Reviews & Ratings

2008 Andrew Murray Red Blends or Varietals "Esperance"

Winery: Andrew Murray

Vintage: 2008

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Esperance"

Wine Category: Red Blends or Varietals

Grape blend: 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, & 15% Mourvedre

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Central Coast

State or country: CA

Price: $30

Cases produced: 400

KWG Score: 91.3 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (91)

Review date: March 18, 2012

Wine Review: This full throttle effort is an opaque and onyx colored red blend that opens with a moderate blackberry bouquet with notes of black pepper and a hint of musty barnyard. It is on the palate that this wine opens up and takes off with its juicy fruit flavors with rather elevated acidity. Those flavors are an oak influenced black currant and anise blend with notes of blackberry and black pepper. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins are a bit sticky and linger for some time. This wine is still a youngster and will certainly age well. In the near term, I would decant it as the wine does settle down and smooth out with some air. I would then try it with Mr. P's barbecue pulled pork. Enjoy this one. It will take you for a ride and then some. Cheers - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The 2008 Esperance is the fulfillment of a dream to produce a rich, red wine blend that rivals the famed wines of Gigondas, in the southern Rhone Valley, while retaining an Andrew Murray Vineyards 'house style'. This vintage was given a more serious winemaking regimen with more new oak. I also chose a bigger Syrah to blend in with the Grenache and Mourvedre, so the resulting wine is a bit more profound. I believe this is perhaps the best Esperance that we have ever released. All of the extra effort has yielded a rich, concentrated wine with aromas and flavors of ultra-ripe strawberries, black cherries, and blueberries, mixed in with the spiciness of cinnamon and vanilla from the toasty new French oak. We chose to close the bottle with the Stelvin ScrewCap to preserve the freshness and avoid 'off' flavors. It is a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre that is 100% delicious.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Andrew Murray 2008 Esperance.