2011 Murphy-Goode “Liar’s Dice” Zinfandel, Sonoma County: hearty, with black raspberry flavors, big, smooth tannins and a long finish; $21. Winery co-founder Tim Murphy conceived the wine over 20 years of breakfasts and games of “liar’s dice” at a farmer’s restaurant in Geyserville. It’s a dice game for two or more players requiring the ability to deceive and to detect an opponent’s deception.

Great blackberry and black raspberry nose and flavors with just a hint of oak. This wine leaves a great impression in the mouth and pairs very well with barbecued meat dishes.

Soft and sweet, with aromas and flavors of black cherries and black coffee).

Crafted from grapes grown in both the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys, Liar’s Dice Zinfandel offers the juicy, jammy side of Zin with a full-bodied palate and ripe aromas of blackberry, currants and black cherry. The winery suggests pairing Liar’s Dice with sweet and spicy meats like baby-back ribs or pulled-pork sandwiches. Liar’s Dice is a bluffing game made famous by Capt. Jack Sparrow in the Pirate’s of the Caribbean movies, arrrrgh!

A soft, simple but pretty wine, with slightly sweet, pie-filling cherry, raspberry, Dr. Pepper cola and baking spice flavors. Drink now.

Liar's Dice Zin blends wines from both Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley, the combination offering ripe black raspberry, currants, cherry and blackberry jam. Try this rich and fruity red for your final backyard cookout of the season. By the way, matey, Liar's Dice is the game played in Pirate's of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest where Will Turner plays the ghost for his soul. No such dire consequences await the wine drinker, although there is a variant of the game involving drinking when you lose...

Fresh, with aromas of dark fruit, earth and plenty of oak.

A blend of Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley fruit results in jamminess and well-rounded, soft tannins.

A tasty zin with aromas and flavors of raspberry, dried cherry, vanilla and spice. Approachable. Balanced.

Big, juicy, jammy red's full potential will be realized with rustic foods. Our wine of the week, Murphy-Goode 2007 Liar's Dice Zinfandel is big, juicy and jammy, with a warm sweetness buoyed by the heat and fat of nearly 15 percent alcohol. The wine's all black fruit and topsoil, with veins of black licorice and tannins that are broad and smooth in the middle and just a tad rough on the outermost edges of the palate. The wine's full potential will be reached with rustic foods, from a classic hamburger, meatloaf and spaghetti with meatballs to grilled pizzas and all manner of sausage, provided there is no chicken involved.

Purply red, with a spicy cinnamon nose, this wine has a sweet cherry flavor spiked with a sprig of mint. Not a lot of tannins, but the structure is there.

Sweet, jammy fruit redolent of blackberries and raspberries, rich texture and easy tannins. A great wine to serve with hamburgers, pulled pork, sausage and other grilled meats.

A vibrant version, with lively raspberry and pepper aromas and soft, supple black cherry and toasty vanilla flavors.

One reason why zinfandel is my favorite wine is that it's quite versatile with food (and especially compliments the barbecue and grilled foods popular this time of year). My tasting was dominated by Sonoma County 2006 Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice.

A jammy zinfandel. Notes of black cherry, herbs and spice. Snappy.

Smoky, ripe and juicy!

One reason why zinfandel is my favorite wine is that it's quite versatile with food (and especially compliments the barbecue and grilled foods popular this time of year). My tasting was dominated by Sonoma County 2005 Murphy-Goode Snake Eyes Ellis Ranch.

A zesty Zin, aromatic and vibrant with great tannin and structure. Nice fruit flavors, with notes of dill and toasty oak spice. Long finish.

An elegant Zin true to its varietal. lovely, ripe, jammy raspberry fruit. herbal note. Slightly short on the finish.

In a tasting of American Zinfandel between $20 and $50 from recent vintages, these were our favorites. 2003 Liars's Dice Zinfandel What a surprise; a real good food zin. All the right tastes with blueberries, pepper and earth, but a great deal of restraint and vibrant, food-friendly acidity. VERY GOOD

Andrew was enamored of the light body, the hint of orange peel and soft, grassy notes of the 2007 Murphy-Goode The Fumé, whose mere three months on French oak gave it the slightest toastiness.

Rich, ripe and complex, with tropical fruit; tart finish.

2003 Fume Blanc And here is a wonderfully scrubbed, lightly grassy, floral and very quietly oaky wine. It earns its spurs for energy, for its absolute purity of spirits and for its perfectly measured seasoning of grassy varietal character. Its priceworthiness is also to be noted.

2002 RESERVE FUME As this effort amply demonstrates, there are advantages to a bit of maturity....It's a lot of wine for the money.