Producer: Domaine du Pegau
Wine: Plume Bleue
Vintage: 2004
Country: USA
Appellation: Vin de Pays d’Oc, Costieres et Soleil
Wine Type: Red
Varietal: Syrah 50%, Grenache 50%
Grade: B
Designation: Cheap and Good
Price: $9

I needed a basic table wine to go with a pork loin with rosemary and sundried tomatoes. You know, something basic, nothing grand or full of itself. I saw this Plume Bleue that is a Vin de Pays d’Oc—that’s usually as basic as a wine gets. It comes from the Costieres et Soleil which is a sub-region of Costieres de Nimes, in other words, a red table wine from the south Rhone Valley. But there is more background to this wine than I presupposed. First, before I go any farther, this wine is a good value and better than a basic table wine. Dark and sinister in color, this little Plume Bleue had lovely and rich aromas of plums with wild herbs and earthy musk. Medium-bodied with a vigorous palate, a little chewy, a fruit forward character, with a smoky and mellow finish. This is a wine to be gulped rather than sipped and it made my pork loin shine, brighter than I daresay it was. Now, regarding the wine’s background, it is a 50-50 blend of Syrah and Grenache from Mark Fincham’s vineyards in Costieres de Nimes. Mark happens to be the husband of Laurence Feraud (Yes, a woman star winemaker) of Domaine du Pegau which is one of the top Chateauneuf-du-Pape estates with its wine sometimes categorized as “cult.” Their Plume Bleue has been produced and targeted towards a U.S. export market seeking high quality table wines at a valued price. This fits the bill nicely. Note also this wine is sold as Pegovino in Europe which doesn’t resonate on American ears as well as Plume Bleue. The palate is the same however. Bon.

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