Murphy-Goode Alexander Valley 2010 Claret, $13.50-$22.50, 85 points, begins in the glass as a dense purple/red with the emphasis on the red, and bordering the glass rim clear.
The aroma is not altogether bad, but there are petrol notes and a rare almost beetle-bug note as well; okay, I know, what the H*ll is a "beetle-bug note"? Well, as a kid I use to collect bugs, and if my memory serves me well, I get a hint of it here; for what it's worth. Yeah, there is some cedar and blackberry too.
The "All-In Claret" has a medium-plus body with good acidity and mild tannin (Very dry wine).
Flavors of black fruit are dominant, but there are hints of violets, licorice, and glycerol which carry onto the finish with a bit of heat (14.5% alcohol).
Index-of-reviewed-wines
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I've been a big fan of Murphy-Goode wines, but this one, not so much!
ReplyDeleteI've had quite a few Murphy-Goode wines over the years (admittedly, mostly Liar's Dice Zinfandel) and I can't say that I've ever been a big fan. I've generally found their wines to be lacking in fruit and suffering from excessive acidity.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to pretend to understand the "beetle bug" descriptor, but I love it! That might be as far-out a descriptor as I've ever encountered. You've raised the bar, buddy!
I went wine shopping today for the first time since last Christmas. Came home with a case of mixed white, pink and red wines, all under $15 and all new wines to me. (Well, I did buy one that I have had before, but it's been 6-7 years since I last tasted it.) So hopefully that will inspire me to start blogging again.
Bill, I think it was just a day or two ago I was wondering if your "New Year's Eve" kind of commitment to blog more ("I'll really try to do better.") would find you doing just that; at least your cogent commenting has returned.
DeleteNice to "see" you again:-)