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Hillside and bench-land vineyards on the eastern slope of the Alexander Valley create a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with soft texture and rich flavors. Small lots of Merlot and Petit Verdot are blended from time to time for added complexity. Layers of sweet black fruit and spice are the distinguishing feature of our Cabernet.

This wine is barrel fermented in the traditional white wine Murphy-Goode combination of French and American oak barrels. A varying percentage of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation to add a slightly rounder texture while still preserving the fresh Chardonnay fruit characteristics. The apricot and pear aromas and flavors of this clean, fresh Chardonnay are highlighted with just the right hint of oak.

The three varietals used to produce this wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot) are grown in the Alexander Valley where the flavor profile of these grapes lend a lush black-fruit backbone. Wild Card is an apt description for this “Bordeaux varietal blend” as the term allows us the flexibility to “play” each varietal as we choose in creating a “winning hand”.

Known as "The Deuce," FumÉ II starts with all estate grapes from special blocks along the Russian River and features a large percentage of Sauvignon MusquÉ with its tropical notes and spice. All the wine is barrel fermented in 100 percent new French oak and undergoes malolactic. A rich, powerful wine showing orange, mango and honey with sweet toasty oak.

This is our most vineyard driven wine. The Murphy family farm and manage the fruit to develop tropical and melon-like flavors rather than the green herbaceousness often associated with the variety. Winemaker David Ready Jr. cold ferments the majority of the wine to heighten the bright fruit characteristics while fermenting a small percentage in barrel to add richness and texture. This results in a crisp wine with notes of ripe grapefruit, tropical fruit and fig.

The Deuce begins with estate fruit from selected vineyard blocks located on the banks of the Russian River and features a complementary high percentage of Sauvignon Musqué from the estate. The wine is fermented in 100 percent new French oak barrels and undergoes malolactic fermentation. The Deuce is a rich concentrated wine that Dave Ready Sr. describes as “a red wine drinker’s white wine”.

We achieve considerable complexity of aroma and depth of flavor in this Alexander Valley Merlot through selection from several different vineyard sources. The steep hillside estates of Murphy Ranch and Robert Young Vineyards, in the heart of Alexander Valley provide the wine’s core of black fruit components, while vineyards on the bench-land in the southern part of the Alexander Valley add spice and further complexity.

Minnesota is home not only to our partner, Dave Ready Sr., but also to high quality American white oak forests. The barrels used to ferment and age this richly flavored Chardonnay are from this white oak, air-dried for two years at the Staggemeyer Stave Co. in Caledonia, Minnesota. These barrels are a perfect match for the sweet citrus and spiced pear flavors of this luscious Chardonnay, “you betcha!”

We planted four acres of Petit Verdot with the intent to use it exclusively for blending purposes with our Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot programs. During our blending trials of Bordeaux varietals, we tasted numerous blends and were captivated by the Petit Verdot and decided to not only use it for blending with the Cabernet and Merlot, but to produce a wine with Petit Verdot as the principal variety. Blended with a percentage of Merlot, this wine displays expressive black aromas that carry through the broad, succulent palate.

Jim and Kathy Murphy grow Pinot Noir on four acres on the west bank of the Russian River. This small block is planted to five different clones and is pruned, manicured and cluster-thinned by Jim himself. Jim’s feeling is that it is the unique location of J&K Vineyard that allow the vines to draw from their environment with only minimal agricultural manipulation. This richly balanced Pinot Noir shows concentrated flavors of exotic spice, ripe black cherry and currant, accentuated by sweet lingering oak.

Our highest elevation vineyard and the topmost block of Cabernet Sauvignon provide our richest and most concentrated fruit, and the grapes for Brenda Block Cabernet. Dense and ripe, Brenda Block shows complex fruit notes of cassis, blackberry and black cherry and cocoa-like tannin with added flavors from barrel aging in new and seasoned French and American oak.

Island Block is our estate Chardonnay vineyard located on the banks of the Russian River. Its gravelly bench-land soils in combination with the river’s cooling influence make for a distinctive style of fruit that define Island Block Estate Chardonnay. Packed with concentrated fruit flavors, this Chardonnay demonstrates the intensity that results from mindful farming and creative winemaking techniques.

David Jr. selects special lots of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musqué from our estate vineyards in Alexander Valley for this wine. The Musqué clone contributes rich tangerine flavors and viscosity to this fully-fruited wine. Depending on the vintage, varying percentages of the wine undergo malolactic fermentation to lend touches of honey and vanilla to complement the fruit flavors of pear, white peach and passion fruit. Reserve Fumé is barrel fermented for 8 months to deliver a high intensity wine with a long, memorable finish.

This is a special wine from Merlot grown on a small hillside block by our neighbor and friend, Robert Young. This west-facing hillside, contiguous to the Murphy Ranch vineyards that yield Brenda Block and Sarah Block, produce such an intensely flavored, richly textured wine that we felt that it screamed to be bottled as a separate lot.

Winemaker David Ready Jr. and his staff award the designation Snake Eyes to the vineyard that produces the very best lot of Zinfandel from each vintage. The criteria for Snake Eyes demand a unique combination of power and balance forming a concentrated palate of sweet black fruit, cocoa and spice.

Our red wines display pure berry flavors. The rich core of fruit evident in each varietal offers immediate enjoyment and also promises several years of bottle age.

The late Tim Murphy was the architect of our Zinfandel program in a plan conceived over 20 years of breakfasts and “liar’s dice” games at Mickey’s Café in Geyserville. Tim’s circle of friends at these early morning meetings are some of the finest Zin growers in Sonoma County and now are the fruit source for Liar’s Dice Zinfandel. Dense black cherry, raspberry jam, and currant notes are brought together in layers with sweet vanilla oak.