The Story
The La Ferme Julien Rose’ 2018 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s not very exclusive Rose‘ blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah sourced from vineyards in France. Not very exclusive since the La Ferme (The Farm) is the same wine as Famille Perin’s La Vielle Ferme Rose’. Each wine, La Ferme and La Vielle have their own websites that are exactly the same. The Trader Joe’s version sells for $5.99 and a quick check of the web shows the La Vielle offered for $7.99. The TJ’s has a goat on the label, the Famille Perin has a couple of chickens, other than that it is the same wine.
This Rose’ is designated a Vin de France wine, which used to be Table Wine, the lowest category of wine. But now it isn’t that cut and dry, it is more of a designation that allows French wine to compete with California, Spanish, South African, Australian, and other wines. In the US all wines are table wines, there are no quality classifications. In France, they have strict classifications with tight rules that didn’t always allow French wines to compete price-wise with wines from different countries. So, Vin de France enables the winemakers to make the wines they need to compete and not have to follow all the rules and regulations.
This Rose’ is intended as an everyday drink-it-now wine. It was produced in the Saignée method which is the traditional way they made Rose’ before it became popular. With the Saignée method, the grapes are crushed and when the juice takes on the desired color a portion of the juice is sent to its own tank for fermentation and the remaining juice is left to become Red wine. Today, the common way to make Rose‘ is the Direct Press method. Here the grapes are intended to produce Rose’ from the start and after crushing the grapes the skins are removed, at the end of the winemaking process, Red wine is added to the clear juice to give the Rose’ uniform color. I can’t tell by tasting which method was used and the Direct Press Method is a result of Rose’ popularity and the need to produce large quantities. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Tasting Notes
The color is a clear, pale amber pink. The nose is crisp and lightly floral with notes of red berries, melon, lemon, strawberry, a bit of spice, and white pepper. This is a crisp, bright, delicately fruity Rose’, with balanced acidity. It tastes of strawberry, apple, spice, a touch of minerality, and a salty sensation. The mid-palate adds soft cherry and tart cranberry, along with tangerine. The acidity is well balanced, this is a very drinkable Rose’.
The Summary
- The price difference shows exactly the kind of discounts that occur when stores contract for wine directly and pay upfront. Trader Joe’s sells the wine for a 25% discount from the advertised price for this Rose’ in on-line retail wine shops.
- This is a very solid, enjoyable Rose’, in a blind tasting with Rose’ under $20, I doubt if you could pick the La Ferme Julien Rose’ 2018 out as the $5.99 wine.
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The skin contact method is the primary alternative to saignée. From the Wikipedia rosé entry: “The simple mixing of red wine into white wine to impart color is uncommon, and is discouraged in most wine growing regions, especially in France, where it is forbidden by law, except for Champagne.”