The Cotes du Luberon is a Rhone Valley appelation, southeast of such famed terroirs as Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras, and Gigondas. I have never had a wine from this region before, and I have had very few Rhone whites, so this was a fun wine to pair up with some shrimp on the barbie and some homemade fried calamari.An interesting blend of Grenache, Bourbolenc, Ugni Blanc and Rousanne, the 2006 La Vieille Ferme (blanc) was a shiny, pale gold colour. Luscious fruit up front, with scents of red delicious apple and melon, it later revealed honey, hay, basil, mint, fresh cut grass, butter and toast. Elegant, rich and lemony soft on the palate, this was a balanced and enjoyable white, well made and interesting. A terrific value, and now one of my summer white staples. This would be perfect as a chilled, patio quaffer, or a serious white for flavourful white meats (shrimp, chicken, lobster). This paired better with the shrimp than the calamari.
alcohol 13%
Score: 16/20
Price: C$13.70 (SAQ)
(PS - I have had the rouge Vielle Ferme at some point in the past, and I was unimpressed)
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4 comments:
I got banana off the last Vieille Ferme blanc I tasted. I thought it was the 2006, maybe 2005...
On the other hand, the Vieille Ferme rouge has greatly improved of late. The 2004 was especially better than ever. Not saying a lot since this is a modest wine, but still.
Aren't I contradictory today? ... Bad WBW host!
Hi Marcus - sorry, didn't get the banana, but my household is full of the sniffles so I may have missed that! I had the rouge in Ontario - can't recall the vintage, but I recall it was thin and unbalanced. Yes, it is true that I rarely play in the $11 category, but I personally have preferred a number of wines at that price point - Campbarro, Grenache Riche, and Dominio Espinal to name a few. Feel free to be contradictory - I'll still post my WBW 33, regardless! :)
You missed the Midi Conseils - bubbles today. Nina Franco Prosecco - elegant, easy to drink, but I found the Carpene Malvolti more bit interesting (and cheaper). The next was the Moncontour Vouvray Brut - I didn't like it, but what do I know, those around me did. It was the most Champagne like of the four, with a great nose, but I found the mousse wrong - big, unpleasant bubbles, and unbalanced. I really liked the Codorniu Pinot Noir Brut (rose), but I was not with the table. I think I just like Cava a lot more than others do, and this was pretty nice, although I think the regular Codorniu is a spectacular deal. Last was the Mumm Napa Rose, probably the best balanced, nicest mousse, but most expensive. That being said, at $30 it is a heck of a lot cheaper than the real Mumm...Cheers!
Oh, I love that one. It was one of the favorites at a Cotes du Rhone blanc tasting my wine group had a couple months ago. Especially at that price! ($8 here)
Hi Farley. FYI, our prices include the taxes and bottle deposit, so the gap is not as large as it first appears... but at that price you should load up! Please pass along any other Rhone white favourites!
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