Simply stunning at this stage. Meaty nose, some coffee beans, ripe papaya and earth. Flavors stay the same: very full bodied and extremely well balanced. It tastes of ripe blackberry, mocha and spice. Actually, quite spicy and at the same time velvety and plush in the mouth. That plushness, with lack of heat or high acidity make the finish really smooth. I think these bottlings have a percentage of Viognier co-fermented and maybe that's the spicy and stone fruit notes I find in it. Peaking now.
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This is the last bottle of a Trio I bought on Wine.Woot for around $45. The others (06 and 07) were not as good and from other vineyards. This wine is dark with just of tinge of brown now. The nose is black cherries and violets. The flavor is deep with black cherries, oak, spices, pepper and a good finish. A little acidic over fruit; it could've aged nicely another couple of years. Wish I had another to drink in 2014.
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This was my last bottle of this wine, but we went out with a bang. Classic Andrew Murray style, with lots of fruit, some pepper and spice, smoke, and a really smooth finish. Delicious!
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Hints of cherries and raspberries with a strong backbone of oak. The 15% ABV certainly makes itself known, but isn't too overpowering both on the nose and palate. Tannins a bit rough, but much smoother on the second night with a medium - long finish. Overall not bad for what I paid for it, but not sure if I'd consider it an 'instant buy' given another opportunity.
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A little underwhelming considering the price point. I popped the bottle with my brother and it was spicy and full, though a little hot and a tad acrid at times.
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Delicious! Paired very well with a grilled pork tenderloin marinated with a garlic and peppercorn marinade. The peppercorn in the marinade was pretty strong, and this wine handled it beautifully.
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Deep dark crimson. Blueberry, forest floor, and leather nose. Medium bodied, more blueberries, plums, cedar, a touch of pepper, sweet tannins, a little tingly acid, and a medium + finish. Definitely delicious.
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Post "blind" Zin Taste-Off - New Years Eve (That's a mouthful). Good fruit on the front side. Touch of heat on the back. Middle nice but nothing complex or over the top.
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A nice Syrah. I love the little bit of Viognier that comes through. It's just not as big and powerful as the 02 and 03 vintages were. I liked those a bit better. Nonetheless, a very nice wine.
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A very nice Syrah. Smooth, well balanced, and flavorful. Not as "Big" as I remember previous vintages being, such as 2002 and 2003, but this was still a very nice wine, and perhaps easier to pair. The Viognier really came through on the nose. This vintage is certainly ready to drink now. I'm sure it'll age well for another year, but I don't think it can get any better and I fear it may not hold up well over the long term. Drink and enjoy!
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A fine pop and pour for after dinner, early summer enjoyment. Nice color and moderate depth. Touch of heat but no burn. Liked the "thick" quality I found in the middle.
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Dark purple. Took a sip before decanting, really hot. Cracked into it 1.5 hrs later, it was still pretty hot, but blew off a bit. Big wine, cured fruits, some vegetable, a bit of spice, fairly long finish. Really tannic.
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Halfway between brick and purple - nice colour. A little hot on the nose off the bat but hard to get anything else. After a couple minutes, cherries and strawberries. Maybe some violet or lavender? Smells like flower and pinky/purple. Soft on the tannin, medium body. Some peppery notes and a bit jammy, in a good way.
EDIT: After an hour or so, I suddenly got a mouthful of leather. This has kind of alternated between a "simple" wine and a more complex one as far as I can tell. The finish is good...a nice 15 seconds at least. Maybe a bit more time in the bottle would be nice for this one. Too bad I don't have any more...
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Pop and pour (probably could have used some air). Translucent, rusty red/purple appearance. Very meaty nose with some sour dark fruit. A bit of acid lead to some relatively bitter tannins. Those sensations overpower the fruit.
After over an hour in the decanter...bug spray. The nose is dominated by the alcohol and it gets even more bitter.
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This is a very enjoyable balanced and elegant wine, but a little simple. Upon opening, it shows simple fruit flavors of black cherries and strawberry. As it opens spice and smoke notes emerge. I don't find this over oaked like some people are saying.The tannins are very supple. Reminds me of a Santa Barbara Pinot a little. This is not really a wine to age, but I suspect a year in the cellar could add some complexity.
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An amazing example of Côte-Rôtie from Santa Barbara. The viognier shines through on the nose with floral aromas and hints of spice, perhaps some cardamom and other light spices that I can't quite pinpoint. It tastes like dark berries, as is typical with this region, though not as powerful as other syrahs, e.g., the Zaca Mesa from the same year. This is drinking beautifully right now; Andrew Murray himself said that this should be opened soon. Give it some time in the decanter to truly appreciate the flavors.
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Tasting a Vertical of Andrew Murray, 2005, 2006, 2007, single vineyards
upon opening, concetrated aromas, intense fruit on the palate with a huge oak finish, decanting to balance out flavors 1.5 hours open, aromas of chocolate covered cherries, coffee, asparagus, flowers and a creamy vanilla, on the palate ripe red fruits, chocolate mocha, pufumed flowers with lingering oak. 2.5 hours open, still very good, gaining a more concentrated charactor, flavors are starting to blend closer together verses the more distinct layers of flavor that accured an hour ago. Optimum drinking window would be to drink 1 hour after decanting and enjoy until the second hour to enjoy this wine in its peak drinking condition.
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Needed a good swirl before sniffing. Excellent colour, very strong aromas of blackcurrants, light bodied in the mouth with quite a bit of oak flavour, some toasting and some chalky tannins.
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Viognier coferm shows, and it's nice! There is a surprising amount of (American, ya?) oak in here, perhaps to the detriment of the wine; seems a little out of balance and with the 15% ABV I think those lend to a bit of an astringency on the finish. Lovely color. Get some floral character on the nose along with cedar and pencil and something almost a little menthol. Cherries and dried red fruit. I also get a whiff of something almost cola or Dr. Pepper like. Dried red fruits persist in the mouth as well. Something a touch medicinal in the mouth but not off-putting. And lots of oak. Very good wine that, to me, lacks some balance and finesse -- but everything it does bring to the table is right-on, regardless of any relative disproportion.
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This bottle was a mess. Huge oak flavors with no spice or fruit to speak of. Might have been a defect. Hope it was as I've got another bottle of this waiting.
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Southern Rhone style with cofermented viognier. The femine flowery viognier lifts up all of the aromas on the nose and brings out the dark berry and earth of the syrah. The taste of currant, pepper and earth blends well and the tannins have softened. This wine is drinking exceptionally well right now.
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Fruit-forward bold nose of dust, pencil, and dark fruits. Opaque garnet in color. Dusty flavors of smoke, charred oak, tea, and blackberry, though the fruit is weak. Incredibly spicy with tannic aftertaste. Interesting how much fruit on the nose and lacking on the tongue. I had planned to leave this one in the cellar at least 2 more years and probably should have, though I'm not completely disappointed with it. Not what I expected, though!
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Exceptional wine from the Santa Ynez region with perhaps a slight bit too much spice, but beautiful flavoring. Certainly contains that aggressive Southern Rhone mix, but delivers a nice pungent package of spice, fruit and flavor. Great Cal red.
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I found this undistinguished, despite the big buidup by my local purveyor. Someone here used the word "outstanding." I'm sincerely curious about what it was that was outstanding.
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6/15/2013 - dino_mike Likes this wine: 91 Points
Simply stunning at this stage. Meaty nose, some coffee beans, ripe papaya and earth. Flavors stay the same: very full bodied and extremely well balanced. It tastes of ripe blackberry, mocha and spice. Actually, quite spicy and at the same time velvety and plush in the mouth. That plushness, with lack of heat or high acidity make the finish really smooth. I think these bottlings have a percentage of Viognier co-fermented and maybe that's the spicy and stone fruit notes I find in it. Peaking now.
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11/10/2012 - RandRBoulder Likes this wine: 89 Points
This is the last bottle of a Trio I bought on Wine.Woot for around $45.
The others (06 and 07) were not as good and from other vineyards.
This wine is dark with just of tinge of brown now. The nose is black cherries and violets. The flavor is deep with black cherries, oak, spices, pepper and a good finish. A little acidic over fruit; it could've aged nicely another couple of years. Wish I had another to drink in 2014.
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1/7/2012 - Central Coast Wino wrote: 91 Points
This was my last bottle of this wine, but we went out with a bang. Classic Andrew Murray style, with lots of fruit, some pepper and spice, smoke, and a really smooth finish. Delicious!
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6/5/2011 - mfriedman12 wrote: 87 Points
Classic AM Syrah. Lush, plummy with a big silky mouthful. Still plenty of life in the bottle
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4/3/2011 - richc wrote:
Hints of cherries and raspberries with a strong backbone of oak. The 15% ABV certainly makes itself known, but isn't too overpowering both on the nose and palate. Tannins a bit rough, but much smoother on the second night with a medium - long finish. Overall not bad for what I paid for it, but not sure if I'd consider it an 'instant buy' given another opportunity.
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3/11/2011 - eddieshindig wrote: 88 Points
A little underwhelming considering the price point. I popped the bottle with my brother and it was spicy and full, though a little hot and a tad acrid at times.
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2/26/2011 - costacasa wrote: 87 Points
Let this breathe for awhile (1-2 hours) and you will be rewarded. Rich, complex, some spice. Well balanced. Finishes well.
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2/19/2011 - Central Coast Wino wrote: 91 Points
Delicious! Paired very well with a grilled pork tenderloin marinated with a garlic and peppercorn marinade. The peppercorn in the marinade was pretty strong, and this wine handled it beautifully.
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2/19/2011 - merryberry wrote: 90 Points
Deep dark crimson. Blueberry, forest floor, and leather nose. Medium bodied, more blueberries, plums, cedar, a touch of pepper, sweet tannins, a little tingly acid, and a medium + finish. Definitely delicious.
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1/1/2011 - sbfireman wrote: 88 Points
Post "blind" Zin Taste-Off - New Years Eve (That's a mouthful). Good fruit on the front side. Touch of heat on the back. Middle nice but nothing complex or over the top.
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12/16/2010 - jgrapski wrote: 88 Points
Bigger than I remember, almost too big. The Viognier is noticeable on the nose, but in the mouth the brawny syrah dominates.
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10/2/2010 - Central Coast Wino wrote: 90 Points
A nice Syrah. I love the little bit of Viognier that comes through. It's just not as big and powerful as the 02 and 03 vintages were. I liked those a bit better. Nonetheless, a very nice wine.
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9/6/2010 - Central Coast Wino wrote: 91 Points
Still tasting great! I'm glad I have a few more of these.
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7/30/2010 - vegaswino wrote: 89 Points
Very, Very good for the price. I am a huge fan of Andrew Murray's syrahs.
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6/20/2010 - Central Coast Wino wrote: 90 Points
A very nice Syrah. Smooth, well balanced, and flavorful. Not as "Big" as I remember previous vintages being, such as 2002 and 2003, but this was still a very nice wine, and perhaps easier to pair. The Viognier really came through on the nose. This vintage is certainly ready to drink now. I'm sure it'll age well for another year, but I don't think it can get any better and I fear it may not hold up well over the long term. Drink and enjoy!
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6/1/2010 - sbfireman wrote: 92 Points
A fine pop and pour for after dinner, early summer enjoyment. Nice color and moderate depth. Touch of heat but no burn. Liked the "thick" quality I found in the middle.
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5/9/2010 - ccrida wrote: 86 Points
Dark purple. Took a sip before decanting, really hot. Cracked into it 1.5 hrs later, it was still pretty hot, but blew off a bit. Big wine, cured fruits, some vegetable, a bit of spice, fairly long finish. Really tannic.
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5/4/2010 - ckeilah wrote: 88 Points
Big nose of...? Dried cherries? Something like herbal/floral soap sneaks in. Well balanced easy drinker. Wish I had more
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3/21/2010 - klezman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Halfway between brick and purple - nice colour. A little hot on the nose off the bat but hard to get anything else.
After a couple minutes, cherries and strawberries. Maybe some violet or lavender? Smells like flower and pinky/purple.
Soft on the tannin, medium body. Some peppery notes and a bit jammy, in a good way.
EDIT: After an hour or so, I suddenly got a mouthful of leather. This has kind of alternated between a "simple" wine and a more complex one as far as I can tell. The finish is good...a nice 15 seconds at least. Maybe a bit more time in the bottle would be nice for this one. Too bad I don't have any more...
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2/25/2010 - avwineguy wrote: 88 Points
Lighter and more fruit than the Great Oaks. I get the spices and the finish was not that long. A very nice wine overall.
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1/31/2010 - avwineguy wrote: 87 Points
A very pleasant, fruity drinker.
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1/8/2010 - awinejourney wrote: 83 Points
Pop and pour (probably could have used some air). Translucent, rusty red/purple appearance. Very meaty nose with some sour dark fruit. A bit of acid lead to some relatively bitter tannins. Those sensations overpower the fruit.
After over an hour in the decanter...bug spray. The nose is dominated by the alcohol and it gets even more bitter.
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1/7/2010 - Patches wrote: 88 Points
This is a very enjoyable balanced and elegant wine, but a little simple. Upon opening, it shows simple fruit flavors of black cherries and strawberry. As it opens spice and smoke notes emerge. I don't find this over oaked like some people are saying.The tannins are very supple. Reminds me of a Santa Barbara Pinot a little. This is not really a wine to age, but I suspect a year in the cellar could add some complexity.
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12/31/2009 - baerface wrote: 86 Points
Dark opaque purple.
Strong nose, spicy with smoky cherry.
Spicy pepper taste, cherry finish.
Very enjoyable, and well worth the $20 I paid.
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12/31/2009 - rck289 wrote: 92 Points
An amazing example of Côte-Rôtie from Santa Barbara. The viognier shines through on the nose with floral aromas and hints of spice, perhaps some cardamom and other light spices that I can't quite pinpoint. It tastes like dark berries, as is typical with this region, though not as powerful as other syrahs, e.g., the Zaca Mesa from the same year. This is drinking beautifully right now; Andrew Murray himself said that this should be opened soon. Give it some time in the decanter to truly appreciate the flavors.
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12/14/2009 - RossR wrote:
Drink it now, don't wait. More notes later
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12/8/2009 - TJolley wrote: 92 Points
Tasting a Vertical of Andrew Murray, 2005, 2006, 2007, single vineyards
upon opening, concetrated aromas, intense fruit on the palate with a huge oak finish, decanting to balance out flavors
1.5 hours open, aromas of chocolate covered cherries, coffee, asparagus, flowers and a creamy vanilla, on the palate ripe red fruits, chocolate mocha, pufumed flowers with lingering oak.
2.5 hours open, still very good, gaining a more concentrated charactor, flavors are starting to blend closer together verses the more distinct layers of flavor that accured an hour ago.
Optimum drinking window would be to drink 1 hour after decanting and enjoy until the second hour to enjoy this wine in its peak drinking condition.
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12/3/2009 - waragi wrote:
very oaky. not bad but didn't love it. might be better in a year or 2.
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12/3/2009 - Squeaky wrote: 89 Points
Needed a good swirl before sniffing. Excellent colour, very strong aromas of blackcurrants, light bodied in the mouth with quite a bit of oak flavour, some toasting and some chalky tannins.
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11/30/2009 - dodongo wrote: 89 Points
Viognier coferm shows, and it's nice! There is a surprising amount of (American, ya?) oak in here, perhaps to the detriment of the wine; seems a little out of balance and with the 15% ABV I think those lend to a bit of an astringency on the finish. Lovely color. Get some floral character on the nose along with cedar and pencil and something almost a little menthol. Cherries and dried red fruit. I also get a whiff of something almost cola or Dr. Pepper like. Dried red fruits persist in the mouth as well. Something a touch medicinal in the mouth but not off-putting. And lots of oak. Very good wine that, to me, lacks some balance and finesse -- but everything it does bring to the table is right-on, regardless of any relative disproportion.
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11/26/2009 - cmkjbs wrote: 89 Points
Let this rest an hour before sipping. Still some heat coming off this, but some great black cherry and dark fruits. After two hours, smooth as silk.
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11/25/2009 - woodwardcellar wrote:
This bottle was a mess. Huge oak flavors with no spice or fruit to speak of. Might have been a defect. Hope it was as I've got another bottle of this waiting.
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11/11/2009 - winelawyer wrote: 92 Points
Southern Rhone style with cofermented viognier. The femine flowery viognier lifts up all of the aromas on the nose and brings out the dark berry and earth of the syrah. The taste of currant, pepper and earth blends well and the tannins have softened. This wine is drinking exceptionally well right now.
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8/14/2009 - duckyfufu wrote: 87 Points
Fruit-forward bold nose of dust, pencil, and dark fruits. Opaque garnet in color. Dusty flavors of smoke, charred oak, tea, and blackberry, though the fruit is weak. Incredibly spicy with tannic aftertaste. Interesting how much fruit on the nose and lacking on the tongue. I had planned to leave this one in the cellar at least 2 more years and probably should have, though I'm not completely disappointed with it. Not what I expected, though!
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7/31/2009 - GOL wrote:
Nice nose of olive, but fruit was a bit lacking, surprising for AM, of whom I'm a fan.
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7/11/2009 - DSchnider wrote: 90 Points
Exceptional wine from the Santa Ynez region with perhaps a slight bit too much spice, but beautiful flavoring. Certainly contains that aggressive Southern Rhone mix, but delivers a nice pungent package of spice, fruit and flavor. Great Cal red.
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10/23/2008 - SeaSmoke wrote: 88 Points
Short finish. Nothing memorable.
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10/19/2007 - Baggio wrote: 88 Points
I found this undistinguished, despite the big buidup by my local purveyor. Someone here used the word "outstanding." I'm sincerely curious about what it was that was outstanding.
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10/7/2007 - BTT wrote: 90 Points
Santa Barbara-Columbus Day Weekend (Santa Ynez, CA): Butter nose. End of the day tasting, palate saturated.
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9/16/2007 - malper wrote:
outstanding
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