Murrietta’s Well Estate Vineyards

Livermore, California

murriettas-well

Another Livermore winery that is definitely worth talking about is Murrietta’s Well Estate Vineyards. One of the original California wine estates, Murrietta sources all the grapes from the estate.  The vineyard was started with cuttings from the famed French winery – Chateau Margaux in the Bordeaux region and the Chateau d’Yquem in Graves.

Our visit to Murrieta’s Well got off to a rocky start. The day before our visit I went on their website and saw that we needed reservations. I was looking at the various reservation options when I got a pop-up from Cellar Pass. I communicated with “Spencer” who told me that the only way that we could taste at Murrietta’s Well was with a reservation – they do not accept walk-ins. Not True. He also could not answer basic questions about the winery or wine and did not think that we could share a tasting – which we always do.

We arrived at Murrieta’s Well on a gorgeous sunny day and were immediately greeted by Kayla who gave us each a glass of Muscat Canelli as a “welcome wine”. It was very welcome – a light refreshing wine perfect for a summer’s day. We explained our confusion with Cellar Pass and they made it all good. They found us a table on the patio and we ordered a delicious charcuterie board as well as the mac and cheese (recommended by Ben who is a self-proclaimed mac and cheese aficionado.

lunch

Ben, a charming fellow from Yorkshire, England, took over for Kayla and served us lunch as well as our wine tasting. He had a great sense of humor and a good knowledge of the wines that we were sampling. He was our “wine ambassador” He had us save a little of the white (chardonnay) to try with the mac and cheese and the tempranillo was excellent with the fattier meats and cheeses. The Zarzuela 2015 was a big favorite for us.

During our delightful lunch, Lindsay, the General Manager, stopped by to give us a bit of history of the winery, which traces back to 1884 when Luis Mel built a gravity flow winery into the hillside and planted the vineyard. In 1922 the property was sold to Ernest Went and became part of the Wente Family Estate.(Check out the previous blog about Wente Wines).  In 1990 Philip Wente partnered with winemaker Sergio Traverso and they named the winery Murrieta’s Well after Wakene Marietta who was a sort of Robinhood of that era. He would rob the rich and then ride on stolen horses to take the riches back to the poor in Mexico. There is an artisan well from 1884 that is dedicated to him and the day we visited there was a wedding being set up in front of it. Truly a gorgeous spot for a wedding.

well

tasting-rmWhile we enjoyed lunch and a tasting on the patio (I would really recommend this) you can also enjoy the indoor Tasting Bar.  It has gorgeous views and also a very knowledgeable staff. Tastings are a bit pricey at $25 for 4 wines. Members can enjoy the Club Lounge, A special area that includes wine and a food menu.

 

Here are the wines that we tasted during our visit:

Muscat Canelli – $35 – This was our “welcome wine. Crisp & refreshing – ideal for a picnic.

2015 Sauvignon Blanc – $35 – It went nicely with the Mac and Cheese.

2014 Tempranillo – $48 – This was ideal with the charcuterie board – nice long finish.

Zarzula – $60 – this is a red blend that includes Tempranillo, Souzao, Touriga, Counoise and Petite Syrah. Very nice. I am told it is a favorite of the winery regulars.

This is a charming winery with a genuinely nice staff. It is obvious they work hard to make their Guest’s experience as pleasurable as possible.

Susan’s Score – A great spot for a warm day. I would recommend lunch as well as the tasting.

 

 

 

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