Andrew Murray Vineyards Esperance – Making The Excellent Seem Easy

60% Grenache Noir, 25% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre from Paso Robles and Santa Ynez Valley, Central Coast, California.

SRP of $25 and available for as low as $19.99. 600 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the winery:

“The 2011 Esperance is the fulfillment of a dream to produce a rich, red wine blend that rivals the famed wines of Gigondas, in the southern Rhône 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 Espérance 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.

15.0% Alcohol”

We’ve long been fans of Andrew Murray Vineyards here at The Reverse Wine Snob, so much so that their Tous Les Jours Syrah was once #1 on our Top 10 Reds list. It’s been a vintage or two since we’ve reviewed any of their wines so were quite excited to try out the new vintage of their GSM blend, Esperance. We absolutely loved the 2009 vintage of this Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend. However, since it had been a while since we tried one of their wines I had a little trepidation that these new vintages may not live up to what we loved so much about these wines in the past, or that perhaps our tastes had changed. It turns out those fears were unfounded and this wine was just as delicious as we remembered the 2009 to be!

The 2011 Andrew Murray Vineyards Esperance GSM Red Blend begins with an awesome aromas of lots of ripe berries, cinnamon spice, and vanilla with some nice floral notes. When tasting the wine you’ll find tons of delicious fruit layered with peppery spice wrapped up in a silky smooth mouthfeel. This is a big, rich and spicy wine. The deliciousness carries through to the long finish. The Esperance will be at its best after a couple hours in the glass so plan accordingly and then be prepared to be blown away.

Buy this wine online from our featured sponsor Marketview Liquor or see a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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