Playful Side Winemaking: Jennie's Oxlee Graham Wine Pt. 4
Join us for a delightful conversation with Jennie Murphy, the creative winemaker behind Oxlee Graham Wines, as she shares her unique approach to winemaking that beautifully blends science and artistry. Jennie discusses her journey from aspiring forensic scientist to a passionate wine producer, emphasizing the creative freedom of crafting wines that vary year by year, reflecting the distinct characteristics of each vintage. The episode also explores her vineyard partnerships in Sonoma County and Mendocino, highlighting her preference for family-owned operations that share her commitment to quality and sustainability. As Jennie reveals her favorite wine pairing for the podcast, listeners will discover her exquisite white blend, perfect for enjoying during a light-hearted discussion. Tune in for insights into the world of winemaking, where creativity thrives and every bottle tells a story.
Your Host: Forrest Kelly is an experienced Radio/TV broadcaster who has interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, from Garth Brooks to Kevin Costner. A lover of wine who is fascinated by the science behind it.
Voted One of The Best Travel, Top 5 Minute, and Top Wine Podcasts.
Takeaways:
- Winemaking balances both creativity and scientific precision, fulfilling diverse personal passions for Jennie Murphy.
- Small wineries like Oxlee Graham allow for unique wine variations each year, enhancing creativity in winemaking.
- Jennie Murphy emphasizes the importance of working with family-owned vineyards for sustainable practices.
- Choosing cool climate and hillside vineyards leads to exceptional varietals like Pinot Noir and Albarino.
- Creative aspects of winemaking include marketing, unique labels, and developing exceptional wine blends.
- Alder Springs Vineyard's Chenin Blanc and Pic Pour Blanc make a perfect pairing for podcast enjoyment.
Forrest Kelly
Welcome. Welcome to The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Forrest Kelly
Podcast with Forest Kelly, owner and winemaker Jennie Murphy of Oxlee Graham Wine.
Jennie Murphy
Yeah, I definitely have that creative side that I think winemaking really kind of fulfills both my nerdy science side and my creative side. The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Doug Vincent
No. Can I ask you this?
So it sounds like between Corbel and the other winery, you have a science side to you that you want to go into forensics, but you obviously have a creative side. Wasn't being fulfilled. So I think both those things are being fulfilled with your winery.
Jennie Murphy
Yeah.
Doug Vincent
And I don't.
I don't mean any disrespect when I say this to Corbel, but it's, you know, in your description, it kind of sounds like they're the McDonald's of wine. You know, they're trying to make it precise because that's one of the things that I think is the success of McDonald's.
You can go into a McDonald's in California or one in New York, and you're getting the same product because it's the process. But with you, you don't seem to mind if you're even the same. Wine comes out a little different each year.
Jennie Murphy
That is, I think the smaller wineries, that tends to be that it's a little bit easier to make wine that way, but it is more creative and more fun because you don't have sort of that, you know, what you're kind of trying for. Every year doesn't have to be the same. It can be better, it can be different. It can.
You can kind of grow as you figure out how the vineyard likes to perform and what barrels work well with it. And so I think there's always these incremental improvements you can make every year, which is really exciting as a winemaker.
But yeah, I definitely have that creative side that I think winemaking really kind of fulfills both my nerdy science side and my creative side. But I actually almost double majored in college and drama and chemistry, but I couldn't fit all the, all the lab time in, so I had to.
Jennie Murphy
Truth comes out.
Jennie Murphy
Yeah. So. And I went to performing arts high school and where I grew up in San Jose. So there's definitely that creative side to me that I like.
All of that marketing and the labels and the package and, you know, just coming up with unique wines that I think are really exceptional.
Forrest Kelly
Tell us where you are in California.
Jennie Murphy
So I make the wines in Sonoma County, California. Santa Rosa is where the winery.
I'm currently in the motion of Moving my production from Sebastopol to Santa Rosa, but it's all in Sonoma county, and that's wine country.
Forrest Kelly
Just what is it south of wine country?
Jennie Murphy
It is the heart of Sonoma county wine country. It is just to the west of Napa.
Forrest Kelly
And then your vineyards that you work with, who are they?
Jennie Murphy
So I work with up in Mendocino, I work with Alder Springs vineyard, which is pretty well known, and there's a lot of producers making wine from there. They grow so many different varietals. Stu, the owner, is just.
He is a perfectionist, and his fruit is great and his team is great, so it's really fun working with them. In Sonoma County, I have a few different vineyards. I have one in the Petaluma Gap region called Gaps View.
One in Russian River Valley Occidental area called Tenuda Ridge, where both of those are Pinot Noir. And the Albarino vineyard is also in Russian river, kind of in Windsor area.
The other Sonoma county vineyard is Fountain Grove District McCoy Vineyard, which is where the Petit Bordeaux comes from. And then the furthest south vineyard is my Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard galley, which grows Pinot Noir.
Forrest Kelly
Okay, perfect. Yeah. I was just looking at the website and the pictures of the vineyards, which kind of surprised me that they were actually on hills.
Jennie Murphy
Yes. I like cool climate, so that's kind of one of the things I look for when I'm looking for a new site.
Some of the different varietals, like Albarino, I have less choice. But I really was lucky to find Russian river because it's a lot cooler than a lot of places that varietal has grown. But I like cool climate.
I like hillsides. So it's really fun to kind of scout vineyards, and I'm choosing vineyard partners.
Most of them are family owned, smaller, kind of run vineyards that you can really get to know the people that are farming it and, you know, know that they're doing right by the land and. And the people that they have helping.
Jennie Murphy
Right. And it's a little easier because they're family owned. A little easier to align with what your vision is with theirs. And.
Forrest Kelly
Yes.
Jennie Murphy
Yeah. Don't have to go through corporate loopholes. Go ahead, Doug.
Doug Vincent
Yeah, I was just curious. What wine pairs well? The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Forrest Kelly
What wine I should be drinking while I'm doing The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Jennie Murphy
Correct. Do you have a suggestion?
Jennie Murphy
I would drink my white blend. I have a beautiful white blend from Alder Springs Vineyard. That's Chenin Blanc and Pic Pour Blanc.
And it's just a really fun middle of the day wine to kind of enjoy your podcast.
Forrest Kelly
Good answer. So she's saying that we also align with fish. Doug.
Doug Vincent
That's right.
Forrest Kelly
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Jennie Murphy
Owner
After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in Chemistry, Jennie had plans to go in to forensics. Due to a bad economy when she graduated, she had to find a plan B and so took an internship at Korbel Champagne Cellars. She was immediately taken with how winemaking melded art, science, nature and humanity together - she was hooked. Her next opportunity came in the form of an Enologist position at Paul Hobbs Winery, where she was tasked with updating the lab protocols and instruments. As she grew from lab to winemaking roles, she absorbed every lesson and focused on every detail. It was an amazing opportunity to work with world class vineyards and craft multiple wines that garnered 100-point scores from critics. She departed from her role as Director of Winemaking for Paul Hobbs in 2022, after a twelve-year career with the winery, in order to focus on the OG Oxlee Graham Wines. The new label focuses on winemaking areas that exemplify a creative and individualistic spirit.
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