Pfenix Vineyards

[Drew]

I visited my favorite wine shop the other day and purchased the below two wines with others. The check out girl boxed my bottles and after paying, I picked up the box and CRASH! the bottle of the Pfenix Cabernet Pfeffer was all over the floor. The box had a hole in the bottom which no one spotted. Here's the point. The front of the store became saturated with the most glorious, floral Cab scent that I wanted to lick the floor. The bottle was replaced, no questions. A little investigation produced the following with both wines receiving medals in the San Diego National Wine Competition. This wine will be a must find if it is as good as it smells....anyone have any experience with these two? I'm gonna pop em next weekend.

Drew

Winery: PFENIX WINERY Varietal: OTHER RED VARIETALS COMPETITION YEAR: 2000 Wine Description: CABERNET PFEFFER - 1997 Medal: BRONZE MEDAL Cost: $20.00 State: CA Region: CIENEGA VALLEY Alcohol: 12.5 Sugar: 0.0

Winery: PFENIX WINERY Varietal:
BLENDED RED - OTHER COMPETITION YEAR: 2001
Wine Description: BENU - 1998 Medal: BRONZE MEDAL Cost: $16.00 State: GA Region: CALIFORNIA Alcohol: 13.2 Sugar: 0.0

Grape

Cabernet Pfeffer
Cabernet Pfeffer is a grape derived from the varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, created by William Pfeffer in the mid 1800’s. There was much debate and controversy regarding Cab Pfeffer in the late 1880’s due to its classification. In 1897 a court ruling declared that Cab Pfeffer is a Cabernet variety and should be considered as such.

Survival
The phylloxera epidemic wiped out most of this grape in the 1890’s. Propagating from his original cuttings, William Pfeffer grafted to resistant rootstock and replanted. In 1908, William Pfeffer gave cuttings to two growers in the Cienega Valley. The grapes from which the D' Elissagaray Basque Blend is made are the progeny of those seedlings.

Precious and rare
There are only about 10 acres reportedly producing this unique varietal in California at this time. Cabernet Pfeffer is similar to Cabernet Sauvignon in flavors, though lighter in tannins and heavier in spice.

[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 05-31-2003).]