The La Vieille Ferme Rosé – 2017 is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah made by Famille Perrin and sourced from vineyards in the Ventoux district in the southeastern area of the Southern Rhone Valley of France. This is a sub-$10 Rose’ (I found it for $6.99) and it does not seem to be a Ventoux AOC wine, the label only says Product de France, which used to be classified as “table wine“, so this Rose’ didn’t meet all the rules and regulations of the AOC ruling body. There are 2 main methods for making Rose’, the Direct Press Method and the Saignee Method with the Direct Press being the most popular method of making Rose’. The La Vieille Ferme (translates to the old farmstead) Rosé – 2017 uses the Saignee Method, here the grapes are picked just as you would for regular Red wine, the grapes are crushed and the juice and grape skins go into a large tank. After a short period of time (the timeframe is up to the winemakers needs) a portion of the juice, sans grape skins and grape residue are transferred to a separate vat. The juice transferred from the main tank is turned into Rose’ and the juice left in the main vat becomes Red wine. I won’t get into the production of Direct Press Rose’, but there the juice is intended to be Rose’ from start to finish, there is no Red wine production involved. Since the Saignee Rose’ started out life the same as Red wine, it tends to have more body and can have a darker color, but not always. The alcohol content is 13%.
The color is a pale mix of pink and apricot. The nose is bright and lively, a mix of red berries and lemonade, with a pretty floral edge. This is a crisp, fairly dry, easy to drink Rose’. It tastes of strawberry, watermelon, tart cherry and a light slap of minerality. The mid-palate mirrors the body of the wine, but does add some ripe raspberry and a touch of spice. The acidity will have you licking your lips, not too much, just enough to be slightly addictive. The finish is surprisingly full and long.
The La Vieille Ferme Rosé – 2017 is one of those “summertime in a bottle” Rose’, crisp, refreshing, tasty and way to easy to drink. Don’t get bent out of shape because this is a table wine rather than an IGP or an AOC wine, in California every wine from Screaming Eagle to 2 Buck Chuck is a table wine, there are worse places for wine than on the table. This is a very solid, warm summer night, balcony or patio Rose’, the price is more than reasonable and the wine is tasty. It is one of those wines where you should buy twice as much as you think you need, because it goes down so easy.
