We recently participated in an online tasting with wines from Murrieta’s Well and Charles Communications Associates. We have tasted wines from Wente Family Vineyards before, but this tasting was focused on their Murrieta’s Well label. Most of the wines come with a screw cap and are made to drink young. However Karl Wente, winemaker, feels some of the reds could age well. Too bad I would have to wait so long to find out if that is true.
We, along with several other bloggers, were sent three wines for the tasting. There were two whites, the 2012 the Whip and the 2011 Murrieta’s Well Los Tesoros White Meritage, and one red, the 2011 the Spur. Do you see a theme going on there with “the Whip” and “the Spur”? Maybe it has to do with Joaquin Murrieta, a bandit during the Gold Rush that frequented the artesian wells on the winery’s site.
Most stories of Joaquin Murrieta are a mix of fact and fiction. He was a bandit or a Robin Hood or a little of both according to various authors. I found the best source for trying to sift fact from fiction to be at Contra Costa Histories. He was real, and he was in the Livermore area, so he does make a good background story for the wines.
Karl Wente and Phil Wente of Wente Vineyards were live on video and told us how each wine was made and what they were looking for in the wine. Phil is one of the co-founders of Murrieta’s Well and the unofficial family historian. All of us watching would tweet comments and questions about the wines which Karl or Phil would answer or comment on.
Now to the wines:
The 2012 the Whip is a blend of quite a few grapes, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Orange Muscat, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Semillon and Muscat Cannelli. It’s a lot, but they are blended very nicely. Crisp and flavorful, a little floral, at $21 it makes a great hot weather wine with a low alcohol level (13% abv).
If you like white Bordeaux you will want to try the 2011 Los Tesoros White Meritage, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (13.4% abv). Barrel fermented in French and Eastern European oak and barrel-aged for 11 months here is a crispness and a roundness in the mouth. Its a really nice texture and the flavor is citrusy and spicey with melon. A nice long finish makes for a very enjoyable experience. A little pricey at $28, but it would complement a nice meal.
The red wine in the group, 2011 the Spur (13.5% abv), is a blend of Petite Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Each varietal was fermented separately in stainless and then aged 14 months in a combination of American, French and Eastern European oak before blending. There is plenty of flavor, some nice tannins and a nice long finish.
Cheers!
Note: Prices quoted are winery prices.
Disclaimer: These wines were provided to us as tasting samples.
