Murrietas Well The Whip

Description

VINEYARD Our wines are exclusively sourced from our estate vineyard in the Livermore Valley. The Sauvignon Blancdescendants of the original cuttings planted by Louis Mel in the late 1800s was grown in our Louis Mel vineyard located across the arroyo that runs directly in front of our historic tasting room property. Featuring an elevation range of 575-715 feet above sea level, this vineyard is where we grow the Chardonnay and Semillon for this wine. The Chardonnay was also sourced from our Ernest vineyard, which features an elevation range of 575-615 feet and is located directly west of the Louis Mel vineyard. The aromatic varieties in this wine blendViognier and Muscat Canelliwere grown in our Hayes vineyard which has the widest elevation range 560860 feet on our entire estate. Of the 20 grape varieties we grow on our estate; 11 of them are grown on our Hayes vineyard because it features such an array of soils, aspects and slopes. We farm our vineyards block by block according to these attributes to ensure optimal flavor and fruit expression are achieved.WINEMAKING FERMENTATION | A small portion of the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc were fermented in small oak barrels over the course of approximately 2 weeks to add a roundness to the blend. The remaining Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the Semillon, Viognier, and Muscat Canelli were fermented cold in stainless steel tanks as individual components for approximately 3 weeks. This maintains the wines natural acidity and vibrant freshness. AGING | After fermentation, the stainless steel portions of the wines were racked with some of their lees to stainless tanks for 2 months. The barrel fermented portions of the blend were topped and stayed in barrel for two months. All of the varieties were blended after a few months and stored in 1/3 used French Oak and 2/3 stainless steel tanks to finish the aging process. The wine was aged for a total of about 14 months.HARVEST Harvest of The Whip varieties began with our Sauvignon Blanc in August and ended with Muscat Canelli, in early October. The 2015 vintage represented the fourth drought vintage in a row for California. The drought contributed to the pattern of earlier than average ripening and harvest. This is actually a good thing viticulturally because it results in very expressive, concentrated wines.ROBBIES TASTING NOTES When we create The Whip each vintage, we look to deliver a wine with aromatic appeal that provides a textured and delicious palate, and has the presence and crisp finish to be an excellent food wine. We are fortunate to grow several aromatic white varietals on our estate, such as Viognier and Muscat Canelli, that provide beautiful fruit and floral expressions. We use those varietals and others to accentuate the rich and full palate provided by our estate Chardonnay and Semillon enhanced by the wonderful natural acidity of our Sauvignon Blanc. This helps us deliver a complete wine that tells the story of our estate each and every vintage. Enjoy through 2020. – Murrieta’s Well