La Ferme du Mont Cotes du Rhone Premier Cote 2020

Call this a “cellar defender”, call it your new house red (it is currently mine!), but don’t call it wimpy, that’s for sure. Rich, dark, spicy, and packed with deep, yet bright red fruit and complex Chateauneuf-du-Pape-like aromatics, this is an outrageously over-delivering new vintage of La Ferme du Mont – for an unbelievable price!

Stephane Vedeau is back, and time and time again we are astonished to see how his entire portfolio increases in quality every single vintage! We tasted with the man himself in Paris earlier in the year, and...wow! This Côtes du Rhône is certainly his best yet. So much to love – like the brilliant, and energetic younger sibling of CdP. 60% grenache, 30% syrah, 10% mourvèdre, certified organic, bottled fresh after 8 months concrete aging, brimming with ripe red berries and kirsch, the wonderful “garrigues” (sweet wild herbs) that we crave in grenache and the signature soft tannins that Stephane cherishes. Just killer stuff!

“This is a seriously talented winemaker who is quickly emerging as a star of the southern Rhone.” – Robert Parker, Jr.

Stephane Vedeau, the professional soccer player turned Southern Rhone vintner extraordinaire continues his conquest of the Southern Rhone, as he further expands his relationships to get access to some of the best fruit the region has to offer. Grown on the large rolled pebbles and chipped gravel soils that have made Chateauneuf-du-Pape legendary, these 50-year-old vines flourish in the intense Mistral winds. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented separately, before careful blending. At UNDER $15, this is simply a tremendous value for a red that will outshine many a bottle three times the price. Our advice: get some, and get more than you think!