LCBO Sale Wine of the Week: September 8
La Vieille Ferme 2015 Cotes Du Ventoux AOC (Rhône, France)
Sale $11.10, Regular $12.60
Discount (until Sept. 11): $1.50
LCBO #263640 | 750 mL bottle
Tastes like: Straight-up fresh raspberry/cherry with a little bit of earthiness and some nice fresh herbs.
Pairs with: Easy bites and canapés, tea sandwiches, mixed nuts, good crackers and cheese.
Good for: Garden or patio parties when you just want a nice and easy drinker (no, we don’t mean your crazy uncle).
Alcohol: 13%
Drink: Now thru 2018.
Why we're drinking this
La Vieille Ferme is the entry level wine from the venerable Perrin family that has been making wine in the Rhône Valley of the south of France for centuries. It’s never a blockbuster, but it’s always good and it’s always cheap. And it varies year to year, some being better than others, which is an honest reflection of the vagaries of vintage variation. No guff, this is a pretty good wine to have on hand at all times. Anyone who complains about it is a snob, and you might not want him or her around anyway.
Tasting note
This is a wine that enjoys a nice chill. Take it down a few degrees below room temperature to enhance the fresh fruit on the nose and brighten up the palate. The grapes are Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. They provide lots of raspberry- cherry aromas, and more of the same on the palate, though it’s not quite as lively in the mouth. It’s a lean wine, a bit crisp and steely, and with not a hint of oak. So if you like big bruisers, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But this is more than appropriate for a summer afternoon with cheese, charcuterie and other snacks — and it’ll refresh just fine.
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