Andrew Murray Espérance

This wine is really singing now. Most of the 2009 2010 Chateauneuf du Papes I've tried are nowhere near this harmonious and complex, with great intact fruit and savory elements beautifully fused. The palate has a sexy fleshiness. One of several AMV wines I've had in the last 6 years that I would call unsung masterpieces, including the 2010 Watch Hill Syrah.

nice gsm, light bodied.

Outstanding offering from Andrew Murray. Red fruit, smoke, and pepper. Medium bodied, very well balanced, and easy drinking. Wish I had more ....

On the nose, luscious, peppery, a little hint of bacon fat. I poured immediately after opening and didn't give it air. This had me worried it would be hot and off-balance, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it in great balance, fruit forward but with nice complexity - good tannins but not over the top, violets, minerals, and some smoke. This is a good effort from AM and a very nice example of Cali GSM done right.

Try blind-tasting this hedonistic entry. The bright sweet oak/cherry is a ringer for classy oak-aged west coast reds with tones of cassis and kirsch, but the heft of the wine points in all directions. Full but not dense. Then there is smoke, so you start thinking Syrah, but without its slightly sour, black olive/fig monotone. The wine saturates your palate with rich, red, reverberating flavor but lacks a true sense of length. Still youthful in its stelvin enclosure. Drink now …

- It's in total harmony and has flavours of tobacco, black pepper and dusty with a medium/full body. Round texture with a long finish - Luscious GSM that is what wine is meant to be. Another nice offering from Andrew Murray.

N: Smoked meat, dense blue and black fruits. P: Big, Prunes, austere, very tannic and super dry. Spicy, Tart boysenberry. F: Slight candied cherries.

Very nice wine. Deep color. Taste blackberry, chocolate, licorice, mint, good firm tannins. Impressive

Solid - rock solid. Easy drinking GSM that fits in so nicely. Lithe. A fine example of the subtily of the blends.

Wine Reviews: A Selection of Rhone-style Wines : SRP: $25. On the nose, the wine is rich, sweet, and ripe – dominated by black cherries and strawberries, followed by oak, vanilla, and a laundry list of baking spices. The palate is lush, and the fruits are nearly perfect – beautifully ripe, neither pruney nor candied, just delightful.

2012 Rhone Rangers Grand Tasting: 151 Wines Rated (Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California) : Medium dark ruby color; cinnamon, tart red fruit nose; cinnamon, tart red fruit palate; medium-plus finish (60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre)