BC Liquor Stores recently did a release of new vintages of California wines, but many were in the higher part of the pricing tier. In case you want to enjoy California wines at a lower price point, I have two wines from Murphy-Goode Winery, their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both 2019 vintages. Whenever I review wines, I taste them twice. Once upon opening the bottle, just like many people do when they want to enjoy a glass of wine. I also do a second tasting after a decant overnight. But sometimes you can’t enjoy the wine after the one-day decant. That is what happened to me with these two wines. The wines had a two-day decant, and I am impressed at how nicely the wines tasted. Let me tell you about them.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Murphy-Goode Winery Chardonnay 2019 (BC$20.99)
Appearance: A bright clear medium-plus intensity lemon colour.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas primarily pineapple, but with lesser amounts of vegetal, pears, oak, vanilla and butterscotch. The butterscotch aroma became stronger and the pineapple aroma became lighter with decanting.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body, very round thick and smooth mouth feel. Viscous texture. Mostly pineapple on the palate, along with butterscotch, pears and vanilla. Light oak and pepperiness. A lighter, less viscous mouthfeel with decanting; more lean mouthfeel. The pepperiness bumped up a bit.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with pineapple, butterscotch, and light pepperiness. Thick mouthfeel to the finish. A lighter mouthfeel on the finish with decanting.
I think the decanting lightened up this wine a bit and gave it a more elegant mouthfeel.
Rating: 
– 
An oaked Chardonnay with characteristic pineapple and butterscotch aromas and flavours. Decanting lightens up the mouthfeel so not quite as thick and viscous. It is dry with medium acidity and a touch of oak on the palate. Easy to enjoy.
Murphy-Goode Winery Pinot Noir 2019 (BC $28.99)
Appearance: A medium, clear garnet colour. 50% opaque. Translucent to the core.
Nose: Lighter intensity aromas with earthiness, smokiness, plus red fruits. There were more red berry scents plus a touch of sweet spices after decanting and less earthy/smoky aromas.
Palate: Dryish, with a round smooth, thicker mouthfeel. Medium acidity, and very light, fine-grained tannins. Floral, red cherries, red berries and a touch of candied cherry flavours. Add raspberry and plum flavours plus a touch of oak after decanting. The tannins also were stronger in intensity.
Finish: Medium length finishing with light pepperiness and a touch of sweet spices along with the floral, red berries and red fruit flavours. Almost no tannins. Add plums and raspberry flavours plus firmer tannins on the finish with decanting.
I preferred the decanted version as the earthy/smoky component on the nose decreased, plus you get more red berries on the nose plus raspberries and plum flavours on the palate.
Rating: – with decanting. This wine has a medium-intensity translucent garnet colour. Red fruit aromas plus some earthiness and smokiness if you drink without decanting. Dryish, with a smooth mouthfeel and light tannins. Red berries, cherries, raspberries and plum flavours with a decant.
I also tasted these two wines, same vintage, in August 2022. How did the wines change in the bottle over the last 10 months? You can read my August 2022 review here.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
Both wines are available through BC Liquor stores:
These wines are also available at Everything Wine stores.
The post Decanting Murphy-Goode Winery Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 2019 appeared first on MyWinePal.
