Some may ask, “Why E11even?” We think we are one better than “10”, always pushing the envelope in order to grow and craft the best wine possible. While others may settle for being a “10”, we strive to be better, we yearn to be an “11”! Oh, and yes, the name is also inspired by one of my favorite movies, “Spinal Tap”.
2022 E11even Petite Sirah, Los Olivos District
Tasting Notes
Our vineyard site for our E11even Petite Sirah is located within the Los Olivos District AVA. It shares a common boundary with Ballard Canyon AVA on the west side and a boundary with the Happy Canyon AVA on the east side, distinguished by its uniform topography, geology, and soil type. Petite Sirah is a very thick-skinned grape, with intense depth of color and full tannic structure. We ferment in large, open-top tanks for a gentler, softer level of extraction. After fermentation is finished, we leave the wines on skins for another week, which allows the tannins to soften and integrate. We then transfer the wine to barrels for 20+ months of aging in 25% New French oak. We then allow the wine to slowly develop in the bottle for nearly a year before finally releasing it. The 2022 Petite Sirah explodes with aromas of fresh blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, vanilla, and lavender. On the palate, you will taste mouthwatering tart summer berries, espresso, and mocha wrapped in dense velvety tannins. Don’t be afraid to hide this bottle from yourself for a year or two, as it has aging potential for 10 years and beyond!
Specs
Varieties: 100% Petite Sirah
Vineyard Composition: 100% Rock Hollow, Estate Grown, Los Olivos District
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 300 cases
2022 E11even Petit Verdot, Santa Ynez Valley
Tasting Notes
The Santa Ynez AVA is a long, east-west corridor with very cool temperatures on the coast that become progressively warmer inland. Subsequently, many varietals flourish here. Our Estate Vineyard lies within the borders of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA and sits at a slightly higher elevation, above the fog layer. The name Petit Verdot translates to “little green one” due to its tendency to ripen late in the season. Curtis Vineyard makes the ideal site for this grape, as it can soak up the sun’s heat longer throughout the day. This moderate climate is a big aid in consistent ripening. Petit Verdot is often misunderstood, utilized as more of a blending component, not often bottled as a single variety. With small, thick-skinned berries, it shows a robust tannin structure, dark color, and a lush flavor profile. The 2022 growing season was another great one, largely a function of fine weather—with some wonderful warmth that adds ripeness and richness to this vintage. We are already seeing the benefit of longer hangtime in this wine: mature sweet tannins, outstanding color and brightness, depth of fruit, and beautiful balance. We aged this wine for 20 months in 20% new French Oak, as well as an additional 6-months aging in the bottle before release. On the palate, you will taste tangy summer cherries, black licorice, warming clove, exotic florals, and a gravel-like minerality. This wine will continue to show strongly over the next 7-10 years.
Specs
Varieties: 100% Petit Verdot
Vineyard Composition: 100% Curtis, Estate Grown, Santa Ynez Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 300 cases
2022 E11even Remix Blend, Santa Ynez Valley
"Remix” is a barrel selection blend crafted from our favorite barrels of each E11even lot. This wine is made with incredible intention and attention to detail. The idea of adding this wine to our portfolio came about in 2015. The quality of fruit in that vintage was high and gave us a lot of inspiration to be playful and to try some new blending concepts. We lovingly called our first go round with this wine “Mixtape”. Just like a mix tape is a compilation of favorite songs from varying musical genres, the blend was bringing together a mix of different varietals, with each one adding unique characteristics and layers to the final wine. As we continue to learn from prior vintages and blending sessions, we decided to branch out with this wine and now call it “Remix”. The 2022 Vintage is impossibly dark and supremely complex and concentrated, inspired heavily by the Right Bank of Bordeaux. The final blend is 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot, and 7% Petite Sirah. In additional steps to making this blend extra special, we aged this wine in 20% New French Oak for 21 months and held it back in the bottle for an additional 6 months before release. This wine will improve with time in the bottle. If you plan on drinking soon, try giving it a few hours of extra oxygen in a decanter to make this wine really sing!
Specs
Varieties: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot, and 7% Petite Sirah
Vineyard Composition: Curtis, Rock Hollow, Sanger
Appellation: Santa Ynez Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 300 cases
What’s Included
6-bottles:
2x 2022 E11even Petite Sirah, Los Olivos District
2x 2022 E11even Petit Verdot, Santa Ynez Valley
2x 2022 E11even Remix Blend, Santa Ynez Valley Case:
Andrew Murray fell in love with the emerging Rhône varieties, Syrah and Viognier, in the late 1980s while traveling through France’s Rhône Valley. Leaving his UC Berkeley paleontology studies behind, he pursued his new mistress, Syrah, with an internship in Australia. His three-month tryst evolved into a 15-month romance with the famed Australian Shiraz. Returning to the states, he earned a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis’ renowned wine program, then founded his eponymous Santa Ynez winery and vineyard.
He sought out growers who shared his passion for excellence and who dared to farm their vines to perilously low yields with the most advanced viticultural methods in the industry. This uncompromising winemaker’s lucid philosophy is summarized succinctly in three words: Passion – Evolution – Wisdom; the Passion of an unflagging love affair with Rhône varieties; the Evolution of winemaking techniques where even the most subtle nuance is divined from each new vintage; and the Wisdom gained with 20 years of winemaking experience.
Andrew’s focus and dedication to his craft have culminated in what Robert Parker, Jr. calls, “…one of the shining stars in the Santa Barbara firmament.” This perennially youthful perfectionist has been named ‘Tastemaker of the Year’ by Food and Wine Magazine, as well as ‘One of the most fearsome talents in food and wine.’ Still, despite myriad accolades, Andrew remains the same modest, approachable, contemplative man he was when he first embarked for Australia back in 1992. He is eternally committed to vinicultural ‘Kaizen’ – the unrelenting pursuit of continuous improvement.
As Robert Parker, Jr. put it, “…Andrew Murray’s offerings are a breath of fresh air given their exceptionally high quality and realistic prices – reader take note.” We hope you’ll come visit us and delight in sampling the fruits of Andrew’s passionate labors.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
E11even Wines Mixed Reds from Andrew Murray
6 bottles for $121.99 $20.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $198.99 $16.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
blend! Bottle arrived Friday nice and cold, with plenty of time to rest, so I left it until Monday night, when I picked it back up and took a closer look. I love a clever label design and Murray’s vintage train ticket with the distressed ink stamp text is such a fun ride. Hard to tell what the blend destination is- “Feat. BDX varieties” must mean some Bordeaux styles, well then I’m on board.
Pulled the (very ornately patterned) cork and could right away pick up some dark berry scent. Poured it into the decanter to see its nicely opaque violet color. Tried a bit after a few minutes, and felt like I got some vanilla oak, definitely some loud jammy fruit like black cherry, but also dried herbs. Seems a little different than I expected: like mediumish light body with insistent acidity. Dry though, finish is long so I’ll set it down a while to let the complexity out more.
Few hours later in the decanter, and acidity has relaxed a bit and it has grown more welcoming. Already ate in order to make the middle school holiday concert, but found some cheese and olives which paired well. Would have been nice to have a pasta too, as i want to say this blend reminds me of a Nebbiolo or some classic Italian red. I bottled it back and set it down for the night.
The restraint paid off, because Tuesday (tonight) it’s even more enjoyable. Still acidic but milder, with less heat and more earthiness and legs coming through with a little swirl. Basically it’s remarkably good now especially with some patience, and also surely has potential to age quite a while.
In short discernible quality especially given some time to develop, which puts me in the difficult position of jumping on so many recent offerings that this would have to be an unbelievable steal to justify for myself, but easily would be worth it at even $20-25 each. (And now seeing that it’s a mix I’m even more tempted) Thanks Terry, David and all for the gorgeous bottle and allowing me to share thoughts! Cheers and happy holidays!
Thanks for the very thoughtful report here…only one correction. label is designed to look like a vintage concert ticket. In fact, the insp was a late 60’s Zep concert ticket that I found for sale on ebay long ago. The world has gotten so digital, this brand and the winemaking style harken to a more analog moment when life was a bit slower and music popped and hissed at times. The E11even reds are often enjoyable for a pop and pour, but they start to really sing with some age…thanks so much! And, btw, as the Remix blend continues to evolve over future vintage releases, the wine is becoming more and more of a Right Bank Bordeaux blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc taking the lead…
@AndrewMurray Ah yup that makes way more sense, duh! There go all my train puns, lol. My concert tickets from the 90s weren’t quite as charming so maybe that’s why I didn’t first make the connection. I’ve also had some other E11evens and syrahs (M bottling) over the past few years and they’ve all been phenomenal. Might still have a couple tucked away…
@AndrewMurray@james total thread drift…I just had this discussion with a buddy…and maybe you mentioned this…I used to covet concert tickets, even flipped a few…those days are gone!
@AndrewMurray@james@kaolis
So yeah, I like the design, kinda like a ticket. I have a good stock of broken up verticals this will add to.
[drift]
And I’ve still got stage passes from the 70’s and early 80’s in my Anvil travel case from when I was younger and could do that type of work.
[/drift]
@AndrewMurray@james Back in the day concert tickets - at least at MSG in NY - were a different color based on the section of the arena. Nicer than bland dot matrix ticketmaster tickets that replaced them.
@klezman It already came out (September 2025 i think) and they even did a theatrical re-release of the original movie - one of my fave movies of all time! I love how this movie is cataloged and protected in the American Library of Congress as an important piece of American pop culture!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
E11even Wines Mixed Reds from Andrew Murray - $45 = 18.44%
This is what happens when you’re old and retired…?
Enough of pre-coffee drivel right?
Three Wednesday wines? Two of them were in the hands of the backward wine snobs, rws, this past Oct…
The 2022 Andrew Murray E11even Petit Verdot pours fantastically dark and inky in the glass, which is the first sign you’re in for a treat.
It opens with lovely ripe dark fruit aromas that have so much depth you can smell it! Spice, licorice, a little vanilla, cedar, leather, tobacco and some floral notes all also combine seamlessly. It’s a wonderful start.
The wine tastes rich, juicy and deep with well-integrated spice and all those other touches from the nose adding enjoyment. Once you taste this you’ll wonder why you never see Petit Verdot as a single varietal! Featuring a smooth, mouth-coating texture this is just an absolute joy to drink. It’s loaded with so much flavor it’s hedonistically good but it also still has great balance, structure and acidity. This vintage is still quite young, however, so give it plenty of time to breathe and taste it improve even more.
It ends with a dry, extremely long, chewy, lip-smacking, dynamic finish with a little long-lasting chalkiness under all the delicious dark fruit and spice. It was similar on day 2 – if you can make the bottle last that long!
The 2022 Andrew Murray E11even Remix Red Blend begins with quite a pleasing and attractive aroma of ripe dark fruit, well integrated spice, vanilla and lots of other barrel room like notes. It’s a great start and as the winery notes, giving this wine some time to breathe brings out even more nuances.
Taking a sip reveals a smooth and tasty, deep and dark blend with similar flavors to the nose and well-integrated spice in the mouth. Nicely tannic with good structure, balance and depth this one just keeps on getting better the longer it breathes. This is a lovely red blend.
It ends dry, grippy and quite long with tons of lasting juicy fruit and spice on the very satisfying finish. It was just as good on day 2.
It’s always an honor to be called upon to rat. I confess that this is an odd and tough one for me. I have many, many wines from this producer (including the E11even label) that I enjoy very much. This bottle was perplexing.
Read the label and popped the cork. I expected to be in for a treat after a long two days of travel.
Everything looks good. Rich, rich, purple color on the cork and in the glass.
The nose was - odd. Koolaid? Grape candy? Not bad but something that seemed not terribly natural.
First swirl in my mouth - there’s that odd smell as a flavor. Yes, Koolaid. Very, very “grapey.”
“…you will taste tangy summer cherries, black licorice, warming clove, exotic florals, and a gravel-like minerality”
I’m 0-5 on this list. Not a single trace of any of those. Wife and teenage son agree. It’s just candy-like grapeness.
I left it on the counter for an hour and tried again. Much the same though a bit more mellow. Not sure if this is a “me & this varietal” problem, a “me” problem, or something with this bottle. I’ve not experienced anything like this with an Andrew Murray wine before and wish I had something better to say on this one.
Apologies for the delay on this report…and this slight shortness.
This is, without a doubt, the darkest wine that I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I have had my share of single varietal petit verdot, and I have never seen this dark of color - it was a like a ruby port, but darker! The cork came very inky (you can’t even see a semblance of the cork design on the bottom of the cork) and about 1/8" of wine seems to completely block light. My wife and I were a tad concerned with how tannic the wine would be with the color as we let it breath while fixing dinner last night, but we were very pleasantly surprised.
It is a very full-bodied wine, but extremely well balanced. It read heavily dark fruits, but that was very well balanced with a bit of black pepper and savory flavors, but just overall an extremely well balanced wine. I was a little concerned about the 14.5% abv when I first opened the bottom, but it was very well balanced to the acidity and the robustness of this bottle.
We had this last night with a spicy thai red curry soup and then had the other half tonight with a take-and-bake pepperoni pizza from the bougie grocery store down the street, and it held up very well to both of them.
All around, I was extremely happy with this rattery! Now to see if I can convince my wife to let me get a case (or to quickly find space for a case in our wine fridge that she won’t notice). Unfortunately, we just got a casemate case a week ago…
As mentioned, the evolution of the Remix has changed a lot from the 2020 version (offered in 2023). Back then it was:
Vintage: 2020
Varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Petite Sirah, 15% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Graciano.
I really liked that Remix but think i will like this Bordeaux blend even more
2022 E11even Petite Sirah, Los Olivos District
Tasting Notes
Specs
2022 E11even Petit Verdot, Santa Ynez Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2022 E11even Remix Blend, Santa Ynez Valley
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$432.00/Case for 4x 2022 E11even Petit Verdot, Santa Ynez Valley + 4x 2022 E11even Petite Sirah, Los Olivos District + 4x 2022 E11even Remix Blend, Santa Ynez Valley at Andrew Murray Vineyards
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 29 - Friday, Jan 2
E11even Wines Mixed Reds from Andrew Murray
6 bottles for $121.99 $20.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $198.99 $16.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2022 E11even Petite Sirah
2022 E11even Petit Verdot
2022 E11even Remix Blend
Previous offer:
9/16/24 (2021)
Labrat here, excited to be reporting on the
2022 Andrew Murray E11even “Remix”
blend! Bottle arrived Friday nice and cold, with plenty of time to rest, so I left it until Monday night, when I picked it back up and took a closer look. I love a clever label design and Murray’s vintage train ticket with the distressed ink stamp text is such a fun ride. Hard to tell what the blend destination is- “Feat. BDX varieties” must mean some Bordeaux styles, well then I’m on board.
Pulled the (very ornately patterned) cork and could right away pick up some dark berry scent. Poured it into the decanter to see its nicely opaque violet color. Tried a bit after a few minutes, and felt like I got some vanilla oak, definitely some loud jammy fruit like black cherry, but also dried herbs. Seems a little different than I expected: like mediumish light body with insistent acidity. Dry though, finish is long so I’ll set it down a while to let the complexity out more.
Few hours later in the decanter, and acidity has relaxed a bit and it has grown more welcoming. Already ate in order to make the middle school holiday concert, but found some cheese and olives which paired well. Would have been nice to have a pasta too, as i want to say this blend reminds me of a Nebbiolo or some classic Italian red. I bottled it back and set it down for the night.
The restraint paid off, because Tuesday (tonight) it’s even more enjoyable. Still acidic but milder, with less heat and more earthiness and legs coming through with a little swirl. Basically it’s remarkably good now especially with some patience, and also surely has potential to age quite a while.
In short discernible quality especially given some time to develop, which puts me in the difficult position of jumping on so many recent offerings that this would have to be an unbelievable steal to justify for myself, but easily would be worth it at even $20-25 each. (And now seeing that it’s a mix I’m even more tempted) Thanks Terry, David and all for the gorgeous bottle and allowing me to share thoughts! Cheers and happy holidays!
@james
Thanks for the very thoughtful report here…only one correction. label is designed to look like a vintage concert ticket. In fact, the insp was a late 60’s Zep concert ticket that I found for sale on ebay long ago. The world has gotten so digital, this brand and the winemaking style harken to a more analog moment when life was a bit slower and music popped and hissed at times. The E11even reds are often enjoyable for a pop and pour, but they start to really sing with some age…thanks so much! And, btw, as the Remix blend continues to evolve over future vintage releases, the wine is becoming more and more of a Right Bank Bordeaux blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc taking the lead…
@AndrewMurray Ah yup that makes way more sense, duh! There go all my train puns, lol. My concert tickets from the 90s weren’t quite as charming so maybe that’s why I didn’t first make the connection. I’ve also had some other E11evens and syrahs (M bottling) over the past few years and they’ve all been phenomenal. Might still have a couple tucked away…
@AndrewMurray @james total thread drift…I just had this discussion with a buddy…and maybe you mentioned this…I used to covet concert tickets, even flipped a few…those days are gone!
@AndrewMurray @james @kaolis
So yeah, I like the design, kinda like a ticket. I have a good stock of broken up verticals this will add to.
[drift]
And I’ve still got stage passes from the 70’s and early 80’s in my Anvil travel case from when I was younger and could do that type of work.
[/drift]
@AndrewMurray @james Back in the day concert tickets - at least at MSG in NY - were a different color based on the section of the arena. Nicer than bland dot matrix ticketmaster tickets that replaced them.
Andrew is an auto buy even though I have no room. I have been hoarding my bottles from the last sale. Thank you Andrew. I absolutely adore your wines.
@danandlisa THANKS so much!
So there appears to be another spinal tap movie coming out…
@klezman It already came out (September 2025 i think) and they even did a theatrical re-release of the original movie - one of my fave movies of all time! I love how this movie is cataloged and protected in the American Library of Congress as an important piece of American pop culture!
@AndrewMurray they’re right about that!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
E11even Wines Mixed Reds from Andrew Murray - $45 = 18.44%
This is what happens when you’re old and retired…?
Enough of pre-coffee drivel right?
Three Wednesday wines? Two of them were in the hands of the backward wine snobs, rws, this past Oct…
The 2022 Andrew Murray E11even Petit Verdot pours fantastically dark and inky in the glass, which is the first sign you’re in for a treat.
It opens with lovely ripe dark fruit aromas that have so much depth you can smell it! Spice, licorice, a little vanilla, cedar, leather, tobacco and some floral notes all also combine seamlessly. It’s a wonderful start.
The wine tastes rich, juicy and deep with well-integrated spice and all those other touches from the nose adding enjoyment. Once you taste this you’ll wonder why you never see Petit Verdot as a single varietal! Featuring a smooth, mouth-coating texture this is just an absolute joy to drink. It’s loaded with so much flavor it’s hedonistically good but it also still has great balance, structure and acidity. This vintage is still quite young, however, so give it plenty of time to breathe and taste it improve even more.
It ends with a dry, extremely long, chewy, lip-smacking, dynamic finish with a little long-lasting chalkiness under all the delicious dark fruit and spice. It was similar on day 2 – if you can make the bottle last that long!
The 2022 Andrew Murray E11even Remix Red Blend begins with quite a pleasing and attractive aroma of ripe dark fruit, well integrated spice, vanilla and lots of other barrel room like notes. It’s a great start and as the winery notes, giving this wine some time to breathe brings out even more nuances.
Taking a sip reveals a smooth and tasty, deep and dark blend with similar flavors to the nose and well-integrated spice in the mouth. Nicely tannic with good structure, balance and depth this one just keeps on getting better the longer it breathes. This is a lovely red blend.
It ends dry, grippy and quite long with tons of lasting juicy fruit and spice on the very satisfying finish. It was just as good on day 2.
That’s about it
fwiw
Their wine is awesome, as is their winery.
OWLS! TOWELS! JOWLS! AWESOME!
@connorbush Cheers and many many thanks!
/giphy venerable-yummy-cranberry
Great reminder for our trip to Santa Barbara and Los Olivos this past summer!
It’s always an honor to be called upon to rat. I confess that this is an odd and tough one for me. I have many, many wines from this producer (including the E11even label) that I enjoy very much. This bottle was perplexing.
Read the label and popped the cork. I expected to be in for a treat after a long two days of travel.
Everything looks good. Rich, rich, purple color on the cork and in the glass.
The nose was - odd. Koolaid? Grape candy? Not bad but something that seemed not terribly natural.
First swirl in my mouth - there’s that odd smell as a flavor. Yes, Koolaid. Very, very “grapey.”
“…you will taste tangy summer cherries, black licorice, warming clove, exotic florals, and a gravel-like minerality”
I’m 0-5 on this list. Not a single trace of any of those. Wife and teenage son agree. It’s just candy-like grapeness.
I left it on the counter for an hour and tried again. Much the same though a bit more mellow. Not sure if this is a “me & this varietal” problem, a “me” problem, or something with this bottle. I’ve not experienced anything like this with an Andrew Murray wine before and wish I had something better to say on this one.
Apologies for the delay on this report…and this slight shortness.
This is, without a doubt, the darkest wine that I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. I have had my share of single varietal petit verdot, and I have never seen this dark of color - it was a like a ruby port, but darker! The cork came very inky (you can’t even see a semblance of the cork design on the bottom of the cork) and about 1/8" of wine seems to completely block light. My wife and I were a tad concerned with how tannic the wine would be with the color as we let it breath while fixing dinner last night, but we were very pleasantly surprised.
It is a very full-bodied wine, but extremely well balanced. It read heavily dark fruits, but that was very well balanced with a bit of black pepper and savory flavors, but just overall an extremely well balanced wine. I was a little concerned about the 14.5% abv when I first opened the bottom, but it was very well balanced to the acidity and the robustness of this bottle.
We had this last night with a spicy thai red curry soup and then had the other half tonight with a take-and-bake pepperoni pizza from the bougie grocery store down the street, and it held up very well to both of them.
All around, I was extremely happy with this rattery! Now to see if I can convince my wife to let me get a case (or to quickly find space for a case in our wine fridge that she won’t notice). Unfortunately, we just got a casemate case a week ago…
As mentioned, the evolution of the Remix has changed a lot from the 2020 version (offered in 2023). Back then it was:
Vintage: 2020
Varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Petite Sirah, 15% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Graciano.
I really liked that Remix but think i will like this Bordeaux blend even more
Also, the 2023 mixed offering was $16.67 for the case price. How can it be the same price at the end of 2025?
Im in before they change their mind