2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
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.
Winemaking Notes
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.
Vineyard 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 dryland farmed vineyards produce low yields of extractive flavorful Zinfandel.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 76% Zinfandel, 24% Syrah
Appellation: Amador County
Cooperage: 22 months in French Oak
Alcohol: 14.9%
pH: 3.42
RS: Dry<.2%
Cases Produced: 1,011 cases
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
Case:
12x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
After decades of creating and crafting premium wines for wineries like Santino and Folie a Deux – and putting Amador County on the map as a world-class appellation – Scott Harvey launched his own winery in 2004. With decades of winemaking experience on two continents, it’s no wonder his wines have become an immediate sensation. It’s an overnight success 35 years in the making. (Oh, and Scott’s not too shabby with a pen, either.)
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
Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel
6 bottles for $94.99 $15.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $169.99 $14.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I got the previous offer. The Barbera was good, but this Zin is fantastic. I’ve bought two and a half cases here in the last two weeks, and have no room left. Maybe next time.
@afwaller@Springbank I’d FOR SURE buy 2 cases of that Barbera. That was some of the best wine I’ve had in a while. REally hit my taste buds just right.
@Springbank I love them both for different reasons. In our house, we drink Zin more often than not, and this one is enjoyed mightily!
The Barbera holds a special place in my heart because it just absolutely sings withe star anise in the Ghobi Manchuiran we get from the local Indian restaurant.
What an awesome day when you find out you’ve been selected to be rat again. This one was particularly fun because I rarely buy Zins (though that might change after this) and something from Scott Harvey? Be still my beating heart! I’ve heard good things about this winery over the years, but have never tried anything from them. Glad I had this opportunity as you’ll see in this review.
I’ll skip to the punchline, then allow others to read on if they’re still interested in my ramblings. This is a buy. For sure. Super tasty, complex and totally drinkable. I really enjoyed it. I expected this to be a $23 or more per bottle, so this is a steal at this price, IMO.
Ok, let’s get into it and I will remind everyone that I’m no wine expert. I’m getting better, but this is pure fun for me and not something I’ve dedicated any real time into researching. I know what I like, and I’m happy to experiment and try something new (which is why I love be ratted now and again).
The cork exited cleanly, with no residue, sediment or crystallization of any kind.
On smelling the just-opened bottle, no noticeable whiffs of alcohol just fruit.
The first taste was pretty dry and light. My first reaction was, “Oh! This is… complex”. And I meant it. It tasted more sophisticated and subtle than my go-to, the infamous Spellbound Cabernet. I got notes of cherry, plum and spices. Perhaps pepper, but it was more refined than that. It wasn’t overly smokey, as I’ve heard some Zins can be, and only the most minor hints of tobacco.
I paired this with some homemade beef chili, mostly because I’m always surprised when I get these, and the meal had already been planned. Here’s me finishing with the jalapeños, in-process and paired with the final product.
(As you can see, I fill my lack of wine knowledge with food porn pics so you don’t notice. Is it working?)
I had no complaints with these two next to each other, and the wine actually tempered the heat of the chili pretty well.
At this point, the Zin had aired out for an hour or two and took on more of the tobacco profile and almost seemed a little more tart as if some pomegranate had come through. I welcomed both because I love earthy tastes and the tart was a great contrast to the savory chili flavors. As I sat in my den I though to myself, “this tastes expensive”. That’s a good sign, right?
Day 2 brought a few more changes. It had definitely mellowed out a bit. It was far less fruit-forward and became super-mild and just easy drinking. I’m enjoying a glass as I prepare this review. I think I might even like it better the second day. But maybe that’s just because the Eagles got a W and that’s what I was drinking at the time.
Bottom line, I really enjoyed this wine and this is no accident; the winery has a well-earned reputation. I’d recommend this at $23 dollars a bottle and I’d jump all over it for the price it’s currently offered. I’m in for 6. For sure.
Split the last offer, and I know, I know y’all are going to throw cr*p at me (oh wait, that’s the old site) but this is a little too fruity and rich for my zinfandel blood. As some notes above point out. Of course you don’t really know my palate so that’s kind of a useless comment…ha!
But maybe a little time will settle it down, I see @ACraigL seemed to think day two was kind to this wine. And my bottle did not see a day two. Anyway that is my one cent worth.
@chipgreen@rjquillin No no no! Might lean (get it?) that way but I’m not afraid of a mouthful of yum…. plus my lovely bride makes sure there are some brix in the house
I had to laugh reading Boatman’s previous labrat review “With my STRICT SIWBM in place for a while because of more wine than I’ll ever drink in my lifetime…”. I was going to make the same comment before I saw that! Although I am trying VERY hard to not buy anything- my cellar is past full, probably more than I can drink in my lifetime, with cases sitting around unshelved, my only real decision with Scott’s wine is “case or half case?”.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings)
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel - $20 = 10.52%
Good morning and Happy Holidays! Late arriving on Saturday, i only popped this 2018 Scott Harvey Zinfandel, Mountain Selection last night. I’ll give it another day 2 review after dinner today.
Visual – slightly hazy, ruby/garnet, with bright rim.
Nose – Medium-minus. Not a lot going on. Cranberry, pomegranate, and bright raspberry on the fruit side. High toned alcohol as well.
Palate – Very fruity bordering on ‘sweet’. Not at all stewed fruit and not jammy, as Scott mentioned in the video, but it’s fruity. Youthful and vibrant, lots of ripe plum, blackberry. Darker acidic fruits.
General structure – Fruity and structured. Good acid to balance the fruit, not a lot of grape tannin or oaky grip. 14.9% ABV on the bottle, but i didn’t get any burn on the tongue or throat.
Now the essay portion of this exam: It’s fruity (geez i keep saying that). Not stewy/compote like my previous InZinerator experience, but perhaps a little too much fruit for me to pair with food.
I think this would be a fantastic before dinner drink with friends. We paired with a vegetarian lentil and kale soup and it worked well enough. The acid in the wine played nicely with the acidic kale, and the earthy components of the lentils were only mildly overwhelmed by the fruit.
While i’m not 100% at adding notes, i do have some notes on the 2013 Mountain Selection Zin from years ago, and these 2018 profiles seem to fit. I felt back then the 2013 had more of a dried fruit / Port profile, so the 2018 seems different in that way. Also interesting to see that the 2013 was a 100% Zin, but the 2018 is the nearly 80/20 Zin/Syrah blend.
Thanks all! Have a great day and i’ll be trying this out with some shepherd’s pie tonight and we’ll do it all again!
Hi Everyone, great to back on Casemates. I like adding some Syrah in the Zinfandel. It rounds out the wine adding some structure and complexity. Cheers
Hi Everyone, Always fun to be on Casemates and answer questions. I’ll check the board throughout the day. Will need to go to the dentist around 2 PM. I’m sure I’ll need a glass of this Zin when I get back. Great Lab Rat reviews.
Cheers,
Scott
@kawichris650 The tooth has to come out. Put me on antibiotics for a week and then back in to have it pulled. No wine because of the antibiotics. First tooth I have ever had to have pulled.
@ScottHarveyWine Wait till you have to get an implant. Fun times. Those antibiotics can be very strong, so just be cautious. They don’t want the infection to go into your brain.
@danandlisa@ScottHarveyWine I just got 2 implants last week (after having teeth pulled 4 months ago). The implants have been pain free so far (knock on wood!). I’d recommend going to oral surgeon and have them knock you out…easy peasy that way!
@danandlisa@ScottHarveyWine Good health and luck with the extraction! I know that all dentists and oral surgeons are NOT created equally, but my dentist recommended an oral surgeon for my extractions and implants, and now I can’t believe I fretted over having it done. They use anesthesia to completely put me out, and I wake up 20 minutes later with the surgery done. Yes, it’s a pain eating soft food for a week and then remembering to not chew anything hard or crunchy on that area, but the actual process itself was so much easier than I thought it would be. I did opt to have Exparel pain relief injection done during surgery…it’s a slow-release “at the site” pain medication that is supposed to release over 3 days. I had very little pain after the extractions, and I’ve had zero pain with these implants so far (tomorrow will be 1-week post-surgery). Exparel is not covered by insurance, but it worked awesome for me…I took zero opioids post-surgery of either the extractions or implants. https://www.exparel.com/patient/non-opioid-pain-medication
As fate would have it, I am half way in to my second glass of this Zin from the last offering and I bought a case of the Meh holiday cheer already this week!. This wine is just too good not to grab a case at this price!
@gkrivin My price, the same as employee price, is 50% of retail. Retail is $29 in the tasting room. So, this case price is actually just less than the price I pay for it myself.
@gkrivin@ScottHarveyWine So you are hiring remote workers from the other side of the country? I think most people understand the discounts of our darling winemakers, but nice to see it put in to numbers. Thanks for the offer!
As much as I love Scott’s wines, I was on the fence with this one. Basement is full, but at the end of the day, I can’t say no to his Zin. Have already dipped into the case of Inzinerator. I’m not sure I want to know what other irresistible surprises Wine David might have up his sleeve this holiday season.
Cheers!
freezing-candlelit-angel (very appropriate with the winter chill currently in the air in Minnesota!)
Bottle was stored with the cork on the counter at room temp.
Day two was much better for the wine, in our opinion. The fruitiness was tempered, the wine became more full and complex. It may have simply paired better with the beefy pie instead of the more-vegetarian lentils from day one. I think i even started to pick out the little bit of Syrah notes.
I would summarize by saying on day two it has transformed from an aperitif to a meal-friendly wine.
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
93 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$295.80/Case at Scott Harvey Wines Winery for 12x 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel, Amador County
About The Winery
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
Thursday, Dec 30 - Monday, Jan 3
Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel
6 bottles for $94.99 $15.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $169.99 $14.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel
previous offer
I got the previous offer. The Barbera was good, but this Zin is fantastic. I’ve bought two and a half cases here in the last two weeks, and have no room left. Maybe next time.
@Springbank My exact thoughts. I got the last offer as well. Everyone liked the Barbera but loved the Zin here as well.
@Springbank we loved the barbera more. Wish it came back, would buy two cases.
@afwaller @Springbank I’d FOR SURE buy 2 cases of that Barbera. That was some of the best wine I’ve had in a while. REally hit my taste buds just right.
@Springbank I love them both for different reasons. In our house, we drink Zin more often than not, and this one is enjoyed mightily!
The Barbera holds a special place in my heart because it just absolutely sings withe star anise in the Ghobi Manchuiran we get from the local Indian restaurant.
What an awesome day when you find out you’ve been selected to be rat again. This one was particularly fun because I rarely buy Zins (though that might change after this) and something from Scott Harvey? Be still my beating heart! I’ve heard good things about this winery over the years, but have never tried anything from them. Glad I had this opportunity as you’ll see in this review.
I’ll skip to the punchline, then allow others to read on if they’re still interested in my ramblings. This is a buy. For sure. Super tasty, complex and totally drinkable. I really enjoyed it. I expected this to be a $23 or more per bottle, so this is a steal at this price, IMO.
Ok, let’s get into it and I will remind everyone that I’m no wine expert. I’m getting better, but this is pure fun for me and not something I’ve dedicated any real time into researching. I know what I like, and I’m happy to experiment and try something new (which is why I love be ratted now and again).
The cork exited cleanly, with no residue, sediment or crystallization of any kind.
On smelling the just-opened bottle, no noticeable whiffs of alcohol just fruit.
The first taste was pretty dry and light. My first reaction was, “Oh! This is… complex”. And I meant it. It tasted more sophisticated and subtle than my go-to, the infamous Spellbound Cabernet. I got notes of cherry, plum and spices. Perhaps pepper, but it was more refined than that. It wasn’t overly smokey, as I’ve heard some Zins can be, and only the most minor hints of tobacco.
I paired this with some homemade beef chili, mostly because I’m always surprised when I get these, and the meal had already been planned. Here’s me finishing with the jalapeños, in-process and paired with the final product.
(As you can see, I fill my lack of wine knowledge with food porn pics so you don’t notice. Is it working?)
I had no complaints with these two next to each other, and the wine actually tempered the heat of the chili pretty well.
At this point, the Zin had aired out for an hour or two and took on more of the tobacco profile and almost seemed a little more tart as if some pomegranate had come through. I welcomed both because I love earthy tastes and the tart was a great contrast to the savory chili flavors. As I sat in my den I though to myself, “this tastes expensive”. That’s a good sign, right?
Day 2 brought a few more changes. It had definitely mellowed out a bit. It was far less fruit-forward and became super-mild and just easy drinking. I’m enjoying a glass as I prepare this review. I think I might even like it better the second day. But maybe that’s just because the Eagles got a W and that’s what I was drinking at the time.
Bottom line, I really enjoyed this wine and this is no accident; the winery has a well-earned reputation. I’d recommend this at $23 dollars a bottle and I’d jump all over it for the price it’s currently offered. I’m in for 6. For sure.
POPSOCKETS! SPA KITS! POLLY POCKETS! AWESOME!
Split the last offer, and I know, I know y’all are going to throw cr*p at me (oh wait, that’s the old site) but this is a little too fruity and rich for my zinfandel blood. As some notes above point out. Of course you don’t really know my palate so that’s kind of a useless comment…ha!
But maybe a little time will settle it down, I see @ACraigL seemed to think day two was kind to this wine. And my bottle did not see a day two. Anyway that is my one cent worth.
@kaolis
AFWE Alert!
@chipgreen @kaolis
@chipgreen @rjquillin No no no! Might lean (get it?) that way but I’m not afraid of a mouthful of yum…. plus my lovely bride makes sure there are some brix in the house
Can’t pass this up. Everybody that tries this says it’s the best Zin they’ve ever had. In for a case.
I had to laugh reading Boatman’s previous labrat review “With my STRICT SIWBM in place for a while because of more wine than I’ll ever drink in my lifetime…”. I was going to make the same comment before I saw that! Although I am trying VERY hard to not buy anything- my cellar is past full, probably more than I can drink in my lifetime, with cases sitting around unshelved, my only real decision with Scott’s wine is “case or half case?”.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings)
2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Selection Zinfandel - $20 = 10.52%
Noooooo!
Dammit dammit dammit, whyyyy now!?!!
Loved this Zin from the split case, just had my last bottle.
Oh well, suck it up wallet, no way I can avoid going in.
Kids are going to be super disappointed when they open this case under the tree
Wellington, Pedroncelli (on Meh), now Scott. Damn this December is going to be expensive. Happy to share some bottles in CMH if anyone is interested.
/giphy nurturing-melted-snowfall
@KNmeh7 Missed the Pedroncelli, I guess. Bummer!
@KNmeh7 @SmilingBoognish 'Twas labeled as ‘2019 Cheer’ [is (almost) here].
Good morning and Happy Holidays! Late arriving on Saturday, i only popped this 2018 Scott Harvey Zinfandel, Mountain Selection last night. I’ll give it another day 2 review after dinner today.
Visual – slightly hazy, ruby/garnet, with bright rim.
Nose – Medium-minus. Not a lot going on. Cranberry, pomegranate, and bright raspberry on the fruit side. High toned alcohol as well.
Palate – Very fruity bordering on ‘sweet’. Not at all stewed fruit and not jammy, as Scott mentioned in the video, but it’s fruity. Youthful and vibrant, lots of ripe plum, blackberry. Darker acidic fruits.
General structure – Fruity and structured. Good acid to balance the fruit, not a lot of grape tannin or oaky grip. 14.9% ABV on the bottle, but i didn’t get any burn on the tongue or throat.
Now the essay portion of this exam: It’s fruity (geez i keep saying that). Not stewy/compote like my previous InZinerator experience, but perhaps a little too much fruit for me to pair with food.
I think this would be a fantastic before dinner drink with friends. We paired with a vegetarian lentil and kale soup and it worked well enough. The acid in the wine played nicely with the acidic kale, and the earthy components of the lentils were only mildly overwhelmed by the fruit.
While i’m not 100% at adding notes, i do have some notes on the 2013 Mountain Selection Zin from years ago, and these 2018 profiles seem to fit. I felt back then the 2013 had more of a dried fruit / Port profile, so the 2018 seems different in that way. Also interesting to see that the 2013 was a 100% Zin, but the 2018 is the nearly 80/20 Zin/Syrah blend.
Thanks all! Have a great day and i’ll be trying this out with some shepherd’s pie tonight and we’ll do it all again!
@ScottHarveyWine
Scott, curious what drove the decision for the Syrah inclusion?
@rjquillin
Hi Everyone, great to back on Casemates. I like adding some Syrah in the Zinfandel. It rounds out the wine adding some structure and complexity. Cheers
Hi Everyone, Always fun to be on Casemates and answer questions. I’ll check the board throughout the day. Will need to go to the dentist around 2 PM. I’m sure I’ll need a glass of this Zin when I get back. Great Lab Rat reviews.
Cheers,
Scott
@ScottHarveyWine
It’s always great to have you here Scott. Good luck with the dentist appointment!
@ScottHarveyWine Guessing that appointment was 2:30.
@ACraigL @ScottHarveyWine Groooaaan!
@Mark_L @ScottHarveyWine No need to wine about it.
@kawichris650 The tooth has to come out. Put me on antibiotics for a week and then back in to have it pulled. No wine because of the antibiotics. First tooth I have ever had to have pulled.
@ScottHarveyWine
Not even wisdom?
@ScottHarveyWine Wait till you have to get an implant. Fun times. Those antibiotics can be very strong, so just be cautious. They don’t want the infection to go into your brain.
@danandlisa @ScottHarveyWine I just got 2 implants last week (after having teeth pulled 4 months ago). The implants have been pain free so far (knock on wood!). I’d recommend going to oral surgeon and have them knock you out…easy peasy that way!
@danandlisa @TimW Thanks for all wisdom. I’m getting more out of you all this time than I have been able to give.
@danandlisa @ScottHarveyWine Good health and luck with the extraction! I know that all dentists and oral surgeons are NOT created equally, but my dentist recommended an oral surgeon for my extractions and implants, and now I can’t believe I fretted over having it done. They use anesthesia to completely put me out, and I wake up 20 minutes later with the surgery done. Yes, it’s a pain eating soft food for a week and then remembering to not chew anything hard or crunchy on that area, but the actual process itself was so much easier than I thought it would be. I did opt to have Exparel pain relief injection done during surgery…it’s a slow-release “at the site” pain medication that is supposed to release over 3 days. I had very little pain after the extractions, and I’ve had zero pain with these implants so far (tomorrow will be 1-week post-surgery). Exparel is not covered by insurance, but it worked awesome for me…I took zero opioids post-surgery of either the extractions or implants. https://www.exparel.com/patient/non-opioid-pain-medication
OWLS! TOWELS! JOWLS! AWESOME!
OK. Offer lists CT. So I was tripping over myself with excitement. Place order and get “Cannot shop to CT”. Which is it?
@Polarbear22 @winedavid49 @wccwinegirl
Tagging so we can get an update on the above?
@Polarbear22 @rjquillin @WCCWineGirl @Winedavid49
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
CT not listed on this page… just on the home page.
@hscottk @Polarbear22 @rjquillin @WCCWineGirl Checking. but not likely.
@hscottk @Polarbear22 @rjquillin @WCCWineGirl NO CT. contact winery directly.
@hscottk @Polarbear22 @rjquillin @WCCWineGirl @Winedavid49 Yes, for those no ship states call the winery and we’ll take care of you with the same deal.
Thanks. Usually have a nice conversation with Jana to place an order.
As ever, Scott’s Zin’s are an rpmAUTOBUY!!!
Appreciate the small price differential for 1/2cs.
I said NO MORE CASES O’ WINE.
How ‘bout a half-case?
OK, WELL, THAT’S FINE THEN!
/giphy memorable-excellent-gala
As fate would have it, I am half way in to my second glass of this Zin from the last offering and I bought a case of the Meh holiday cheer already this week!. This wine is just too good not to grab a case at this price!
@gkrivin My price, the same as employee price, is 50% of retail. Retail is $29 in the tasting room. So, this case price is actually just less than the price I pay for it myself.
@gkrivin @ScottHarveyWine So you are hiring remote workers from the other side of the country? I think most people understand the discounts of our darling winemakers, but nice to see it put in to numbers. Thanks for the offer!
Well, you did it Mr. Harvey. I believe this is the first time I’m in for TWO cases. Tip of the hat sir.
As much as I love Scott’s wines, I was on the fence with this one. Basement is full, but at the end of the day, I can’t say no to his Zin. Have already dipped into the case of Inzinerator. I’m not sure I want to know what other irresistible surprises Wine David might have up his sleeve this holiday season.
Cheers!
freezing-candlelit-angel (very appropriate with the winter chill currently in the air in Minnesota!)
Sorry for the late follow up.
Bottle was stored with the cork on the counter at room temp.
Day two was much better for the wine, in our opinion. The fruitiness was tempered, the wine became more full and complex. It may have simply paired better with the beefy pie instead of the more-vegetarian lentils from day one. I think i even started to pick out the little bit of Syrah notes.
I would summarize by saying on day two it has transformed from an aperitif to a meal-friendly wine.
Cheers, all!
It says it ships to CT, but when I try to check out it says it won’t ship to CT. Unwoot.
@markgm
Here’s a quote from Scott in case you missed it.
Not really a red wine guy, but I’m going to use this popular offering from a popular winery to try to get myself into the game. In for a 6.
/giphy goodhearted-happy-sweater
2-day air!? Holy crap, guys. I wasn’t expecting this box for another 2 weeks! Merry Christmas to me!