Wine of the week: La Vieille Ferme Rose 2022

Once again, my mom’s rooster wine reminds us that great wine doesn’t require lots of money

Do a quick Google search, and there are lots of nasty things that show up about the La Vieille Ferme rose, including a demeaning score or two on Cellar Tracker, the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app.

Is it any wonder I worry about the future of the wine business?

When wine drinkers, wine critics, and wine geeks can’t see the value – let alone the joy – in a terrific $8 French rose, then we’ve lost one of the things that makes wine so much fun.

So nuts to them, and let the WC recount why this vintage of the La Vieille Ferme Rose ($8, purchased, 13%) is once again one of the great cheap bottles on the market today. The wine, a blend of cinsault, grenache, and syrah, is a touch fruitier this year (red berries) than last year, but there is also an almost orangish citrus note and even some garrigue (the French term for an herbal character some roses pick up). And I love this bit from the producer’s tasting notes: “Well balanced by a slight bitterness on the finish. …” Now that’s $8 winemaking.

Highly recommended, as always, as well as my mom’s favorite wine; it’s sure to take its place in the Hall of Fame next year. My only regret? That the no one in Dallas sells this in the 3-liter box, which would allow me to save even more money – as well as to sip and smile and feel just a little sorry for everyone who thinks the wine isn’t worth drinking.

Imported by Vineyard Brands