Like the winery itself, MJ Lords' special blending label, Zendagio, was born out of a culmination of inspired passion, intuition, and coincidence.
Playing on the word Zen, which refers to one's inner peace, and Adagio, the Italian musical term for a slow tempo, the name seemed a very natural choice as Jared reflected on the peaceful, zen-like progression of their first wine's development. It all began with a barrel of Zinfandel that Matt and Jared made together --- the barrel that started it all. Wanting to pursue his dream of making wine, Jared arranged to harvest some Zinfandel fruit himself. He and Matt picked the grapes by hand, then crushed, pressed, and fermented them to make their first barrel of wine. Noticing that it was lacking in some key areas of its flavor profile and depth, Jared decided to blend it with some other varietals they had produced in order to round out the wine's character. At the same time, he wanted to push the envelope by creating a blend using varietals that typically aren't mixed together.
After playing with a number of different combinations, he knew he had hit the mark when he tasted what was to become the first Zendagio. "After mixing these different varietals that usually aren't ever seen together in the same bottle," he explains, "we had a wine with just incredible layers of complexity --- it was just a beautiful wine!"
And how did the name come about? "I started thinking about how it all came together," he relates, "and it was a very peaceful journey. I started making the wine, and when it wasn't quite where I needed it to be, I didn't worry. The process in which the wine came together was very calm, patient, and mellow. I tasted the differences between each of the varietals that I had to work with, and I just slowly, meticulously pieced together flavors from each of them that really meshed together. Zendagio just sort of ended up being born, and with the wine's name, I wanted to represent the harmony that I had experienced during this entire process."
That process Jared refers to has itself become an MJ Lords specialty all its own. The quality of the wine that resulted from it led Matt and Jared to decide to use this same, patient handcrafting for the Zendagio label from here on out. And while it began with just one blend, they plan to use the Zendagio name and blending style to produce a series of unique, groundbreaking cuvees each year. The original Zendagio blend will of course be recreated year after year --- to not do so would be a crime. But they also look forward to surprising us all with other varietal combinations that will take our palates to new horizons, and this is only the beginning!
2005 Zendagio. The 2005 Zendagio is a unique blend of carefully selected wines designed to bring you a new experience in winedrinking. This blend combines 44% Syrah, 24% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% barbera to give you layers of smooth complexity. With flavors ranging from ripe cherry/raspberry to dark fruit and black licorice, this wine will go well with any meal. So sit back, meditate, take a sip, and then awaken to the Zendagio experience!
Pricing Per Bottle (750 ml). Mixed cases available.
Shipping and Sales Tax included.
Minimum purchase of any three bottles
