The Desert Wine Guy - 2016 Murphy Goode - Red Wine

   The other day I was in my local Supermarket and came across the 2017 Murphy-Goode, Sauvignon Blanc which cost me $12. I reviewed the wine the same day I bought it and I really enjoyed it. Today I went to the same Supermarket and noticed that all of the Murphy-Goode wines were on sale as the tag said "buy 1, get 1 free". That would make each bottle $6 a piece and I couldn't resist that offer, so here we are.
   Today's wine up for review is the 2016 Murphy-Goode, Red Wine and i'll start off by telling you that this is a blend of six different red varietals which are 34% Zinfandel, 27% Merlot, 16% Petite Sirah, 13% Petit Verdot, 6% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. That's crazy huh? Finishing this section up, the wine comes in at 13.5% Alcohol and is sealed with a Screw Cap.
   Let's go ahead now and learn a little bit about the Murphy Good Winery (https://www.murphygoodewinery.com/wine). Back in 1985 three friends who all loved wine decided they were going to put their money together and form a winery, the Murphy-Goode Winery. Two of those guys, Tim Murphy, who is actually considered the "Father" of Sauvignon Blanc in Sonoma County, and Dale Goode, were the actual grape growers of the trio and the third, Dave Ready, was the marketer of the team. Today, Daves sons are the winemakers for Murphy-Goode, and Tim Murphy's three sons oversee the vineyard operations.
   Let's now for a second go ahead and look at the label and see what I think about it. Looking at this label I for some strange reason think of a Bourbon or whisky bottle. Perhaps this is because of the Fonts used, I don't know. I also like how it seems that the label is broken into segments as well. Overall, my impression of the label is it is simply, okay and nothing special.

Murphy-Goode Founders - Tim-Murphy,Dale-Goode,David-Ready

   So as I pour this red blend into my glass I am looking at a wine that is a fairly dark Burgundy in color. The very edges appear to be the only difference as they are clear. Now when I say edge, I mean there just barely is an edge as it seems that Burgundy color seems to almost have throughout the entire wine. I am liking the way this wine looks guys, it is rather impressive in its appearance.
   As I move to the Bouquet of this wine I am getting a deep note of both Black Cherry & Cola with both coming softly up from the bottom of my glass. These notes are also giving off a rather nice perceived sense of some depth to this wine. Now, whether or not that will turn out to be a reality remains to be seen. A Cedar note is also coming on strong here and along with the other notes brings a great sense of warmth on the Nose but not an alcohol warmth. I would be remiss if I didn't mention a Black Plum Note to add to this wines ever so satisfying and rich Nose presentation. On the very back-end of the Bouquet is a note of Cocoa that I wish there was a tad bit more of. All in all I have to say that this wine is showing off a Bouquet way above its price tag folks. As for 'Legs" on this wine, there weren't many but the ones that are present are slow dripping.
   Alright now, so I have been tasting this wine as I went along here and I actually want to just cut to the chase so to speak and tell you my conclusion and what I overall think about the wine right now but, I will restrain myself. Let me begin by letting you know about the bit of Oak and a touch of Cinnamon that I am picking up. These two Notes both combine together very nicely in general and present a bit of richness on the Palate. The Cinnamon Note also however does also bring along with it a touch of sweetness which does unfortunately expand a bit as the wine sits in the glass. I will talk more about this sweetness later on. Aside from that drawback, this richness also helps in presenting the wine as a rather nicely done, slightly rich, oaked, powerhouse of a red wine. Adding to this are Notes of both Mullein & Black spice which joins in for the fun to help add to the wine an earthy Palate feel which is overall delicious.

Murphy Goode - Winemaker -  Dave Ready Jr.

Thankfully, I am not getting any fruit forwardness here in the wine but do keep in mind that there is a bit of sweetness that some may confuse for it. Now please note that I differentiated between what in my opinion is the nasty taste of a fruit forward wine and the ultra controlled release of some sweetness in a wine as there is a difference. As for Tannin's, there are none but that is okay as this wine doesn't require them in order to offer up a big mouthfeel and the wine is more than capable of sanding on its own without them. As I move on now, I wonder if you have ever tasted a Bing Cherry. For those of you who grew up with this fruit as I did when I was a kid in Brooklyn, you will find this wine to have an identifiable taste, that being of Bing Cherry. This note comes into play just before Mid-Palate and is ever present afterwards as it thankfully doesn't just fade away. This wine also manages to presents a good bit of acidity as well which adds some explosiveness on the Palate as well as a moderate mouth watering  bit of juiciness that I for one certainly appreciated and enjoyed. Do you guys like a wine that showcases a medium note of ripe Blueberry? If you do, your in luck as the Blueberry presents a softness along with it and seems to work together with that Cinnamon I mentioned previously for the benefit of the wine. Well guys, I do believe that I am done with this review as I have some wine to enjoy and so it is time to get to the conclusion section. I will see you there.

Murphy-Goode, Winery

   As I begin this conclusion paragraph I will start off by addressing that bit of sweetness in the wine that  promised I would. One of the only real drawbacks to this wine comes from that sweetness presented. At first the Palate exposure to the sweetness is perfect as it is not offensive but as the wine opens a bit it does become somewhat of a challenge to overlook it and I simply couldn't. Having said this, I have to tell you something else about sweetness in my red wines. I normally am not a big lover of sweetness in my reds and I am pretty sensitive to it. If you happen to be less sensitive to the note of sweetness in your red wines then you may consider this to be a blockbuster wine. In actuality though, I believe people who have either preference will still overall enjoy this wine as much as I did. Doing my research on this wine I have found read that a lot of people have commented that this is a "very easy drinking wine" but I must disagree, this wine is not for the person who wants an average red wine to pass the time or enjoy at the pool. Go ahead, don't listen to me, serve this wine to your non red wine savy friends and see the reaction you get but don't say I didn't warn you. This wine is just a bit too much "in your face" to please the average non Palate educated drinker. Between the acidity and the influence of the other Notes, this wine is slightly above your average daily drinker Guys, this wine took me by complete surprise and I enjoyed it. On The Desert wine Guy rating scale, I give this wine 92 points but it may have scored higher if not for the bit of sweetness that prohibited further elevation. I am glad that I have another bottle on hand to enjoy as I did get one free. Would I recommend that this wine end up in a wine cellar, certainly not but I do think that it should be kept on hand for a good time.

                                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy

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