Murphy-Goode Winery is a family-run winery from Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California. The winery was started in 1985 with 3 friends, Tim Murphy, Dale Goode, and Dave Ready. Dave Ready Jr. is the winemaker for the winery, while Tim and Dale are the viticulturalists. The wine labels are no-nonsense, letting you know what you are getting in each bottle. I like that. Today I tasted their Murphy-Goode California Chardonnay 2019 and their California Pinot Noir 2019.
Besides the wine, you may have heard about the winery because of their ‘A Really Goode Job’ Campaign for the last 2 years. The winery offered work at the winery, a US$10,000 per month salary, vineyard living rent-free for a year in Healdsburg, and a year’s supply of Murphy-Goode wine. The application for this year’s competition closed on June 30, 2022. I’m not sure if they will run the contest again next year, but if this sounds interesting to you, check out the winery’s website in the Spring next year.
Now, let me tell you about these two wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Murphy-Goode California Chardonnay 2019 (BC $19.99 on sale till Sept 3/22)
This Chardonnay is aged in 88% stainless steel tanks and 12% oak barrels. The winery recommends trying this wine with a spicy curry or a lighter seafood dish like pan-seared garlic shrimp.
Appearance: A bright clear deep lemon colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of pineapple, apple, pears and butterscotch. With air you also get honeysuckle. The aromas persist with decanting.
Palate: Dry, thick, smooth, and round with medium-plus body and flavour intensity. Buttery mouthfeel. Ripe pineapple and apple along with some citrus pith and a touch of toast and vanilla. The wine gets quite peppery on the mid-palate to the finish. The mouthfeel and flavours of this wine do not change much. You now get butterscotch on the palate and the pepperiness is a little lighter.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with pineapple, vanilla, oak, butterscotch and medium pepperiness. No change with decanting other than to add some butterscotch on the finish.
No major changes with decanting, so open and enjoy at your leisure.
Rating: 
A bright deep lemon colour. Medium evolving aromas of pineapple, pear, pear and butterscotch plus honeysuckle with air. Dry, fuller body, round with a thicker mouthfeel. Ripe pineapple along with apple citrus pith, and touches of toast and vanilla. There is some pepperiness to this wine, getting stronger toward the finish.
Murphy-Goode California Pinot Noir 2019 (BC $26.99 on sale till Sept 3/22)
The grapes for this wine come from select vineyards across California from Sonoma County to Santa Barbara. This wine is made from 96% Pinot Noir and 4% Syrah grapes. Six months ageing in French and American oak, with 3% being new barrels. They recommend serving this wine with cedar planked salmon or a pulled pork sandwich.
Appearance: A medium garnet colour translucent from rim to core.
Nose: Lighter aromas of bramble berries, smoke, coffee, and red berries to start and then with some air you get raspberries and floral. You get ripe raspberry aromas along with the bramble berries and red berries with decanting, but less smoke, coffee and floral.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body and flavour intensity. Smooth and round with lower acidity and tannins. Very floral flavour to start but it lessens with time in the glass. Bramble berries, red fruit, raspberries, red cherries, and touches of oak, coffee, and toast on the palate. Pepperiness from the mid-palate to the finish. The wine stays quite floral smooth and round after decanting. You also get cinnamon and nutmeg flavours along with the fruit flavours previously mentioned. The coffee flavour also transitioned to cocoa with decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with light tannins, tea leaves, bramble berries, medium pepperiness and light toast flavours. Bramble berries, toast and pepperiness with decanting, plus cocoa, sweet spices and red berries on the finish. No tea leaves.
A decent Pinot Noir. Unpretentious. You can enjoy it decanted or undecanted as the major aromas and flavours persist.
Rating: – 
A medium translucent garnet colour to the core. Lighter aromas of red berries, bramble berries, and hints of smoke and coffee. Raspberries and floral aromas with some air.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these two wines through BC Liquor stores. These wines are currently on sale at the BC Liquor stores. The Pinot Noir is currently available at select Everything Wine stores.
