Full on French: Jean Royer Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition

I have not had a bottle of French wine for myself in a long time (shame on me?). I, like most Americans have been obsessed with American, South American, and the occasional Australian wines. Because of the variety, complexity and inconsistency of availability of French wines, I am often lazy in my purchases and just go for a Cali Cab.

I have a friend who works for a wine dealer and I go to their shop every once in a while.They have a great selection of wines from around the world. One day I visited they shop with no particular agenda. I figured I might as well get a French wine.I picked out a Jean Royer Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There was no rhyme nor reason-I just wanted to try a French wine and I almost picked at random. Truthfully, I am not as up on the classification of French vines as I should be (this may be why I don't buy them as much).

In any case. I made the purchase and waited for a calm Friday night to enjoy. The first thing I noticed about this wine was that it did not present any sort of fruit characteristics in its initial presentation.Instead, earthy highlights greeted my palate. I could tell right away that the whole design of this wine was to break its distinction from the natural essence of the grape it came from and morph into something much more. The grape was the caterpillar, the vinting the cocoon, and the wine the butterfly. I think this is what sets apart French wines from most California wines. California wines showcase the fruit qualities of the grapes they are born to. French wines are born to become Something set apart from the fruit they came from.

After the notice of the earthy tone, I tasted raisins faintly. The wine was amazing and I am glad I picked it up. I was a pleasant break from my normal routine.

I have added a link to a Danish sight that has information on the Jean Royer wines (and many other of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines).



Jean Royer Chateauneuf-du-Pape Tradition 2001

Color/Appearance: 4

Nose: 4

Taste: 4.5

Consistency: Unknown

Overall: 4

Renwood Zinfandel

It’s been just the past three years that I’ve really gotten into zinfandels. I became hooked after a friend pointed me to Amador Valley, an up and coming zin region in Northern California (I will have a post on Amador in the future). Now when I shop for wine, I always look for zinfandels from Amador. One that I have found is Renwood. The Renwood is full of fruit and is fully accessible. There is very little bite or alcoholic after taste. I enjoy it as an after dinner treat.

On of the things I enjoy most about Renwood (and most Amador wines) is its obscurity. I love surprising friends with a glass. Most are shocked by the quality and flavor for its appellation. If you get a chance to try the Renwood Zin, or any other Zin from Amador, do it!

Renwood Zinfandel

Color/Appearance: 4

Nose: 4

Taste: 4

Consistency: 4

Overall: 4

Purple Moon Shiraz

Christmas 2005 I got a pleasant surprise. A friend of mine gave me a bottle of Purple Moon Shiraz. It came in a green felt wine bag. As I pulled the wine out of the bag I was greeted by the deep Purple Moon label. I had never seen this wine before and the front of the bottle did not reveal much. Only the name Purple Moon and the facts that it was a Shiraz, vintage of 2004 and the origin of California were on the front. The back of the bottle was much more telling. There is nice little story on the wine and some tasting and pairing notes. And at the bottom of the back label finally you find out about the winery and location—Purple Moon Winery, Manteca, California.

Manteca, California? Manteca? I remember Manteca. Manteca isn’t wine country. The only thing of import in Manteca was the Manteca Waterslides water park (which closed down not too long ago). Well I guess Manteca can now lay claim to a pretty good Shiraz as well.

I cracked open the Purple Moon one Friday night while doing some work on the computer. It was a little cooler than room temperature, so I could not get the full development of its aroma. However, I was greeted by a nice spicy, fruity taste. There was very little trace of the cask, it was all fruit.

There is no presence on the web for this winery (or I can not find it). I would like to know more about the makers of this wine. Thanks again to my friend (Ms. Perfect) for this wonderful wine!

Purple Moon Shiraz 2004

Color/Appearance: 4

Nose: 3

Taste: 3.5

Consistency: Unknown

Overall: 3.5

J Lohr Cab, my first love!

My first post is devoted to one of my favorite wines—the J Lohr Cabernet. It is big and bold and full of fruit and cask oak. This Cab’s taste is so smooth and almost creamy.

I used to frequent a wine bar Fermentations in Seaside, Florida. The J Lohr Cab was a house wine and while I sampled many different wines at this bar, I could not go long without having a glass of J Lohr. Fermentations served tapas styled appetizers and their specialty was a smoked trout dip served with artisan crackers. There is no better paring in the world than that cab and the dip! A sip of the creamy, oak kissed Lohr complimented the smoky creamy taste of the dip. What a way to spend the day on the emerald sea and snow white sand! I so do miss those days.

J Lohr Cabernet

Color/Appearance: 5

Nose: 4

Taste: 5

Consistency: 5

Overall: 5