Historic Monte Rosso Vineyard hosts Reach for the Moon!
Charter members of the fantastic farmers club, Phil Coturri, lead photo left, with Randy Peters, were among the winegrowers and winemakers at the June 2023 Moon Mountain District gala Grand Tasting at the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard. So many Sonoma County wines taste fabulous because of Coturri and Peters. Coturri tends many vineyards in the Moon Mountain District AVA (American Viticultural Area) and beyond, including ones supplying grapes for his own Winery Sixteen 600. The 250-acre Monte Rosso Vineyard, a fitting site for the appellation’s festivities, contains some of the district’s oldest vines, including Zinfandel that dates to 1886.
Peters, of Timber Crest, Pauline’s, and Peters vineyards fame farther west in the county, celebrated here with Erik Miller, Kokomo Winery‘s owner and winemaker. The dynamic duo (Peters is also a partner in the winery) poured the current-release 2021 Monte Rosso Zinfandel, along with the 2019 and 2020 vintages for comparison.
Sojourn Cellars is so new to the Monte Rosso game that its head of marketing, Sherrie Perkovich, brought unlabeled bottles of the winery’s 2021 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes for the wine, which had plenty of verve, came from just beyond the peak behind the bottle shown below.
The Reach for the Moon wines came from vineyards throughout the appellation. The photos below show reds and whites that pleased palates.
It was nice finally meeting Korbin Ming of Korbin Kameron, whose family’s property straddles Moon Mountain and Napa’s Mt. Veeder. Korbin makes the wines, Timothy Milos consults, and Phil Coturri manages the vineyard. I’ve always thought highly of the winery’s Moon Mountain Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
I liked every one of Bedrock Wine Co.‘s Moon Mountain wines – the three depicted above, as well as the 2018 Montecillo Cab and 2021 Monte Rosso Zin.
A mountaintop location, volcanic soils, and southwestern exposure contributed to the distinctive flavors of the 2019 Winery Sixteen 600 Simon’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
With its tannins, acidity, and dense fruit, the 2018 Stone Edge Farm Cabernet Sauvignon, from Alejandro Zimman’s first vintage as winemaker, is built to last.
Info
The Moon Mountain District Winegrowers Association‘s website has information about the appellation, its members, and the wines produced here.