Harvest Moon Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2005  750ml Not currently available   Your Shopping Cart: Join one of the Harvest Moon Wine Clubs and save up to 30% on wines!

Vintage & Varietal

2005 Russian River Pinot Noir
155 Cases produced
Average brix at harvest: 21.8
Alcohol: 12.5%
Residual Sugar:  less than .07 G/100 ml

Grower & Winemaker's Notes

This fruit came from three small vineyards on Willowside, Olivet and River Roads. With heavy early morning fog still lingering, our Pinot fruit was some of the first Pinot vineyards picked in 2005. At the crush pad, 2/3 of the fruit was destemmed and the other 1/3 of the lot was placed in the open-top fermentor whole-cluster, allowing for proper tannin structure and spice extraction. We fermented all three lots seperate in 3/4 ton open top t-bins at a peak temperature of 82 degrees. Upon fermenting dry in 12 days, the lots were pressed lightly direct to barrel where they sat undisturbed for a several months. From that point on, the wine was moved via gravity to help prevent unnecessary oxygen exposure. We bottled the wine in March 2007 and allowed 6 months bottle aging prior to release. 

Tasting Notes

Harvest Moon employs on-time harvesting whereas the fruit is picked relatively earlier than typical in order to preserve the delicate dark rose-petal aromas and juicy wet spicy finish. Although this wine is a bit more structured than years past, we feel these approximately 150 cases represent an elegant approach to cool-climate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

Tasting Update: May 1st, 2009 Tasted by Randy

"It’s Friday, May 1st at 4:56 and I’m done for the day. On the way out of the tasting room, I grabbed a wine I haven’t checked in with for several months- our ’05 RRV Pinot Noir. What a great wine to enjoy while watching the late Spring rain beat against the windows of my small yet cozy abode. A slight whiff of super fine pepper powder aroma that’s fairly unique to Pinot Noir, perhaps due to the early picking. Over the three or so hours, no oak aromas or woody finish was detected. The once angular tart young wine is coming into adolescence quite well, in fact this teenager is behaving itself. Still tart, the wine has wet, cool fruit flavors that make me smack my chops with so much enthusiasm I began to annoy my expecting girlfriend reading in the next room. The flavors literally explode on the scene with vibrant yet delineated layers of dark tart cherry and freshly picked wild strawberries. There’s still a level of tannin that grips the perimeter of my tongue, not fuzzy and dry but electric and spicy. This juicy Pinot Noir grown, fermemted and bottles in my neighborhood will continue to smack the chops for at least 4-6 more years… Can’t wait till my next encounter. Fewer than 70 bottles remaining in vault."