2006 Murphy-Goode Liar’s Dice Zinfandel

Before last year, many folks were not familiar with Murphy-Goode, but that all changed with their campaign to hire a Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent. As best that I can tell, this was the second contest where the word was put out and applicants submitted their applications via video, though the winner in Murphy-Goode’s case actually applied in person (he was first in line no less). The first such contest was the World’s Greatest Job and it has not only inspired Murphy-Goode, but others as well.

It had been a while since I last had a Murphy-Goode wine. A couple of weeks ago, as documented here, I was able to sample this particular selection from the winery and my wife and I both enjoyed it. Seeing as I knew where to get it cheaper than that day, I held off on the purchase.

For me, Zinfandel is a classic American grape that is much maligned because of White Zinfandel. White Zin, in current form, is an accident that launched a fad, which while fading, is nowhere near dead. In the 1970s, Sutter Home Winery was producing Zinfandel wine that sold as a premium product. To make the wine richer and more concentrated in flavor, they would use a technique called Saignée, or bleeding the vats. The remaining must (from the Latin vinum mustum, “young wine”) now has less liquid, meaning the skins will impart a deeper concentration of tannin and flavor to what is left behind. The juice which was bled off can be used to make rosé wine, which is what Sutter Home was doing.

The accident was a stuck fermentation. This happens when the yeast dies out before the little buggers finish eating all the sugar in the juice. That is their purpose in life, to eat sugar, produce alcohol (along with heat and CO2), so the next time you see walk by the yeast packets, just give ‘em a little bow. It is the least you can do to honor their sacrifice for our pleasure. Okay, so the winemaker sets aside the juice, comes back to it a few weeks later and BAM!, White Zinfandel as we know it is born. The wine with training wheels is much maligned by most wine geeks, but you have to give credit where credit is due. First, if not for the popularity of White Zinfandel, many plantings of what are now called Old Vine would have been ripped up and re-planted with something else. Old Vine Zinfandel fans should be grateful. Second, White Zinfandel does get a lot of people into wine and eventually, many of them move on to other wines as they seek to expand their palate.

So, back to the wine at hand.

Price: $16.99 at Bottoms Up Beverages in Johns Creek.

This wine was decanted for about 2 hours and served in Riedel Vinum Zinfandel/Riesling/Chianti Glasses, which is what I use for most wines. It has juicy black berry aromas, but in no way does it smell raisiny or port-like as is often the case with California Zinfandel.

Once you actually drink it, you get what I’d say is a more refined, food-friendly Zinfandel that doesn’t overpower the food. It has some nice blackberry fruit flavors with a decent bit of spice and vanilla, but what I found really nice was the acidity. While the wine does weigh in at a typically palate-crushing 14.9% ABV, the balance of fruit and acidity kept it from bonking us into alcohol oblivion. It was an an above average wine that worked well with our sandwiches and was easy to drink.

We paired this with some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, which were being demoed at Whole Foods. First, you have to get the SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale Bread and if you don’t believe me, here is one other local blogger who dug it as well (plus he posted the cheese fondue recipe they were pushing). It just debuted this past Friday and I’ve got no idea how long they’ll keep making it, so get out there and get some now. If you like a hearty fall bread for pot roast, beef stew or just to have for breakfast, this is absolutely dynamite. If I could, I’d wear it as cologne.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ingredients

• SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale Bread (don’t forget to have them cut it for you!)
• Bacon (choose what you like, we just went with the store brand)
• English Seaside Cheddar (it was what they demonstration station used and we like it anyways)
• Sweet onion
• Tomatoes

Instructions

• Fry the bacon to a medium crisp & save a few tablespoons of the grease.
• Sautee the onions in the bacon grease until they are nice and carmelized (unless you like them crunchier).
• Slice the cheese and the tomatoes.
• Apply butter (or olive oil) to one side of each slice of bread.
• Assemble sandwiches: cheese, then bacon, finishing with the onions.
• Put sandwich into a pan over medium heat. Our bread was thickly sliced, so they had to cook longer and over lower heat to keep them from getting burnt (which I actually kinda like when it comes to grilled cheese).
• Flip and toast other side.
• Remove from heat, open sandwich and layer in tomato slices.
• Serve and enjoy!

You really taste every component, with the nutty, earthy flavors of the bread, the smoky salt of the bacon, the creamy tang and texture of the cheese with sweetness of onion and the acidity of the tomatoes lifting all the flavors. Of course, you can make whatever combination you like or just use the bread for cheese fondue as the other site listed. Me, I just like it toasted with some butter on it. Yum.

Oh yes, in honor of Hardy, the winner of Murphy-Goode’s contest, I’ll score this wine according to his system:

102.02
Pig Whistlin’ Dixie