Harrow Cellars Merlot Ravenswood Vineyard Moon Mountain District 2020

Get the 2020 Harrow Cellars Merlot while we still have it. This is a big dose of luscious, starting with notes of dusty blackberry and sticky-jammy red raspberry. Gravelly minerality brings sensations of lift and structure, then a satiny midpalate flows into caramelized nectarine – yum. Fresh red cherry shows up at the very end for some exciting tannic friction, prompting us to come back for another sip and another… and another. This bottle feels like its $75 retail price, and achieves fourth-generation winemaker Angelina Mondavi’s goal of making something “at once familiar and innovative” with the historic Ravenswood Vineyard. 

Mondavi was not about to let the beloved Ravenswood site fade into obscurity – the fruit is too good. This 15-acre vineyard is in the stylish Moon Mountain District, northwest of the town of Sonoma. For decades, it was the epicenter of Joel Peterson’s indelible Zinfandel-focused Ravenswood brand. You surely know the label with the bewitching circle of ravens. And you almost certainly love those old-school fruit-forward flavors. When the site (not the brand) went up for sale, Mondavi saw a home for Harrow Cellars.

We are loving the results. She has been doing impressive work as winemaker and co-owner of Howell Mountain-based labels Dark Matter and Aloft – respectively edgy and elevated in tone. So Harrow is a welcome addition of comfort and poise.