Andrew
Murray’s love affair with Rhone varietals started more than 20 years ago in the
Rhone Valley itself. Since that time he has gained much notoriety for his
ability to transform these wonderful grapes into some of the finest wine
available on the central coast. His
meticulous hands–on approach to all aspects of winemaking pay off year after
year. Not only has he received much praise from Robert Parker Jr., but in 2004
he was named “Tastemaker of the Year” by Food and Wine magazine.
The Andrew
Murray tasting room is slick and modern in its design. This nice change of pace
is accentuated by the highly trained staff who, visit after visit, continue to
educate me and others while gracefully dealing with the large number of people
who often mob this very popular tasting room. Because of its massive tasting
list of wines made by an award winning winemaker, I’m not surprised to see the
masses pouring in either.
06 Viognier,
Santa Ynez
Valley
Andrew Murray
purposefully blends together grapes from both warm and cool climates to produce
this crisp yet well rounded Viognier. Good floral
perfume qualities in the nose are followed by citrus acidity and a lingering
honey quality.
04 Enchanté
Enchanté is an estate blend of 60 percent Roussanne and 40 percent Marsanne.
Rhone whites are becoming more and more popular and I’m glad to see it. This
blend is full of complex summer fruit characteristics that are further
accentuated and rounded by the wines aging in oak barrels.
05 Oak
Savanna Vineyards Chardonnay
I like the
way this Chardonnay rises and falls on my palate. The nose is filled with
aromas of pear and subtle tropical fruit.
This is high acid and loaded with minerals, but, Andrew Murray has
expertly oaked the grapes leading to a full mouth feel without any butter.
06 Sanglier
Rosé
This Rosé is
a blend of 50 percent Carignan and 50 percent Cinsault. Cheers to Andrew Murray for breaking away from
the traditional Rosé varietals of the central coast! Crisp and refreshing with
an unbelievable watermelon component that is sure to please any Rosé
lover.
05 Oak Savanna Cellars Pinot Noir
La Encantada-grown grapes have created a very intense Pinot
Noir. Not for the faint-hearted, the aromatics of this wine include cola, soil,
and hay. Yes, it’s a little “barnyard,” but in no way repulsive. In fact the
balance between the earthy components and the dark fruit flavors was extremely
enjoyable to drink.
05 Syrah, Central Coast
Andrew Murray
has been making highly respected Syrah for quite a while now. However, the
problem with well made wine is that it can be quite expensive! For those who
prefer to spend a bit less on their bottles, this well made Syrah is a gem, and
there’s much more than the expected dark fruit. Fresh tobacco, spice rub and
little bit of smokiness add complexity that is rare in a wine at this price
point.
05 Espérance
Always a nice
blend, Espérance is a blend of 60 percent Grenache,
25 percent Syrah, and 15 percent Mourvedre. Andrew
Murray believes that this is one of their darkest bottlings
yet. Smooth and sexy tannins accompany bold fruit flavors and caramel toasty
notes.
04 Estate Syrah, Santa Ynez
Valley
This
hillside–grown Syrah presents good fruit flavors, but the highlight of this
wine is its earth, wood and classic Syrah black pepper notes. Thick and rich,
this one sticks around on the palate long enough to truly enjoy its complexity
and subtle hillside nuances.
05 Syrah,
Oak Savanna Vineyard
Unfortunately,
my pouring of this wine tasted quite tight.
My guess is that with a little time it will open up quite nicely and its
very apparent red fruit will be quite enjoyable. Andrew Murray plans to work
with the Oak Savanna vineyard much more in the future, and with time will
surely begin to create some very nice vineyard specific Syrah.
05 Syrah,
Brave Oak Vineyard
This Paso
Robles Syrah tastes like the heat that grew its grapes. As opposed to fresh
blackberries or plums, this wine has more of cooked fruit flavor to it.
Although that may not sound flattering, the extra ripeness of this wine is
somewhat appealing. It ends up being very easy for the palette to enjoy and
goes down oozing with fruit flavors, much like your favorite blueberry pie.
04 Oak Savanna One Thousand Hills
One Thousand
Hills is the name that the Spanish Colonials gave to this region when they
first arrived more than 200 years ago.
In homage to the Spanish, using a combination of Grenache, Syrah,
Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Murray has convinced these giants to team
up and create a very tannic but extremely balanced and well crafted product. I
couldn’t get over the combination of perfume, cocoa and spice in the aromatics
which combined forces to create a strong carob quality. I love it!
The Andrew
Murray tasting room is located at 2901 Grand Avenue, Suite A in Los Olivos. They’re open
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.