The texture is rich and unctuous on entry, but any suggestion of sweetness is immediately replaced by good acidity and unfolding flavors of ripe melon and citrus. The 2015 version of The Whip ($18) is a mix of 30% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, 7% Viognier and 3% Muscat Canelli. While their identity may still be a bit fuzzy, they are also notable bargains on today’s retail shelf. I recently had the opportunity to revisit them after a lapse of several decades, and they are interesting and extremely well-crafted. The wines were moderately successful, but never really achieved an identity in the public mind. The focus at Murietta’s Well, then and now, was on blends. He traveled the country promoting Murietta’s Well, which had a very different approach from most California wineries at the time.Įver since Robert Mondavi struggled to legitimize California wine back in the 1960s, the overwhelming emphasis had been on single varietal wines. with training in biochemistry and microbiology, who resembled an international polo star.
Traverso was also an intriguing individual: a Ph.D. The name was homage to Joaquim Murietta, a glorious historical figure variously described as Robin Hood, a Mexican patriot or the reincarnation of Zorro, depending on which version you believe (the well on the property was where he supposedly watered his horses). In 1990 Philip Wente and Sergio Traverso revived the winery and named it Murietta’s Well. It was sold in 1933 to Ernest Wente, and remains in the family today. For starters, it had a long history: the operation was founded in 1884 by Louis Mel, a Bordeaux enthusiast who built a gravity-flow winery and planted vineyards with cuttings from Chateau Margaux and Chateau d’Yquem. Murietta’s Well was one of the more interesting wineries to emerge during the California boom of the 1990’s.
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