17 Jul Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Kobza Wines 2019 Mourtaou, Cienega Valley

Spending the weekend in the Cienega Valley, I visited Crave Wine Bar & Shop located on the 600 block of San Benito Street in historic, downtown Hollister. Crave offers a selection of curated delicious and rare wines from across the globe as well as within California, including local wines from the Cienega Valley. Crave is owned by a friend of mine who shared a wine with me that I loved, not only for its taste but because of its uniqueness. This is why the Kobza Wines 2019 Mourtaou, Cienega Valley is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About Kobza

Kobza Wines is a husband and wife team, Ryan and Natalie, who grew up, met and married in Reno, Nevada. They moved to the Monterey area in 2011. Ryan’s day job is working with winemaker Ian Brand and Chualar Canyon Winery. And with Kobza Wines, he works with old vine varieties, ancient techniques, and many forgotten grapes, all from the Cienega Valley in San Benito County southeast of Monterey. Ryan sources fruit from Pat Wirz whose dry-farmed vineyard is home to own-rooted vines, including Mourtaou (aka Cabernet Pfeffer) and Mourvedre planted in 1904; Carignan and Zinfandel planted in the 1930s; and Riesling planted in 1952.

About Mourtaou (aka Cabernet Pfeffer)

There are 15 acres of Cabernet Pfeffer planted in San Benito County’s Cienega Valley. This is the largest concentration of Cabernet Pfeffer acreage in the world and these vines were planted more than a century ago.

Cabernet Pfeffer is NOT related to Cabernet Sauvignon or Trousseau. Despite many theories and conjectures, it was determined by UC Davis, thanks to Ryan Kobza who submitted the plant material for testing, that Cabernet Pfeffer is the same as Mourtaou, an almost extinct grape from southwestern France. It is unknown how the grape came to the United States, but it is known that in the late 1800s, a German immigrant named William Pfeffer owned a grapevine nursery in Saratoga. And it was around the same time that the grape was planted in the Cienega Valley. Only four plantings remain today and can be found at the Enz, Wirz, Gemelli, and DeRose vineyards.

Tasting Notes

The Kobza Mourtaou is a light ruby color and offers a fragrant nose with notes of raspberry, cherry, violets, baking spices, and black pepper. The wine has layers of texture and a soft tannic grip. The wine is medium-bodied with medium-high acidity. The finish of the wine is fresh, leaving your mouth watering and wanting more.

Food Pairing

The medium body, high tannins, and high acidity make Mourtaou a very food-friendly wine. Try it with chicken and turkey dishes or enjoy with a cheese plate.

Where To Purchase

The Kobza Wines 2019 Mourtaou, Cienega Valley retails for $22 and can be purchased directly from the Kobza Wines website. Or, if you find yourself in Hollister, California, try the wine at Crave Wine Co.