Last Friday was my first visit to the Murphy-Goode tasting room in beautiful downtown Healdsburg.  I had an awesome experience as I finally got to taste all their exclusive blends.  These popular wines such as the “Snake Eyes” Zinfandel, “All In” Claret and Petite Verdot have been taunting me from the MG website for weeks on end.

I was also very lucky to have Bill Reid as my tasting room expert to school me on the history behind each and every wine.  My goal was to taste them all and decide which would make the perfect pairing at Zinsvalley Restaurant.

Sweet Reds

I love the “Liars Dice” and “Snake Eyes” because both make an excellent pairing with BBQ.  The “Liar’s Dice” is very fruit forward and sweet while the “Snake Eyes” is peppery with a toasty oak finish.  I think the choice between these two would really depend on the sweetness level of your BBQ sauce of choice.

Juicy Reds

The “Terra A Lago” is a very big, round, juicy, dark fruit Cabernet with a nice balance of tannins to open your palate.  I can see myself having this with a Rib Eye steak and a baked potato.  The “All In” Claret is another amazing red, lighter in color but has a big bite to it on the tip of the tongue.   I would recommend this with a steak salad with a light blue cheese crumble.

Petite Verdot (Oh My God!)

My heart skipped a beat after that first big hearty whiff and for a brief moment, I was at peace with the world.  There was no way to hide the expression of joy on my face.  I spent the next few minutes smelling the wine before taking that first sip… and then… I was speechless.  This juicy wine was full of big tannins that rocked my palate with a rich cherry flavor.  After catching my breath I looked Bill in eye and said…

“There’s a party in my mouth and everyones invited!”

I left the tasting room confident in my selection.  That evening I met up with Chef Greg Johnson at Zinsvalley Restaurant and told him about the Petite Verdot.  He nodded his head with a huge smile.  I think we have a winner.