Description

Vieille Ferme is owned by the Perrin family that hold some of the best estates in the Rhone Valley, especially down south. They make quite a modern, clean, fresh style of Ventoux wine.

This has all the hallmarks of great Southern Rhone rosé. Dry, savoury, clean and crisp with lovely red berry and floral notes and some great texture. I defy anyone to stop at just one glass.

Ventoux

In the south east of the Rhone Valley situated on an old volcano is this region which produces whites, reds and roses from the classic Rhone and Languedoc-Roussillon varieties. The great producers make amazing wine but it is home to a lot of easy drinking bulk wine for the most part.

Cinsault

An important supporting grape in a lot of wines from Southern France. Able to tolerate the heat but really needs a dry climate to avoid disease. It makes strong black wines that lack a bit of charm without other varieties help. It can really turn it on for textural rosé, especially when an aromatic variety is blended in.

Carignan

AKA Mazuelo, Cariñena and Samsó. This is a French variety that is often used as a bit player in a blend, generally it involves Grenache. It’s late ripening can be problematic or a good insurance policy. In a blend it brings dark colour, high acid and tannin.

Garnacha

Spain’s gift to the world. We know it as Grenache and I think everyone has a soft spot for it in some way. Almost too exuberant in expressing its sweet red fruits and high alcohol, it often needs a little bit of other wines to add moderation, structure and depth. Much like Abbott and Costello. Despite this the wines of Priorat, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rioja and Aussie GSMs have an amazing ability to age for the long term.

Shiraz/Syrah

A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on terroir and/or wine maker influence. The Syrah based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere while the Shiraz of Barossa is rich and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.