2008 Andrew Murray, Syrah, Tous Les Jours, Central Coast.
After the dramatic USA victory over Ghana in the FIFA 2014 World Cup match in Brazil, I looked for a fun wine to celebrate with and found this Andrew Murray Vineyards Syrah with a few years on it, and it drank well and easy. I have always been a fan of Andrew’s wines and this wine is always a great value, coming from mostly Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez fruit, but with a bit of Paso too. The 2008 Tous les Jours still shows a dark purple/ruby hue and has good definition and lively character with boysenberry, plum, cherry and tangy currant fruits along with olive paste, lavender, fig notes and hints of spice/pepper elements plus a touch of cedar, warm stones and earth tones. This wine was delightful, vibrant and has subtle tannins holding things in shape and fresh acidity lifting the fruit and it has a lingering dark fruit aftertaste. This is drinking very nicely, it is not a blockbuster or a huge surprise, but it certainly does a good job and it is a very happy wine, it was without question a perfect match for celebrating and it kept a big smile on my face all night. The 2012 version is more dynamic and easy to find, I think since this 2008 was so delicious I might put a few 2012’s away too, they should be even more impressive with a 3 or 4 years on them, The 2008 is ready to drink now, but should last another 2 or 3 years from now, very classy, ripe and tasty stuff.
($18 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive
