I think and talk constantly about what makes a wine good. For a person whose wine life intersects the commercial, critical, and consumer spheres, a glass of juice is almost never just a glass of juice.
But what if, once in a while, it could be? What if the little voice that’s always yammering on about typicity and QPR and tasting grids could take the night off and yield to the little voice that says, “Mmmm, booze and fruit”? And what if Merlot could help this to happen?
Merlot can be nuanced, well-built, wild, and multifaceted. It can surprise and amaze–and yet, it rarely disappoints. So I’m not trying to diminish its power when I say that Merlot is also a reliably pleasurable grape.
It’s Wednesday night at the wine bar. I grab the Murphy Goode California Merlot from the shelf and untwist the screwcap.
This closure isn’t compatible with our wine preservation system, so I’m going to do my best to sell the rest of this bottle tonight. The back label says it tastes of berries, plums, and chocolate. That’s good. Most people like those things.
It’s abundantly fruity, with the berries, plums, and chocolate exactly where they said they would be. There’s fresh mint on the nose. The magenta color is gem-like. There’s toasted oak, and the earthy snap of a thyme sprig.
The wine is not as thick as cream, nor as sparse as milk. It dries every corner of the mouth, then refreshes it with a mouthwatering cherry flavor laced with caramel.
Would my Cabernet drinkers accept this wine? I bet they might. It offers plenty of structure without the whole ascetic ritual of sucking down a too-young Cab.
I like the wine. It sells for under $9 a glass. I pour it for a couple of people, and they like it, too. I think about spiked hot chocolate and cold Coca-Cola and fresh-squeezed orange juice and all the other beverages that you don’t need a tasting note to enjoy.
The Wine Nerd voice says that there is a slightly reductive sulfur note that keeps the aroma profile from being ideal. It quibbles about a palate mismatch in the wine, a discontinuity between the warm invitation of its nose and the stern posture of its tannins.
But there is probably a time in the past when I wouldn’t notice those details. And maybe a time–maybe the present, in fact–where I just don’t care.
Bottle: Murphy Goode California Merlot (2023) – United States
Variety: Merlot
ABV: 13.5%
Suggested retail: $15
My rating: 8.4 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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