My Favorite Force of Nature

I first encountered Force of Nature's wine at Hotel Cheval earlier this year in a Zinfandel. Later, my buddy Mark shared with me their Tempranillo. Both wines were memorably great... so much so that at Hotel Cheval I asked to see the bottle and it was when I saw the label artwork the love affair was then complete.

I proceeded to forget all about this wine after my first quarter at Cal Poly began in late September. That quarter having just ended last week and now being on vacation I strode into the Albertson's in Atascadero yesterday. There I found that same Zinfandel again and purchased a bottle for dinner with mom last night. If anything it seemed even better that time around... or it paired better with Thai food than as a stand-alone glass of wine.

What I love about the labels themselves are they have relief as opposed to being flat like most labels, utilize higher-quality paper, and stylistically imitate the medieval European woodcut and even the quote in the caption below is very much in the medieval European chronicle style. 

This is my current favorite wine with the Zinfandel being my favorite varietal although the Tempranillo is great. There are three others under this label: Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, all of which I intend to experience. Fortunately for me, owner Rob Murray has opened up shop at the castle winery on Highway 46 West so I don't have to drive far to experience all the Forces of Nature.

Inscribed vertically at left out of view is "This FORCE OF NATURE appeared in the tenth month of the year 2012."

Photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).