More rustic, but also impressively rich, the 2011 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Vieilles Vignes needs time in the bottle. It contains 80% Grenache. (Not yet released) As I wrote last year, Patrick Lesec seems to be narrowing his portfolio of southern Rhone wines, focusing primarily on Cotes du Rhones, Chateauneuf du Papes and Gigondas, three areas where he excels in fashioning very good to outstanding cuvees that he sells at realistic prices. 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.

The 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Vieilles Vignes is a powerful, meaty, rustic, and unevolved effort revealing plenty of chocolate cherry-like notes, full body, and some tannins that need resolution. Patrick Lesec continues to make a fine name for his negociant blends from the southern Rhone. His Chateauneuf du Papes, all strong performers in 2007 and 2006, were reviewed in issue #179. Patrick Lesec Selection’s agent for the U.S. market is Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA; tel. (508) 545-1532

Another promising effort is the saturated blue/purple-colored 2006 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Vieilles Vignes. A combination of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre, this monster wine boasts huge body, extract, tannin, and power. It demands 3-4 years of bottle age, and should keep for 10-15 years thereafter. I can’t speak highly enough of the job that Patrick Lesec does as a negociant, putting together interesting and high quality blends of Cotes du Rhones and Chateauneuf du Papes.A Patrick Lesec Selection, agent for the US market: Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA; tel. (508) 545-1532

Pure chocolate covered cherry liqueur flavor is a characteristic of the super-intense, full-bodied, but crisp, well-delineated, and powerful/muscular dark purple-colored 2005 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes. This is a monster in the making, and will need a good 3-4 years of bottle age, but will drink well for 15 or more. Lesec also produced a straightforward cuvee of 2005 Rasteau that is burly, ripe with plenty of tannin, but much more rustic and uncivilized compared to his Vieilles Vignes cuvees. Patrick Lesec, the Frenchman who spent an important segment of his life in Santa Barbara, does a stunning job of accessing wines from old vineyards and putting together sensational blends in the southern Rhone. Everything is treated with respect for the regional typicity and character of the grapes. His strengths are the Chateauneuf du Papes, his Cotes du Rhones, as well as Vacqueyras and Gigondas. I haven’t reviewed everything that I’ve tasted, but just about anything with the Patrick Lesec label on it deserves a try as the prices are uncommonly fair for wines of such high quality. What I do find about them, since I purchase them myself, is that since they are made with minimal exposure to oxygen in a very reductive way, they often seem dormant, even dumb, when first released in the bottle. But, since they are bottled unfined and unfiltered, the full character does come forward, although it usually requires 2-4 years of bottle age, especially for the bigger wines from Chateauneuf du Pape. In any event, I consider this an unheralded source for top quality wines from a high-class negociant dedicated to artisinal winemaking. A Patrick Lesec Selection, various American importers, including Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA 508 545 1532; Vermont Wine Merchants, Burlington, VT 802 658 6771; Noble House, New York, NY 212 736 0040; William Harrison Imports, Manassas,VA 703 815 9463; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL 561 998 0029; Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL 708 343 6702; Silver State, Reno, NV 775 331 3400 and Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA 323 724 1700

The up-and-coming appellation of Rasteau, which is starting to get serious attention from not only wine consumers, but from brokers looking for old Grenache vineyards, has two noteworthy offerings from Patrick Lesec. The 2004 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes has the classic black chocolate/kirsch liqueur note along with some smoke and scorched earth, all classic characteristics of this high-elevation, sun-drenched vineyard in the southern Rhone. This wine should drink nicely young, and age for up to a decade. Patrick Lesec, the Frenchman who spent an important segment of his life in Santa Barbara, does a stunning job of accessing wines from old vineyards and putting together sensational blends in the southern Rhone. Everything is treated with respect for the regional typicity and character of the grapes. His strengths are the Chateauneuf du Papes, his Cotes du Rhones, as well as Vacqueyras and Gigondas. I haven’t reviewed everything that I’ve tasted, but just about anything with the Patrick Lesec label on it deserves a try as the prices are uncommonly fair for wines of such high quality. What I do find about them, since I purchase them myself, is that since they are made with minimal exposure to oxygen in a very reductive way, they often seem dormant, even dumb, when first released in the bottle. But, since they are bottled unfined and unfiltered, the full character does come forward, although it usually requires 2-4 years of bottle age, especially for the bigger wines from Chateauneuf du Pape. In any event, I consider this an unheralded source for top quality wines from a high-class negociant dedicated to artisinal winemaking. A Patrick Lesec Selection, various American importers, including Chemin des Vins, Sherborn, MA 508 545 1532; Vermont Wine Merchants, Burlington, VT 802 658 6771; Noble House, New York, NY 212 736 0040; William Harrison Imports, Manassas,VA 703 815 9463; The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, FL 561 998 0029; Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL 708 343 6702; Silver State, Reno, NV 775 331 3400 and Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA 323 724 1700