Absolutely not RRD. It seems folks new to roses really worry about RRD but they shouldn't. This is exactly what new growth is supposed to look like and you'll get used to it after you've been doing it awhile. New growth is often very red, thorns are initially crowded but stretch out along the cane as it grows. The spots you see also look normal to me. I think it will green up more as the season progresses. And some roses are very thorny anyway and it's still not RRD. (If I remember correctly, RRD thorns are often soft/flexible as well.)

RRD is very weird when you see it. It's not just red new growth, it's jam packed. The new growth doesn't usually elongate like regular new growth does. The thorns are jam packed and stay that way. Leaf shape doesn't often develop and they stay thin/narrow. They grow with a thick mass of stems all packed together. There are so many things to RRD but I don't see any of it here--just healthy new growth.

Enjoy Don Juan--a terrific rose!

Thank you SO much for providing peace of mind. I am truly excited to see DJ thrive this year!

Agree with Robert, no rose rosette disease evidence in your photos. The long, tan, scabby fissure like growths in the photos are nothing more than those stems going through the natural process of growing and turning to woody stems which grow a kind of bark. You see it increase more visibly the farther down you trace a stem to its origin at ground level, where bark is very apparent on the basal canes. Climbers often grow short trunks in time.

The purple colored spots and dots on the green stems are usually of little concern. I had them on my Julia Child floribundas and paid them no mind. Normal coloration for some roses, or a bit of downy mildew, or who knows what....but whatever, was/is of no consequence, IMHO.

Moses