Lesec Vacqueyras 2001

[Thraz]

$17.60 at Spec's. 14%, 75% grenache, 25% syrah.

Dark red. Great fruit, but not a fruit bomb. Blackberry on the nose, a mix of red and black crushed cherry on the palate, medium body, medium to long finish. The tannins are almost fully integrated by now. There are a lot of things taking place in the mouth with this wine. I loved it, and I was particularly impressed with the fact that the fruit was so delicate and multi-dimensional - as opposed to some fruit bombs that deliver a big load of one fruit dominating all. A great value in my opinion. The only downside: it may not last many more years, so I hesitate to buy a case. Maybe I will, and then make sure I drink it fast - not a bad scenario.

Lesec seems to operate in two ways: as a negociant for its own wines, and then as a quality label for independent producers that share the credit on the label and take advantage of Lesec's distribution and marketing channels. This vacqueyras is a negociant wine. The only other Lesec I have had is the Chateauneuf du Pape Marquis (covered elsewhere I think), which follows the other model - where Marquis is an independent producer marketed by Lesec. Both were very good, I will try the other Lesec wines I can get my hands on.

[Bucko]

Gigondas and Vacqueyras are two areas still offering good values. Unfortunately, the press has caught up with CdP. Have you seen the 2004 prices? Painful.

[Thraz]

Well, the 2004 prices are bad compared to a few years ago, but not so bad when compared to their more immediate predecessors in 2003 and 2001... Hopefully we've reached a plateau, but that may be optimistic...

[Bucko]

Parker really hyped the 03 vintage, which in my opinion is alcoholic and overripe for the most part.