Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/992999
64 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2018 driven fruit?" Meyer wonders. "Here, it's not like someone shows up with 20 tons of Chardonnay and we say, 'Yeah, we'll buy that and we'll throw it into our blends.' That's not what we're doing. We're farming acre by acre with intention." At Murrieta's Well, "farming with inten - tion" manifests in true site optimization, from variety and clonal selections to trellis- ing and pruning decisions. The topography and corresponding soils types are just one of many factors Meyer and his team must consider. "Generally speaking, we say that we have three different soil types. We find sand and the heavier cobblestones near the arroyo [a river bed that runs through the Murrieta's Well estate], and sand and the lighter gravel deposits where the ar - royo has altered its path. The tops of the hills have heavier clays." To Meyer, however, describing the soil this way seems a bit too succinct. "I like to argue that there are a lot of gray areas out there, too, in places where the soils overlap," he says. Hillside erosion causes some of that overlapping, but the estate vineyards' fingers of alluvial soil are the arroyo's doing. Horses lounge lazily under the shade trees on its banks when it runs dry during the summer months, but the scene isn't nearly so bucolic in winter : That's when the roiling waters from the annual rainstorms eventually force the ar - royo to change course. If you visit Murrieta's Well, you won't have to dig a hole to see the soil diversity Meyer's referring to—just take a walk around the tasting room. Formerly the long-neglected gravity-flow winery built by Louis Mel, the space still contains the exposed original walls. Constructed from cobblestones, sand, and gravel found on the property, they're a tangible reminder of the natural and human history of the estate. Standing on the tasting room terrace, you'll also get a great visual of the Liver - more Valley's climatic influences. In the distance, past the picturesque vistas of the vineyards and the valley, you can't miss the gigantic, flailing white arms of a wind farm. "Unlike the Napa and Sonoma valleys that run north to south, the Livermore Valley runs east to west," Meyer explains. "That positioning provides a direct opening to the cool air coming off the Pacific through the Golden Gate. It's like a big alleyway straight off the ocean." Pointing to the windmills, he adds, "Those wind machines let you know there's quite a bit of airflow coming Robbie Meyer visits with a horse on the property. Inside the Murrieta's Well winery, the original exposed beams and cobblestone are juxta- posed with an elegant chandelier. the diversity of soils, elevations, and vineyard aspects available over the 500-acre estate gives The Whip and The Spur a qualitative edge, setting the wines apart within the increasingly-popular blend category.