2007 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Galets Blonds

A gorgeous example of Grenache and a textbook Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the 2007 Patrick Lesec Galets Blonds comes all from La Crau and is a partially destemmed blend of 93% Grenache from 90-year-old vines, and 7% Syrah from 20- to 25-year-old vines. Aged in a combination of stainless steel (Grenache) and 1- to 4-year-old barrels (Syrah), the wine delivers a sumptuous bouquet of roasted herbs, licorice, meat juice, ground pepper, garrigue, and beautifully ripe red and black berry fruits. Full-bodied and decadent on the palate, this stays fresh and lively with good acidity, a smooth, seamless texture, and a classy, very long finish. Beautifully perfumed aromatically and with the fruit to keep it enjoyable in its youth, this should continue to shine over the coming 10-12 years.

Bright purple. Ripe cherry and blackcurrant aromas are complemented by rooty sassafras and cola. Broad, palate-coating dark fruit flavors are framed by chewy tannins that fade into the fruit on the back half. A sexy floral note gains power with air and carries through the long, sappy, floral-tinged finish. This will be better with a few more years of bottle age.

The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Galets Blonds includes 90% Grenache from nearly 100-year-old vines blended with 10% Syrah from the renowned sector in the eastern part of the appellation known as Le Crau. This brilliant offering displays black raspberry, black cherry, floral, forest floor, underbrush, and cassis characteristics along with superb concentration, an opaque purple color, a gorgeously intense, multidimensional mouthfeel, and a sensational finish. I have long been a big fan of this cuvee, having bought and cellared vintages from the late nineties through 2001, and those wines took 3-4 years to develop, and are aging beautifully. The 2007 is potentially one of the best Lesec has yet made. It should drink well for 10-15 years. The stars in Patrick Lesec’s porfolio are the superb Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees he fashions, but there are also some stunning bargains for shrewd consumers. By the way, Lesec chose not to produce any Chateauneuf du Papes or Gigondas in 2008. Importer: Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA; tel. (508) 545-1532, who distributes to wholesalers in 20 different states. Readers are advised to call them for availability in their region.