Cotes du Ventoux La Vieille Ferme, 2005

You can find this wine almost anywhere, and I've seen it discounted as low as $5.99. I buy a lot of La Vieille Ferme, but every time I open a bottle I wonder why I don't drink even more.

I opened my first bottle of 2005 La Vieille Ferme a year ago today and marveled at how much it resembled the 2005 Domaine Sainte Anne Cotes du Rhone I had opened a day or two before. It was bluish and gushing with fresh blue/blackberry fruit with full cream but also peel extracts and tannin to give it substance. A year later, it still has a bluish purple tint as I look at it from across the table and the dark berries still dominate the aroma and flavors. Everything has deepened now, however, with emerging scents of black pepper, spices and Provencal herbs. It's exactly the quality I expect and love from a developing Southern Rhone. It has fresh, finely focused fruit with a full body and a serious demeanor.

While made for early drinking, LVF goes through a maturation process just like any other living organism. Whereas Domaine Sainte Anne might develop more slowly over a 10 to 12 year period, La Vieille Ferme goes through the same changes in about three to four years, depending on the vintage. At one year of age, it's become a young adult and will hold there for awhile before beginning to show its age.

The 2005 hit my store in mid-January of last year so the 2006 should arrive soon. I can't wait to taste it.