This is based on samples supplied by the winery or another organization on their behalf.

2013 Murrieta’s Well the Whip (White Blend)

2011 Murrieta’s Well the Spur (Red Blend)

Overview

I tried the previous vintage of these wines and enjoyed them, I’m looking forward to trying the new vintages. These are both blends that will be different from most of your everyday wines. Sometimes thinking (or drinking) outside the box can be a rewarding experience.

Murrieta’s Well History

Murrieta’s Well was named after the legendary bandito Joaquin Murrieta. Joaquin roamed California during the Gold Rush era rounding up wild cattle and horses. He would then “drive” them down to Mexico to sell to the Mexican Army. The bubbling artesian well on the site that now is the winery was one of his popular watering spots on his journeys. More information on this historical location is available on the Historical Marker database.

With a deeply rooted history, unsurpassed terroir and rich winemaking heritage, Murrieta’s Well is one of California’s original treasures. The 92-acre Estate was originally propagated by Louis Mel in 1883 with vineyard cuttings from Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Margaux. During the same era, he built a gravity-flow winery into the hillside adjacent to the property’s artesian well. In 1990, Philip Wente and Sergio Traverso realized a lifelong dream to revive the historic property, and since then, the two have been crafting Estate blends that highlight the best attributes of the terroir.

Murrieta’s Well is part of Wente Family Estates along with Wente Vineyards and Tamás Estates. The winery produces approximately 12,000 cases a vintage.

Much more of the winery’s history and additional information on these wines and others are available on their website. The winery also has a Wine Club with nice discounts and other benefits. Additional information is available here.

These bottles were provided by Balzac Communications & Marketing.

About Balzac

BALZAC is a marketing communications agency with a no-nonsense approach to combining the strategies and tactics of marketing, public relations, advertising and graphic design to achieve the marketing goals of our clients.

The experience, creativity and determination of our staff distinguish BALZAC from our competition. We use these assets to develop and execute cost-effective campaigns which have won international communications awards.

The results speak for themselves.

The agency is located in Napa, California, and provides services to national, regional, and local companies based in Northern California and throughout the world.

For more information on Balzac, please click here.

The lineup for this tasting:

2013 Murrieta’s Well the Whip (White Blend) – SRP $22

This wine is an unusual blend of 28% Semillon, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Orange Muscat, 11% Viognier, 11% Gewurztraminer and 1% White Riesling from California’s Livermore Valley.

All the varieties were cold fermented to preserve the natural fruit character of the grapes. A small percentage of the Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier were aged in neutral oak barrels to round out the wines and add complexity, the rest of the components were aged in stainless steel tanks.

The wine has 13.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap. There were 338 cases produced.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright golden yellow color. The very enticing nose has apples, orange blossoms, melon, cantaloupe, crushed stones, peach, lychee, cantaloupe, spice, and lemon zest. The wine has medium to full body, a creamy texture and very nice acidity. On the palate ripe fruit and nice spice hit first with tart citrus zest popping out on the back end. This has a long finish with nice tangy citrus making you want to grab another sip. This is an outstanding change of pace wine if you want to try something a bit outside your normal comfort zone. (91 pts)

2013 Murrieta’s Well the Whip

2011 Murrieta’s Well the Spur (Red Blend) – SRP $25.00

This wine is a blend of 31% Petite Sirah, 29% Petit Verdot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Like the Whip, the Spur is closed with a screw cap.

Each varietal was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 14 months in a combination of American, French, Eastern European, and neutral oak barrels.

There were 425 barrels of the wine produced and the final alcohol level is 13.5%.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice ruby red color. The nose is big, dark, and serious with smoke, loamy earth, berries, black cherries, minerals, plums, black pepper, licorice, dried herbs, and some underbrush. This has medium body, soft to moderate tannins, and good acidity. On the palate the berries, smoke, and earthy elements hit first with plums and dried herbs coming in on the back end. The finish has decent length and closes with a big dash of black pepper. This wine screams for something hot and juicy right off the grill. (89 pts)

2011 Murrieta’s Well the Spur

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two. Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets. I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

Cheers!

* Shameless Self Promotion *

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

Breaking news from Klout:

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

Remember to support your local wine store!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.