minutes of the fruit and spice profile.
The wine was outstanding on its own and I very seldom say āoutstandingā very often with wine tasting, but how would it hold up to my sonās excellent smoked beef short ribs and smoked beef brisket?? Now my sonās smoked BBQ doesnāt need BBQ sauce because he uses great rubs, plus I wanted the wine to meet the meat!
This Zinfandel won the contest! I could still taste the nuances of the wine along with the leaner brisket and fattier short ribs.
Scottās Zinfandel was a GRAND SLAM with the smoked meats that would probably somewhat mute most other wines!!
With my STRICT SIWBM in place for a while because of more wine than Iāll ever drink in my lifetime, I BOUGHT TWO CASES!!!
So Alice, David, and everyone at WCC, THANK YOU for this rattage and most of all to Scott and Jana Harvey, keep putting your names on great wine!! Never forget that NEO loves you very much and next time you come into town give us a heads up so we can meet, wine dinner or not!
THIS OFFER NEEDS TO SELL OUT AT THIS PRICING!!
(I hope that darn banner shows up at the top! RJās the man, if it doesnāt!)
@Boatman72 I tried to edit my post earlier when I saw a typo about āI smelled the bottle opening with disturbing the wine.ā Should beā¦" I smelled the open bottle without disturbing the wine."
Plus I forgot to add that I tasted it again today just before posting and the wine characteristics did not change from the night before. Also, my son came over later in the day and finish the bottle. He too thought it was very good!
@Boatman72 outstellent rattage. (thatās outstanding and excellent combined) Thank you.
@scottharvywine
Well, tried to help with a sellout, by ordering 3 cases, but the system would only let me order 2 casesā¦thatās ok, one must not be greedyā¦ Just by chance my wife and I had last years 2017 Zin offer with a BBQ Ribeye for supper last night (thatās Dinner for you non Iowa people) loved it. ( thus the desire to order 3 cases)
Scott, if you are on here, any chance of a Jana wine showing up again sometime in the future? Loved the 2019 S.B. From last August.
@winecaseaholic @scottharveywine Here to would like to to see the Jana Sav.Blanc come up again. Love your wines especially mixed cases. Thank you!
@dawnlac @winecaseaholic
This years 2020 Sauvignon Blanc is from Napa. Right on Highway 29 just south of Yountville. At harvest early in the morning just before sunrise the whole eastern ridge above Yountville was on fire. Luckily, the prevailing winds were blowing the smoke further east and away from the vineyard. Turned into a wonderful wine. Look it up on the website. Iāll ask Jana if we have enough to do a mixed white casemates offer. Real happy with the Vermentino from Amador.
@dawnlac @ScottHarveyWine @winecaseaholic
We are down to 3 bottles of the '19 S.B. and would absolutely jump on a mixed case! Time to do some persuading!
@dawnlac @knlprez @ScottHarveyWine @winecaseaholic I think Iām going to resist this time, because of the large unopened wine box problem many of us seem to have developed over the last year. Plus I got the Magnum ones earlier this year.
But if a mixed case offer came up, with some whites included for variety, that would be hard to resist, for sure. OK pretty much impossible.
@dawnlac @knlprez @ScottHarveyWine @winecaseaholic We bought two cases of the SB last year and just finished the last bottle a couple of weeks ago
@dawnlac @ScottHarveyWine @winecaseaholic SB and vermentino? Iād be all over that.
@dawnlac @ScottHarveyWine @winecaseaholic Mixed whites? Yes please!
/giphy discreet-joyous-reason
Unpacked boxes backed up currently in cellar, beaucoup cases on hold til the fall - so, sure in for two casesā¦
@greeneggsanham
Costco has Instacrates on sale for $1 off. They hold 18 bottles like these, and I stack them 2 high. Put about three cases in a smaller footprint than a casemates box.
@greeneggsanham @Springbank Are those the fold-up plastic crates? They are pretty versatile! Never thought of that for wine. I have one sitting in my entryway. I gotta go test some bottle fits.
@greeneggsanham @pmarin
Those are the ones. Some of the smaller pinot style bottles nest really well and you can fit more in. Others you just have to lay side by side, but I still get 18 in a crate.
This was an easy one! Although we do have some Scott Harveyās other labels, all out of Mountain Selection- glad to see the Barbera riding shotgun with the Zin! Both are excellent.
/giphy taunting-amok-form
I was thinking I should at least try one of the bottles of the 2017 Zin I got a while ago before buying a case of this offer. FOMO got to me, and I bought first. The 2017 is fantastic. Very different from most of the Zins Iāve been drinking lately. Just an incredibly flavored and balanced wine. If the 2018 is near this good itās a steal at this price.
Love to see a case of mixed whites. Not too soon, since I have no room, and my wife will kill me, but loved the last ones I got.
Could not resist me some Scott Harveyā¦such amazing QPR!!!
/giphy relaxing-morbid-bean
barred-satisfied-whip
Good thing I finished my cellar a few months ago. Instant buy. Add this to my SH dedicated rack.
Thanks, Scott and Jana!
Iām honestly not sure what I just bought, but it said āScott Harveyā soā¦
/giphy lanky-mountainous-dove
Anyone know a good divorce lawyer in DFW? I bought another case and she is going to kill me. The last Scott Harvey zins were so good I couldnāt resist.
In for a case! Iāve passed on Scott Harvey wines for too long.
After a long absence from Casemates, pretty much since WW gave the shaft, Iām back in for 2 cases. Good to see a lot of familiar names and a bunch of new ones. Salud!
@senorwilli welcome back
/giphy penultimate-luxurious-patch
the 2017 versions of these were both excellent and only a couple bottles left, so very glad to see this offering!
/giphy rampant-icky-head
My first Scott Harvey purchase. Glad to finally pull the trigger. Obviously these will be good now, but how long can/should these be aged?
@jaybird They are made to to be 15 to 20 year wines. The lower the pH the less oxygen the wine can absorb and the longer it will last.
After all the great things people say about this, I have to give it a try.
/giphy plastic-nondescript-leg
Wow. However, I just bought a case of the Barbera in February (and I love it), so an offering of just the Zin would let me make my own mixed selection!
Wish I could return my mystery box and get this instead.
@toddlamp
Scott Harveyā¦auto buy!!! In for a case!
Since these Mt. Selection wines are our main wines, we make more of them. Jana offered twice as much to casemates as we normally do. The only problem is I will have to make two trips to casemates with my big box truck instead of just one. Kind of problems I like to have. Cheers
@ScottHarveyWine Keep it flowing and we will keep on buying!
@ScottHarveyWine Thank you for your hard work & dedication to our Casemate community and our wine habit. Cheers!
Resistance is (was) futile. In for a case.
Scott and Jana are just too nice (and they make too good of wines) to skip this deal. (One last kiss White and Red at my daughterās wedding.) In for a case!
@FritzCat Pulled a random Scott Harvey off the shelf to taste tonight. Got a 2013 Red Label (Mountain Selection) Zinfandel.
@FritzCat My vintage notes for 2013 are āGood crop size, warm dry spring, good growing conditions. Good winter rain early in the season followed by spring and summer with drought conditionsā Bright red fruit wines with bright acidity and good extraction.
@ScottHarveyWine Amazingly, the 2013 is exactly how you describe the 2018. The nose seemed port-like to me.
And thatās the rest of the story.
/giphy Harvey good day
The previous Casemates box literally just arrived a couple of minutes agoā¦ despite trying to be more frugal I have to trust all the glowing recommendations.
/giphy toasty-tolerant-barley
It always makes me sad that Scott Harvey wines no longer ship to CT.
@Grabeck989 Contact the winery directly (see SH post earlier in this thread). They can usually work something out.
So disappointed! I was just notified my order was cancelled due to an inventory shortage. Sad day for the cellar
@PaulW oh noes!!!
@PaulW Give Jana a call and we will fill it from the winery. 415 264-5641.
Cheers,
Scott
Love the wine! Hate UPS delivery! They are reliably a pain in the ass and generally unreliable!
I received my case here a few days ago. It was packed in styrofoam and cool to the touch on a hot summer afternoon when it came. I was super happy with that! Tasted both varieties and they were great, especially the Zin. Scott Harvey is automatic for at least a case from now on.
cracked a zin after waiting a difficult 11 days post-delivery, and it is great-- the nose is so complex you could just not bother sipping ā¦ ok , but I didā¦