Wine of the week: La Vieille Ferme Blanc 2020

First the rose, and then the La Vieille Ferme white – how much luckier can we be?

Two decades ago, the various French La Vieille Ferme wines were of uneven quality – sometimes drinkable, sometimes rough and uneven and even less drinkable. These days, they leave me speechless.

The rose, of course, has established its place as one of the great cheap wines of all time. The red, though still a bit old-fashioned, is usually a more than acceptable $8 wine.

And the white? It’s improved so much that I’m almost at a loss for words.

The La Vieille Ferme Blanc 2020 ($9, purchased, 13%) is a white blend made with grapes most of us haven’t heard of – bourboulenc, anyone? This, of course, keeps the cost down. It also allows production of a simple, but not stupid, wine that is clean and fresh and absent any off flavors or aromas. Trust me – this was not always the case.

This vintage isn’t too fruity (it is a French wine, after all), with some sort of lime and maybe some stone fruits. But it’s not especially tart, which happens all too often with this style of wine at this price.

Highly recommended, and almost certain to enter the Hall of Fame in January. Drink this chilled on its own or with grilled chicken and summer salads.

Imported by Vineyard Brands