It was time for another “Out of the Box” week. This week, I was still sourcing my bottles from the haul that my husband had surprised me with and I chose a red blend from Livermore Valley.
I had never heard of Livermore Valley before, so I started my research there. Livermore Valley is about 30 miles east of San Francisco, CA. It is one of California’s oldest regions, with grapes first being planted there by Spanish missionaries in the 1760s. However, it wasn’t until almost 100 years later that pioneers began planting there. Then in 1889, the valley earned the first international gold medal in America for wine at the Paris Exposition. Most of California’s Chardonnays started in Livermore Valley and can trace their lineage to grapes first planted there. *
The Murrieta’s Well winery started in 1884 when a man name Louis Mel purchased the land and started planting vines. The property was later sold to Robert Wente, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Murrieta’s Well label was created. *
This wine was from Livermore Valley, California and sampled on May 12, 2017. I took a long breath and breathed in the scents of cherries and a mixture of spices. My first taste brought sweet fruits and a hint of softness. The softness is kind of difficult to explain. It was almost like the edible equivalent of silky fruit. It was not acidic at all. I paired this with goat cheese stuffed peppers. It alleviated the spiciness of the peppers while also cutting through some of the tang of the goat cheese, which I could truly appreciate.
I gave this wine a rating of 4.0. While I would not be pairing it with goat cheese stuffed peppers again any time soon, I was ready to pair it with something a little more mainstream just so I could enjoy it again.
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