2005 Murphy Vineyards Meritage

Mission Codename: Generational

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Locate a World Exclusive Meritage wine, secure an ample quantity before it is released to the general public

Mission Status: Accomplished

Current Winery: Murphy Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2005 Meritage

Winemaker: Peter Murphy

Backgrounder: According to the US Meritage (rhymes with Heritage) Association, a red Meritage wine is made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, or Carmenere. The Wine Spies have sampled many great Meritage wines and we are proud to bring you one of the finest examples we have ever tasted. A beautiful blend of fruit from the Sierra Foothills (60%) and from Napa Valley (40%), this wine is brilliantly balanced and bright, with a great deal of character and food-friendly greatness. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below:

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Beautiful and deep ruby red, with deeply concentrated color out to the garnet edges. The wine shows perfect clarity through its deep heart. On swirling, the wine appears solid and dense, settling quickly and leaving behind chubby legs that move slowly down the glass

Smell – Dark and dusky mixed berries lead the charge, giving way to raspberry, cherry, soft spice, earthen oak and a hint smoky meat and the most delicate eucalyptus

Feel – Medium bodied and soft, the wine feels bright and light at first and then a moment later it settles in all around the mouth, gripping the back of the tongue at first, and then the edges and front

Taste – Brightly exciting and delicious with a big smoky juiciness – with flavors of smoky bright red cherry, blackberry, blueberry, soft spice and black pepper with earthen components that include cigar box and softest tomato stem

Finish – Long and bright and lush, the flavors morph and change as they gently tail off – ultimately finishing dry and tart and slightly smoky

Conclusion – This is a remarkable and deeply delicious wine! It just works on so many levels. This is a wine of nearly perfect balance, with bright flavors, aromas and acidity – but its also possesses depth. This is a big and juicy wine with character, great flavors and brilliant brightness. Its a fun wine with a serious side. Its bright acidity makes it a natural companion for a great meal. Of course, though, this wine has enough complexity and character to make it a really interesting and exciting wine to enjoy all on its own. Long story short, this wine gets a huge Wine spies recommendation.

Mission Report:

The following is a mission recap, which retells the story of how Agent Red first became acquainted with Murphy Vineyards. Please note that the recap below refer to a wine that we previously showed. Today’s wine is Murphy’s brilliant 2005 Meritage:

Seemingly a million different influences affect the life of a wine. Wines start in the vineyards and, almost magically, they end up in our glasses. Along the mystical route so many things can go right or wrong – and these things all determine whether we’ll love a wine or not. Forces at work also determine whether we’ll even get to ever see, smell, or even taste a wine that we desire. If a wine is too good, chances are most folks will miss out, due to frenzied demand for the wine.

Today, The Wine Spies are able to bring you a wine that is headed for such greatness. Today’s wine, a perfectly balanced 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Murphy Vineyards, is not as over-the-top as some Napa Cabs, but it is fantastic!

Where some Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon can have too much intensity of flavor, this wine finds harmonious balance of fruit, flavor and feel. Where big Napa Cab can be almost chewy, clumsy or overly heavy, this wine has poise and grace – without being too dainty.

When we first learned of this wine from a field asset who we’ll call Major Majors, we were interested. After Major Majors passed vetting, we conducted an investigation of Murphy Vineyards. The first thing of note was that Peter Murphy was a man of the vineyards. In our opinion, it is in the vineyards where great wine is really born. Without great care in tending and managing, vineyards can turn out grapes that make sub-par wines. Peter Murphy’s life has been focused on vineyard care first.

On closer inspection of Murphy Vineyards, we learned that Peter had enlisted the masterful winemaking skills of his long-time friend Art Finklestein. You know Art well from a previous mission to Judd’s Hill Winery in May when we sold out of Judd’s Hill wine that we featured.

The pairing of these two wine-crafting legends ensures that all Murphy Vineyards wines are great. Today’s wine is really great, and we hope that you have a chance to enjoy some.

Be sure to sign up for our Daily Dispatch. We are certain to feature great wines from Murphy Vineyards in the future.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Napa Valley vineyard, where the Cabernet Sauvignon in today’s wine was grown, can be seen in this satellite photo.

The location of the Sierra Foothills vineyard, where the Cabernet Franc in today’s wine was grown, can be seen in this satellite photo.