Reviews & Ratings

2011 Andrew Murray Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French) "Watch Hill Vineyard"

Winery: Andrew Murray

Vintage: 2011

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Watch Hill Vineyard"

Wine Category: Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French)

Grape blend: 97% Syrah & 3% Viognier

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Santa Barbara County

State or country: CA

Price: $30

Cases produced: 220

KWG Score: 89.6 (based on 3 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)

Review date: April 12, 2013

Wine Review: This opaque and midnight blue colored Syrah from Andrew Murray is a big fruit bomb. It opens with a boysenberry and black raspberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, slightly acidic and very juicy. The flavor profile is a ripe boysenberry with notes of black currant. I also detected some blackberry mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors are nicely prolonged. This wine would pair well with beef bourguignon. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: This results in a very full-bodied Syrah that is refreshing, rather than heavy or cloying. This vineyard has become a staple in our Single Vineyard Series of wines, showing itself as a standout wine with unique vineyard driven qualities of dark red fruits (raspberries galore) and a rich, spicy note of forest floor. Yields are always ruinously low (1 to 2 tons per acre) which greatly benefits the concentration and color in this wine. As is usual for this wine, we added in about 3% Viognier as a co-fermentation, which has resulted in a darker wine with beautiful, floral aromatics.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Andrew Murray 2011 Watch Hill Syrah.