Dave Ready

Hands-on cellar work set the foundation for Dave Ready’s progression at Murphy-Goode: harvest labor first, then the slower, more exacting responsibilities that come with moving wine through a winery. That sequence matters in trade terms. Once back, he moved into cellarmaster work until 1997, then into Assistant Winemaker from 1997–2001, and finally into the winemaker role in 2001. The arc reads as incremental, but it is the kind that is built on repetition, timing, and learning the cellar from the ground up.

A career built across harvest, cellar, and production gives Ready a practical view of what the vineyard asks for and when. His work is shaped by direct observation rather than theory: seasons in the field, responsibility in the cellar, and the discipline of matching ripeness to decision-making. That continuity across roles gives his winemaking its center, with Murphy-Goode and its estate context remaining the constant reference point.

Liar’s Dice, Murphy-Goode Zinfandels, and Mendocino County Zinfandel are the signatures named for Dave Ready. Read together, they point to a winemaker working comfortably across labels tied to Murphy-Goode and beyond it, with Zinfandel recurring as a useful marker of his range. In trade terms, the list suggests consistency with regional fruit and the ability to work a house style without losing sight of place.

Ready describes his own practice in terms of winery history, grape taste, and vineyard ripeness: "As a Murphy-Goode's winemaker, I have a fortunate advantage: our winery's history. I know the taste of the grapes; my direct experience tells me when the vineyard is at optimal ripeness." Murphy-Goode’s history also identifies Dave Ready as one of the winery’s three founders in 1985, alongside Tim Murphy and Dale Goode.

Murphy-Goode’s history also identifies Dave Ready as one of the winery’s three founders in 1985. Edmeades says he became chief winemaker in 2017. he became chief winemaker in 2017.