Staff Picks January 2022

Posted on 6 January 2022
By Murphy's Wine Staff

Here's what the Murphy's Wine Team is drinking this month...

2018 Domiane Olivier Merlin Pouilly-Fuissé

Pouilly-Fuissé is the reason that we all look to the Mâconnais for mineral driven Chardonnay that speaks of place and history. The AOC was created in 1936 and still sits as the crown jewel of Southern Burgundy.

Olivier Merlin is a quiet giant in the Mâconnais. Crafting grand cru like wines in the boundaries of village expressions. Any white burgundy fan should grab a few to drink and a few to cellar. This Pouilly-Fuissé is crafted from a beautiful southeast-facing slope at 230-meters elevation. A quartz clay-limestone soil that speaks of rustic wet stone and bracing acidity (all of which are at the forefront of this vintage!). Raised 10 months in barrel (25% new).

This wine is a beauty and a reason to celebrate terroir driven wines!

Brian Pilliod

2019 Fitapreta 'A Touriga Vai Nua'

Take a moment and transport yourself to the sunny region of Alentejo, Portugal. Here you’ll find gorgeous beaches surrounded by steep rocky cliffs, gentle rolling hills sprinkled with cork, oak, or eucalyptus trees, and diverse, colorful architecture. Just add flavorful, well-spiced food and incredible wines and suddenly you’re in a culturally rich paradise!

Port is one of the most notable wines produced in Portugal. Of the five varietals used in Port production, Touriga Naçional is often deemed the jewel of Portuguese wine due to its deep color and robust flavor profile. Whereas Port is often fortified, sweet, luscious and oak aged, Fitapreta brings us a completely new expression of Touriga Naçional that is bright, juicy, plush and fresh.

A Touriga Vai Nua uses wild yeast fermentation, undergoes a partial carbonic maceration and is unoaked. All of these choices are made in the winery by Antonio Maçanita, who wants us all to experience Touriga like the winemakers do, before any processing. Hence the English translation, “The Touriga Goes Naked.”

Enjoy this aromatic libation with a slight chill and some charcuterie on a sunny day at the park. I promise, you will not be disappointed. Cheers!

Hannah Myers
Wine Shop Manager

2020 Monte Rio Cellars 'Skull' Red Blend

The spirit of “old California winemaking” is at the heart of Monte Rio Cellars, a project between famed winemaker Pax Mahle and his longtime friend, sommelier Patrick Cappiello. They work only with organically farmed, family-owned vineyards and keep the winemaking simple: whole cluster fermentation, native yeasts, neutral oak. The 2020 Skull Red is a blend of zinfandel, petite syrah, and mission. The wine undergoes carbonic maceration before being pressed into a mix of concrete and stainless tanks. Aging takes place over 10 months in neutral oak barrels. The result is a juicy red-fruited wine with notes of tobacco and tea. High-acid with a soft finish pair with pizza, burgers, or drink it by itself!

JR Smith
Wine Director