Murrieta’s Well
Boutique, family-owned winery? ✅
Woman-run winery check? ✅
Beautiful views and delicious estate wines? ✅
Welcome to Murrieta’s Well, a winery that honors its rich historical past that began in the 1880s by Louis Mel. With cuttings from Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Margaux in France, Louis planted a vineyard and built his winery into the hillside of what we now know as Livermore Valley.
In 1940, Ernest Wente purchased the property from Louis Mel, and the Estate has been part of the Wente family ever since. Named after the gold rush outlaw Joaqin Murrieta that as legend has it would frequent the natural well on property, the old stone gravity flow winery has been beautifully restored by fifth-generation winegrower Jordan Wente and is home to the Murrieta’s Well tasting room, which she continues to run.
While sitting outside with the cooling breezes flowing in from the San Francisco Bay, you can see why Louis Mel settled here over 140 years ago. The casual setting is perfect for meeting friends and sharing a wine tasting or bottle with a cheese board while overlooking the surrounding hillside vines. Winemaker Robbie Meyer is producing bottlings from their 500-acre sustainably farmed estate, which includes Bordeaux varietals alongside less traditional varieties like Souzao, Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional, Malvasia Bianca, and Orange Muscat.
When was the last time you tasted a blend of Touriga, Tempranillo, and Souzao? Their “Zarzuela” red wine is a gorgeous blend of these varietals, offering notes of black and red fruits, black pepper, cloves, licorice, and a hint of red roses. It’s invigorating to taste unique wines like these, and the reason I love visiting new wineries!
Murrieta’s Well also offers a sunset hiking experience on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. I’m dying to go back for this one-of-a-kind tour and tasting! Next time you’re craving a unique and different adventure, I highly recommend heading out to Livermore Valley, a wine region that has so much to offer its guests!