April winners Bill and Joyce Marshall
April winners Bill and Joyce Marshall
Darlene Lamb
Tuesday, April 19, brought good friends together at the home of Bill and Joyce Marshall. Zinfandels were the theme for the evening. Several members were away this month, and while it was a smaller group than usual a good time was had by those of us attending. Three very good Zinfandels, all from California, were tasted and the results were as follows:
Third place was a 2013 Joel Gott from Napa County brought by Chuck and Diane Miller. This Zinfandel has aromas of roasted plum and black cherries with notes of vanilla and spice. On the palate, rich fruit flavors and sweet tannins are followed by a delicate, balanced finish. This Zinfandel pairs well with beef, lamb and goat cheese.
Second place was a 2014 Mad Duck from Lodi, CA brought by Frank and Nancy Fresheim. Lodi is home to some of the oldest Zinfandel vineyards in CA. This area, known for warm growing days and cool nights, makes for great grapes, thus delicious wine. This wine has a spicy, unhinged intensity with lingering ripe blackberry notes that pair well with….you guessed it – duck.
And our winner was a 2012 “Liar’s Dice” from the Murphy-Goode Vineyards in Sonoma County served by Bill and Joyce Marshall. The story tells that this Zinfandel all began over friendly games of Liar’s Dice amongst the founders of Murphy-Goode and some of the finest Zinfandel growers in Sonoma County. Today this Zinfandel is luscious with juicy notes of raspberries, currents and blackberry jam balanced by bold tannins and acidity. This wine is a surefire winner. And that’s no lie!