2017 Kobza Wines, Crémant of Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Wirz Vineyard, Cienega Valley AVA, San Benito County.
The bright gold yeasty and nutty Kobza Crémant of Riesling from old vines is dry sparkler that makes for a fun and delightful aperitif and or a starter wine to go with oysters or ceviche. This pure ancient method Riesling bubbly has a creamy, but vibrant mousse and loads of mineral intensity, stone fruit, citrus and brioche notes with delicate aromatics, a touch of earthiness, bees wax, verbena and clove spice. There’s a burst of lime, cider apple, minty herb and tart peach in the background along with a hint of rosewater that especially comes out with food, again making it a delicious and unique Sparkling wine, much in the vein of a German Sekt. Bottle lees aged, secondary fermetted, with a low dosage like feel and disgorged at Brut level, this Kobza Crémant was all handmade by winemaker Ryan Kobza, who has been Ian Brand’s right-hand man at his I. Brand & Family Winery for about a decade. Kobza’s own label has a collection of unique offerings, most from this old vine and historic vineyard in the wild’s of San Benito County and includes a set of dry Rieslings, a Rosé, a rare Cabernet Pfeffer (Mourtaou) and a Mourvèdre led field blend. Recently Kobza added a Santa Cruz Mountains dry Riesling that was impressive as well that fits nicely with his small collection of offerings.
The Wirz Vineyard, a heritage vineyard site in San Benito County’s Cienega Valley AVA, was originally planted back in 1903 and bought by the Wirz family in the 1940’s, with Pat Wirz still working this old vine gem. Kobza, as mentioned in my prior reviews of his wines, is enthralled with this place, he notes that, the entire vineyard is dry-farmed, head trained, and own rooted, just as it was done 120 years ago. The Riesling, where this wine, plus a dry still version come from, is a 50 year old parcel that is planted in a single contiguous block along a small creek, with rocky soils, while the reds here are an inter-planted, bush vine field blend of Zinfandel, Mourtaou (known also as Cabernet Pfeffer), Mourvèdre and Carignan with a bit of super rare Rose of Peru (Pais) and Palomino (the Sherry white grape) occasionally interspersed within. Ryan’s wines are all hand crafted with very low intervention in the cellar and mostly neutral wood aged, with the sparklers seeing lots of lees contact and old school love and care in the cellar. This micro winery based in Monterey County, run just by Ryan and his wife Natalie, is a small under the radar label that is sold mostly in local area restaurants and direct on the website. Kobza is a champion of rarities and lesser known varietals, as well as out of the lime-light terroirs, and I recommend checking out his wines.
($28 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive