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Mission Codename: Vines Angels

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: With so many great Pinot Noirs and Syrahs running on the site in recent weeks, locate a great Zinfandel for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished

Current Winery: V-Twin Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2005 V-Twin Zin

Winemakers: Scott Del Fava

Mission Brief:

Agent White rides a beautiful blue Fatboy. I’ve always been a BMW boxer rider, myself and of late I’ve had my eye on a new Buell. On a recent extended test ride through the Napa Valley I found myself bunched up with group of Harley riders. On the back of one custom chopper, I spotted a wine bottle carrier and I decided to stay with the pack. They had been eyeing my Harley-at-heart loaner Buell and giving me the biker nod and knowing smile that Harley riders will extend to their sportier Buell-riding brethren.

(mission continues below…)

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – A rugged deep garnet, bordering on dark purple with a really tight and springy surface

Smell – Dark cherry and blackberry with chocolate, stone, black leather (just my imagination?), cigar box and horse

Feel – Very wet and cool with an all over mouth coating and medium tannins at the front and back of the tongue

Taste – Jammy, slightly tart and earthy with flavors of cherry, blackberry, pomegranate and mildest lychee with allspice and tender clove and tiny peppercorns

Finish – A great finish that vrooms from sweet to tart and then falls off (zooms off?) from the from front of the mouth to the back.

Conclusion – While this wine revs my motor, its not the overpowering monster that one might expect from the name. Zinfandels are still the classic California wine for a surprising number of people. Forget that Hollywood tells you to like Pinot Noir and be a rebel… Enjoy the jammy boldness that this great wine brings – just don’t forget to wear a helmet!

Winemaker Profile

Scott del Fava

Some would say that Scott is secretive, almost elusive about his winemaking ability. Others might say that he’s got nothing to hide and that he just makes great wines.

When we look at winemakers we often find learned people of ‘pedigree’, and those that have paid their dues as field workers that have toiled in the vineyards – and were then taken under the wing of an often elder master winemaker. In the case of Scott del Fava one look at his bio tells us that this is a regular Joe that loved wine so much, he decided to make some.

Mixing his passion for wine with his passion for cruising the open road on burly rolling Milwaukee Iron, he took on the wine world and learned about wine and wine making through exhaustive experimentation, blending and testing. Scott’s choice of the right grapes from the best vineyard sources he could find contributed as well. Today, Scott is making wines of quality that transcend the Harley-rider image and deliver a fine drinking experience.

Mission Brief, continued from above:

At a stoplight I pulled up next to the rider and asked casually, “What sort of wine do you have there?”

“It my own wine!”, he shouted above the thundering of the v-twin engines under and around us. “We’re pulling off just ahead and were going to crack a few bottles open. Join us?”

How could I say, ‘no’?.

I was intrigued and I wondered what he meant by his own wine. It turned out that he was a winemaker, which was not something I was expecting, and that he had just released what he called ‘a damn great Zin that really kicks ass!’. I sampled the wine and had to agree; Not only did this wine pack a wallop of fruity intensity; it was also remarkably balanced and refined, with great structure and a charming character.

After a few sips, I revealed my identity and over V-Twin Zinfandel and a great BBQ’d burger, I negotiated a handful of cases for our Operatives. If you love great Zinfandel that drinks above its price, this is a great value on a really good wine.

Oh, and that Buell? Well, now I have my eye on the beautiful new Harley Rocker C!!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The grapes for this great wine were grown in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, California. While the exact location of the vineyard is Top Secret, the Dry Creek Valley can be seen in this <A HREF http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.65690,-122.92345&z=14&t=H&marker0=40.29709%2C-111.74258%2Ccima%20collina%20vineyard&marker1=46.00897%2C8.90122%2Ccima%20collina&marker2=36.56538%2C-121.38681%2CN%2036.56538%20W%20121.38680&marker3=38.72190%2C-121.43836%2Cdry%20creek%20valley%5C%2C%20california&marker4=38.65923%2C-122.92398%2Cdry%20creek%20road%5C%2C%20healdsburg%20california" TARGET="NEW">satellite photo