Wine of the week: La Vieille Ferme Rose 2021

Once again, the La Vielle reminds us that wine doesn’t have to be expensive, snotty, or stupid

What better way to kick off the blog’s 15h annual rose extravaganza than with this French pink, which delivers stunning quality for oh so little money? And has done so for years and years and years.

So buy a case – or even the 3-liter box, if it’s available where you live – and thank the Perrin family that runs La Vieille for their skill and professionalism, as well as their decision not to dumb down or focus group the wine. Because it certainly must be tempting to do so in a rose world where very, very ordinary pink costs $18 (and you know who you are) and isn’t nearly as well made as this.

First and foremost, know that the La Vieille ($8, sample, 13%) is dry, and not the faux dry that shows up in too many California roses when the wise guys leave in a touch of residual sugar because they’re smarter than we are. In addition, it’s clean, crispy, and stony, with barely ripe strawberry fruit. In other words, rose the way French rose should be.

One sign that the Perrin family knows what it’s doing: This vintage isn’t labeled Ventoux, the appellation that the wine has carried for years. Instead, it’s merely labeled France, which I assume was done to keep prices down but to keep up the quality.

Highly recommended, and should return to the Hall of Fame next January. And why not, when something this well made costs this little?

Imported by Vineyard Brands