2006 David Noyes Wines Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Mission Codename: The Noyes inside my head? No, my GLASS!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Our Operatives have been crazy for great Zinfandel of late. Particularly, they seem enamored for a great Sonoma County Zin. Find a great one, recover an ample quantity for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: David Noyes Wines

Wine Subject: 2006 Zinfandel

Winemaker: David Noyes

Backgrounder: Since 1970, winemaker David Noyes has made fine wines, all around the world, and for some incredible wineries. in 2006, David left Kunde Estate Winery to launch his own label. Today, as then, David is especially well-known for his delicious Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs, and we are proud to bring you David’s wonderful 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep ruby red, perfectly clear with concentrated color right up to the edges of the wine, a fast surface that settles quickly when swirled, with thick and slow-moving legs that start slow, then speed down the glass

Smell – David Noyes calls this wine a ”Zinfandel for Pinot lovers”, and the first sniff of this wine tells you why; The nose is distinctively split between Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, with the former giving off aromatic red fruits and Pinot-characteristic gunpowder, while the Zinfandel delivers darker berries and dark stonefruit, with white pepper and spice with softest earthen aromas of forest floor and cedar bark

Feel – Round and fast across the lips and then lush and somewhat bold, with medium mid-palate tannins

Taste – Deeply concentrated with big flavors of mixed dark berry, red fruit, pepper, vanilla custard and soft herbs

Finish – Large and extremely long with a warm dryness with flavors that go on and on

Conclusion – This is a great Zinfandel with unique aromatics, deep flavors and a mouthfeel that will please the most diehard Cali Zin fan. In this wine, David has managed to create a Zinfandel that is ‘all Zin’. However, there is a little something extra to this wine that I find very intriguing. The aromatics are certainly original, with some Pinot Noir-like characteristics, and the feel of the wine is lush and refined. The wine also has the acidity to pair with rich foods. The perfect summer BBQ wine? Sure! A great companion for fine dining? Certainly!

Mission Report:

I was very lucky to spend time with David Noyes yesterday. David was in town to show his wines and to appear on a local radio program.

It was a sunny day in Monterey, slightly uncharacteristic weather as lately we have had some very overcast days here at the Monterey Wine Spies Safehouse.

David was sitting out on the patio when I arrived. Despite his dark glasses (spy shades?) and his farmer hat, I recognized him from the photos that can be found on his website.

David Noyes is a winemaker that has lived his entire professional career in the wine business. His winemaking roots are deep – and widely dispersed, for he has made wine in Monterey, Livermore, France, Mendocino and now the Sonoma Valley.

David describes his wines as “Food wines”, and he creates wines that are meant to be in balance with a meal, where some California wines can tend to overpower a meal.

When I asked David what was happening in his world of late, he replied, “I’m on pins and needles at the moment. This is the time of year when we are starting to see the color of the grapes begin to change. That is an event which starts the countdown to harvest, another critical time. This is the last month of ripening and it is the time where the real character of the wine will be determined. Decisions made in the vineyard now will really effect the outcome and quality of the wine.”

I asked him if the radical temperature swings or the recent frost had an effect on the grapes and he reported that one of his vineyard blocks had been damaged by the frost in particular. “I would usually see a 3 ton yield from one of my one-acre blocks. This harvest I will probably only get about a half-ton.”

Of this particular wine, David said, “Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley provides a truly unique expression of California Zinfandel. I fell in love with the Dry creek Valley over 30 years ago and it still impresses me as a premier wine-growing region that can express a wide range of diversity and personality. This wine is metaphor for California Zinfandel, with its mystery, feel and flavors.”

I thanked David for the time he was able to spend with me and as we were parting, he pointed out that he experiences no corked (spoiled) wines, due to the type of corks that he uses in his wines. Made from real cork, but pulped and then formed and purified with high-pressure carbon dioxide gasses, these corks maintain a perfect seal, without contaminating the wine with TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole), a chemical that can spoil a wine. With the corks that David uses, no TCA is present in the closure at all. David thought that explaining this to me was somewhat geeky, but to me, the geekier the better. I love all of the learning that comes with each wine I review and each winemaker I meet.

Thanks for the meeting, David. We really are partial to your Zinfandel. We know that our Operatives will, as well!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the tasting room where David’s incredible wines can be found can be seen in this satellite photo.