Kobza Mourtaou Rosé: Notes and Pairings #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kobza Wines.

Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

I spoke to Ryan Kobza several years ago. Back then, he wasn't making his own wines. So, I was thrilled to have stumbled across a few bottles at Whole Foods last summer. And, then, this summer, he emailed me and asked if I might be willing to taste and pair his current releases: his Rosé, Riesling, and Red Field Blend. Absolutely!

Kobza says that what he's trying to do is make approachable food-friendly wines. "To that end, our wines tend to carry more acid, less alcohol and are not intended to overwhelm at the table," he shared. "Rather, they are a compliment to daily life."

I have to admit that I love his approach to wine - as both compliment and complement to daily life. For us wine isn't necessarily a celebration drink. Certainly we celebrate with wine. But I enjoy wines that add layers of flavor to our everyday meals.

I poured the Kobza Mourtaou Rosé with some friends for the first course of a simple dinner party. I served the wine with warm marinated olives, a cheese board, and a peach-tomato salsa. Read about the dinner - and the get salsa recipe - here: A Pretty Simple Approach, 10 Lesson, Summer Salsa & More.

Kobza is one of just a few winemakers who work with the Mourtaou grape, an obscure varietal, which hails from the Gironde and is also called Cabernet Pfeffer here in California. The average age of Kobza's Rosé of Mourtauo is approximately a century. One hundred years old! So, ancient and obscure. That's my kinda wine.

To the eye, this wine has a pink hue with an orange tint; it's a lovely salmon color. To the nose, I get layers of citrus and underlying notes of spice. But, what we found so enjoyable were the layers of flavors that revealed themselves as we made our way through the course. The bright acidity of the marinated olives and salsa and creamy mouthfeel of the cheeses were matched with an impressive earthiness of the wine.

Additionally the notes of tart citrus and ripe summer stone fruits shockingly do not compete; instead they meld seamlessly for a complex flavor profile that pleases from beginning to the end. The Kobza Mourtaou Rosé is voluptuous yet airy. And it is one of my favorite summer sips. Now I just need to figure out where to get a few more bottles!

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*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.