In praise of Moonlight

“Andy Sponseller of Rattlesnake Farms in Missoula has crafted an elegant Pinot Noir from grapes grown in Oregon. The wine itself is rich purple to the eye. The nose is full of plums and ripe fruit with a hint of sweet cherries. The mouth also gets lots of ripe fruit and plums in a silky, medium-bodied feel. The finish is smooth and delicious. Rattlesnake Vineyards cannot be accused of making a ho-hum Burgundy style wine. This Pinot Noir demonstrates the legendary serendipitous results from a grape that is notoriously finicky in the field and in the making.”

“Last week I asked our alert readers to find an organic wine that didn't taste like battery acid. Several of you pointed out the Rattlesnake Creek Vineyard “Moonlight” Pinot Noir. We mentioned in the last issue that this Missoula based winery makes wine from organically grown grapes. Careful reading of the label shows that this wine is also made organically without added sulfites. I was fooled by my own prejudices when I tried the first bottle. I didn’t think a wine that tasted that good with the rich plum flavors could be organic.

“Live and learn. My sincere and profuse apologies go to the Sponsellers for lumping them in with the “battery acid” crowd. My estimation of the skill Andy and Connie have for making wine has bumped up considerably. The Wine Gallery will proudly and truthfully sell Rattlesnake Creek “Moonlight” Pinot Noir as the organic wine that stumped the experts. Add another masterpiece in the Wine Gallery. We have a wonderful wine made right here in Montana. It is organic, it tastes great, it is priced right ($16.95) and it humbled me.”

—From The Grapevine, Vol. 1, No. 3 and Vol. 1, No. 4, December 12 and 29, 2004.
Published by The Wine Gallery, Bozeman, MT