At 16 years of age, Andrew Murray was shadowing family winery owners in the Rhône region of France translating for his parents, and learning to appreciate food and wine at some of the most famous tables in France. At 17, he was huddling with his classmates from Chadwick Prep School to nurture the beginnings of his connoisseurship. He joined his father in an enology short course with Roger Boulton at the University of California at Davis and knew immediately that he wanted to be a winemaker. As a testament to his vision and mission, Andrew left his educational pursuits at Cal Berkeley and transferred to UC Davis for a degree in Enology and Viticulture. While there, Andrew was urged by a Davis professor to work an 8-month season for Capel Vale, a 30,000-case winery on the Margaret River in Australia. A real enthusiast, and ready to learn anything his employers were willing to teach, Andrew dove into a schedule of tank cleaning, diatomaceous earth filtering, racking, calibrating a high speed sanitizing and bottling line, inspecting grape deliveries and record keeping. All the while, he was preparing for his role as the guiding force and winemaker behind the soon-to-be-launched Andrew Murray Vineyards. While still a student, Andrew Murray Vineyards’ first commercial release was launched in 1994.

Andrew was endowed early on with the unquestionable ability and certainty to set benchmarks for flavor and bouquet that have stayed with him through his winemaking career. As the winemaker for Great Oaks Ranch, he has expanded his scope of crafting premium and award-winning wines to include Bordeaux varietals as well as his love of Rhône wines.

Food & Wine Magazine, ’04 Tastemaker Awards

#1, Andrew Murray. SANTA BARBARA WINE MAVERICK
”Santa Barbara is one of California’s hottest wine zones, due in large part to extraordinary talents like Andrew Murray of Andrew Murray Vineyards. The 32 year old makes intense but elegant Syrahs, Grenaches and Viogniers
that Robert M Parker Jr says are 'well worth seeking out'.”