La Vieille Ferme wines are
produced by the esteemed winemaking Perrin
family (of Chateau de Beaucastel fame)
and include a red, white and rosé. These
are unpretentious table wines that nevertheless
reflect skilled winemaking and terroir.
Bottom line? They’re remarkably tasty
and exceedingly good values.
The grapes of the La Vieille
Ferme wines are harvested from the Cote
du Ventoux and Cote du Luberon regions
of the Rhone Valley – you Wine Skinny
regulars will know that this one of our
favorite regions in the whole wine world!
La Vieille Ferme wines are hardly new
to the American market, having debuted
in the 1970s, so if you haven’t discovered
them yet – you’re way behind.
A blend of 50% Grenache,
20% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 15% Cinsault,
this is a poster child of a red Rhone
blend. Even this $8 bottle of wine gets
the signature Perrin/Beaucastel treatment
– heating the vintage before a long
fermentation. The result is a wine that
is smooth and round, with juicy cherry,
deep plum, and touches of pepper and spices.
Just enough concentration and good acidity
make it extremely food friendly –
try it with any of your summer grilling.
Another Rhone blend, with approximately
50% Cinsault, 40% Grenache and 10% Syrah.
This is Provence in a glass. Clean and
refreshing, with a lovely floral bouquet
ushering in ripe red cherry fruit balanced
nicely with delicate fennel and sweet
cinnamon. We visited Provence last summer
and fell under the charms of a cold glass
(or carafe) of local rosé on these dusty
warm days. Perfect as an apéritif, but
remarkably versatile with food. Try it
with anything from crawfish boils to barbecue
– you’ll like it!
This was really the surprise hit –
frankly, we had a hunch we’d like
the reds, but weren’t quite as sure
about the white. Inexpensive white wine
can really be awful. But this blend of
Rhone varietals (Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc,
Ugni Blanc, and Roussane) was unexpectedly
complex and appealing. Just a touch of
oak adds roundness and depth to the flavor
profile, while leaving a clean and refreshing
finish. Outstanding with cold seafood
dishes, and perfect at cocktail time.
All three wines retail in
the $6-$8 range and are hands-down the
best value around.
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