Winemaker Notes
Nestled in the Livermore Valley, Murrieta’s Well is one of California’s original wine estates. Their vineyard began in the 1880s with cuttings from famed Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Margaux. Today, they use this land to their advantage and plant grape varieties according to the various microclimates on our property. All of the wines are sourced exclusively from the estate.
2019 marks acclaimed winemaker, Robbie Meyer’s 23rd vintage. In this time, he has received over 100 90+ point ratings for wines from the Livermore Valley, Napa Valley, Santa Barbara and Sonoma County. At Murrieta’s Well, Robbie focuses on creating wines of elegance and balance that tell the story of their estate. With a patient and open-minded approach to winemaking, Robbie tells a story worth listening to glass after glass.
A warm sub-appellation of the greater San Francisco Bay AVA (American Viticultural Area), Livermore Valley mainly hides behind the shielding effects of the bay’s eastern hills. However, late afternoon winds cool down summer nights as daytime heat rises from the Central Valley in the east, pulling the cold, foggy, bay air inland. This cooler evening air permeates the Livermore Valley's foothills, making this an ideal environment for the development of phenolic ripeness and concentration in its wine grapes.
The Livermore Valley is one of California's oldest wine regions and has played a crucial role in shaping California's wine industry. Spanish missionaries planted the first wine grapes in the Livermore Valley in the 1760s. Then in the mid 1800s, a man named Robert Livermore planted the area’s first commercial vineyards. Winemaker pioneer C. H. Wente arrived a few years later; today the Wente Chardonnay clone is the source of a majority of California Chardonnay. Furthermore, James Concannon and the Wetmore brothers recognized the virtues of the area’s Bordeaux-like gravel soils and dedicated themselves to making high quality wine from Bordeaux varieties. Today the area is also known for high quality Petite Sirah.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.