Something New, Something Old

La Vieille Ferme, Cotes du Ventoux Rouge 2003 ($9) -- Rhone Valley, France. First the wine and then the package. A light table wine for everyday dinner. Typical Grenache nose, smooth balanced taste with a somewhat short finish. A little thin and not much complexity, but it is a $9 table wine I would buy again. Now for the package. I guess the old label was a “contemporary” label, but the new front label, as proclaimed by the bottle talker as new, is more of a progression backward with the old style names of the appellation and the name of the wine/producer. I liked the look of the new "old" label. Oh, and there are two chickens/roosters in pen and ink. My French is a little weak here, but does “La Vieille Ferme” mean chicken or rooster? My Google search took me to a nudist colony with a cute couple in a meadow and the guy had a big straw hat on. But I didn't see any chickens. French students feel free to comment on my ignorance. Now, here is the good part. The back label has winemaker's notes about the blend (Grenache 50%, Syrah 20%, Carignan 15%, Cinsault 15%) and some nice language about the location of the winery and the winemakers. Whoa!! Has someone been listening to my rants! And now the unbelievable part! It has a screw-cap! Mon Dieu!! What will the French think of next? Case discounts? Now we’re talking. Thank you!