BrocCllrs Cab Pfeffer LimeKilnVlly/SanBenitoCnty (12.5%) Berkeley 2019: Med.color; fairly strong herbal/rosemary/thyme/spicy/classic CP/bit peppery slight SanBenitoCnty/jammy some earthy/dusty/OV some complex nose; fairly tart/tangy rather earthy/dusty/OV med.bodied rather peppery/herbal/thyme/pungent/CP light jammy attractive flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long lightly tart/tangy light bodied/light weight CP/herbal/peppery/pungent/jammy/thyme some dusty/OV interesting finish w/ light tannins; shows classic CabPfeffer character & SanBenito jammy; a rather pleasant/interesting/drinkable red. $30.00
A wee BloodyPulpit:
This presumably comes from the DeRose Vnyd. CabPfeffer was originally thought to be a cross of CabSauv & Trousseau. SarahWalsh/BonnyDoon had the DNA done on it by UC/Davis & it was identified as an obscure French variety named Mourtaou. There are only some 10 acres remaining in Calif. When Almaden/LeFrancCllrs was encouraging plantings down in SanBenitoCnty, they encouraged a lot of planting of PinotStGeorge & CabPfeffer. But most of those plantings have been abandoned. Danged if I can remember the winemaker of Charles LeFranc wines. Some of them were really quite good. He eventually became a winemaker down in Georgia’s first winery.
CabPfeffer has a very interesting varietal character. I wish there were more of it planted in Calif, especially outside of SanBenitoCnty.
Tom
What would you say are the tell tale varietal characters you’ve found in the variety that set it apart? Curious to hear - and to hear how many you have had and whether they were ‘similar’ in nature or not. Also, ever have any from the Wirz Vineyard? I went to school with one of the family members . . .
Ser, Stirm, and Blue Ox (right down the street from Broc) each produce Cab Pfeffer as well, and there are probably others I’m not thinking of. Bryan Harrington’s Trousseau from Ron Siletto may have actually been this variety too, though we were never certain.
I recall trying the Ken Volk version some years ago when visiting their tasting room in Paso. It’s been quite a while, but I remember it seeming a bit lighter in body and texture than a typical new world cabernet sauvignon, with a bit of a brambly, peppery funk in the flavor profile. I don’t think I ever bought one, but I liked having it as part of my flight whenever they were pouring it.
Ser’s Cab Pfeffer is one of my favorites from last year. So good. Stirms is great too, a little lighter than Ser’s outing. I’ll try to get my hands on the Broc one - thanks for note!
Larry, the Ser Cab Pfeffer is mostly from Wirz Vineyard. Ser is the label of Nicole Walsh, who’s also been with Bonny Doon for 20 years, where she’s the associate winemaker.
Everybody else was pretty certain. Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…
Ser, Stirm and Kobza Wines (my assistant winemaker) get Pfeffer off Wirz. Broc, Blue Ox, Jolie-Laide and Luke Nio get the younger (30 year old) Pfeffer off Enz, Bedrock and Sea split the old vine block. I think Jolie-Laide and Stirm took some Siletto Pfeffer as well this year. There’s another good sized block on the old El Gabilan Vineyard, which I don’t know where it goes, and some on De Rose, which they keep.
The old mother block on Enz is predominantly Mourtaou (about 2/3) but contains Malbec, Cab Sauv, Trosseau, Grand Noir, etc. My best guess is Cab Pfeffer is a field blend that William Pfeffer put together (totally unfounded), rather than a cross between Cab and Trousseau. It drinks medium bodied, it can be very dark and have heavy tannins, or light and nimble depending on ripeness, soils and extraction. Generally muted fruit and a lot of peppery flavors. Reminds me somewhat of wines from the Iroulegay or SW France where Gros Verdot dominates. Does well with carbonic fermentation, also ages well.
The old LeFranc Pinot St. George wines were pretty great. They tasted like they had a fair bit of Pfeffer holding them together.
The William Pfeffer story is the all the vines of Cab Pfeffer he’d sold to various growers was wiped out by phylloxera. Those who replanted swore what he then sold as Cab Pfeffer wasn’t the same grape.
Note the old, more primitive DNA test Ken Volk did on Cab Pfeffer showed it to be Gros Verdot (which appears to be closely related to Mourtao, which could explain a crude match). The interesting thing about that study was a lot of what’s grown as Bastardo for port in other areas of the state also showed as Gros Verdot. Maybe not in anyone’s marketing interest, but perhaps some of those authentic port grape blends include an incorrect grape, and perhaps the rarity of Cab Pfeffer is overstated.
Hay Ian,
Thanks for chiming in, the Stirm is definitely carbonic and not overripe 12%abv, so either Ryan is picking early or Pfeffer/Mourtaou is very heat tolerant do you think it is well suited to places like Cienaga/San Benito?
Hay Wes,
Thanks for the cool clip!
This dorky stuff is what makes come back here worth it.
