Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/760410
w i n t e r 2 0 1 7 | 6 5 Notably, it was also California's first gravity-flow winery, and the vineyards were established around 1889 with cuttings from Château d'Yquem and Château Margaux, brought over by Charles Wetmore, then head of the California Board of Viticultural Commissioners.. Ac- cording to Murrieta's Well winemaker Robbie Meyer, the Wente family also brought over Dijon clones of Chardonnay from Montpellier in 1912. Today, vines on the estate are propagated from descendants of these cuttings: "You get to see plant material that has never left the property," says Meyer; "it's unique and exciting. We'll go through older vineyards before they're pulled out—you might walk through an old Chardonnay block; we'll taste and mark plants and make new propa- gations from our favorites. We're creating whole new blocks from the vines that are best suited to the varying microclimates we work with." Meyer, who grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, developed an appreciation for wine at a young age. "I was working at a restaurant with a great wine list and started taking an interest in wine as a teen- ager. I caught the bug and eventually became a wine steward at the age of 18." At the time, Meyer was studying biology and chemistry at the University of Georgia; following graduation, he moved to California to continue his studies at U.C. Davis. After earning a Master's degree in viticulture and enology, he cut his teeth at Peter Michael Winery. It was there that he met Karl Wente, who was working as an intern. "We became fast friends," Robbie recalls, "and we shared a similar philosophy. I'd visit Karl, and we'd do competitive set tastings—tasting through their wines and all of the other wines that fit their program. Karl and I always shared ideas in winemaking and grape growing." As Karl Wente stepped into the family business, eventually be- coming the fifth-generation winemaker and COO at Wente Family Estates, he asked Meyer if he'd consider taking on the historic label. Today, Meyer oversees both the vineyard and winemaking process. "He wanted an independent voice, an independent representative. It's been a lot of fun." "We became fast friends" PHOTO: CHRIS HOWARD Winemaker Robbie Meyer of Murrieta's Well in Livermore, California.