MacMurray Ranch Wines

Do you remember Fred MacMurray? He was the star of a television classic, My Three Sons which ran from 1960 to 1972. He was also a top Hollywood personality before the TV series starring in many first class movies. While many of us know of his carrier, very few of us know that he was also a wine grape grower and vintner. While Fred is no longer with us, the vineyard and winery he establishes is still in existence and still producing first class wines.

Taking a hint from the French, MacMurray established a vineyard in an area which he believed would closely emulate the climate and soil of Burgundy and specialized in the grape varieties of that area, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. While the grapes from the Fred MacMurray Winery are of the Burgundy type, the wines are about as true California as one can get.

MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($27). If you have read our columns for any length of time you must know that we are pinot noir lovers and take the variety very seriously. We will tell you that we think this is a gem. The MacMurray Ranch winemakers have brought the best out of this very difficult to work with grape. Where most winemakers struggle with this grape they have made it a star of the MacMurray Ranch. The traditional aromas of cherries and rose petals that are the signature of wines made from the Pinot Noir are prominent, but they are overshadowed by powerful aroma of cranberries. The cranberry aroma carries over to the flavor where it mingles with cherry and plum. The background of this wine proves to be just as interesting, displaying the flavors of cinnamon, clove, dark chocolate, oak and vanilla. The finish, an area where many of the other pinot noirs fall apart, is exceptionally long and very, very fruity. Take our word for it; this is one of the better pinot noir wines to come from California in a long time.

MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast 2010 Pinot Gris ($20). Pinot Gris, or as it is known in Italy, Pinot Grigio, is a white wine that is finding great popularity with the wine lovers of the United States. This very delightful MacMurray version of the Pinot Gris displays a very pale golden color and a rich aroma of citrus, honeysuckle, apple, pear and a hint of white nectarine. The flavor abounds with the sensation of pear and melon which carry over to the finish which is long, fruity and complex. A very noticeable feature of this wine is its effective, although restrained acid level. All too often a Pinot Gris will drown all of its attributes with an extenuated fruit acid level. This is not the case with the MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Gris. This delightful wine can accompany most of our summer foods, is a stand out with seafood and shell fish as well as serving as a great aperitif.

MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast 2009 Chardonnay ($20). Chardonnay, is Chardonnay, is Chardonnay and with all of the Chardonnay around they can get a bit boring. This wine strays from the rest of the pack by centering its interest on the true fruit flavors of the grape. How the winemakers do it is not as important as the results of what they do; adding new depth of flavors to an all too familiar wine. The MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast 2009 Chardonnay has a medium body and an abundance of aroma and flavor. The aroma and flavor seem to meet and concentrate on fig and pear with a scrumptious oak and a mineral element in the flavor which is derived from the soil and is passed onto the wine. All in all, it is a very elegant chardonnay that can easily rival the best from any region in California. All of these wines may not be the easiest to find but the search will be well worth it.