About Murrieta's Well
Murrieta's Well occupies one of the oldest wine estates in the Livermore Valley, first planted in the 1880s by Louis Mel around a spring-fed well where the outlaw Joaquin Murrieta is said to have watered his horses. The historic gravity-flow winery was revived in 1990 by Philip Wente and winemaker Sergio Traverso, and it now makes estate-grown Bordeaux-style blends under the names The Spur and The Whip.
The wines are made only from the estate's own vineyards on Mines Road, and the setting, with its old stone winery, barrel room and patio looking over the vines, is among the prettiest in the valley.
Visiting
Tastings on the patio and in the barrel room are by reservation, with a small-plates menu that turns a visit into lunch. It is about 50 minutes from San Francisco via Interstate 580.
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