BENJAMIN LEROUX

PULIGNY, VOLNAY, ETC

What the critics are saying:

"You may remember that when I asked Allen Meadows, aka Burghound, on this video who he thought might be a natural heir to the late great Henri Jayer of Burgundy, one of the two people he cited was young Benjamin Leroux of Domaine Comte Armand." Jancis Robinson, Jan 2009

"Leroux’s passion, ambition and sheer talent have already resulted in a number of stunning, beautiful wines, but my sense is that the best is yet to come.”  Wine Advocate # 194 May 2011

James Halliday on last year’s 2008 Leroux Masterclass with Benjamin Leroux: “I have never heard a more articulate and insightful presentation”. The Australian, 11th September 2010.

Benjamin Leroux, the gifted manager/winemaker of Domaine Comte Armand launched his own label with the 2007 vintage. He works from a brand new winery in the center of Beaune (just off the Boulevard) that he shares with Dominique Lafon and two other wine growers. The operation is very small and will eventually specialise, primarily, in Puligny and Volnay, but with many other appellations also covered. While there are over twenty terroirs produced, this is certainly a ‘micro negociant’ operation with only two to five barrels made of most of the cuvees. Leroux works with vineyards he manages, vineyards he owns and also buys fruit (never juice or wine) from growers with who he can work closely; growers that produce the quality of fruit to match Leroux’s exacting standards. Half of the vineyards that Leroux works with are currently organic or biodynamic (this percentage is growing) and 100% of the sites are ploughed with no herbicides or pesticides used at all in any of the sites.

Leroux’s vision has always been to build an Estate and to this end he has already started buying vineyards. The first stage of his evolution however has been to establish the micro negociant business: a phase that has allowed him to establish a winery and refine his ideas and his understanding of the terroirs with which he wants to work. The way Leroux has structured this side of his business is highly innovative. His aim has been to create the same quality standards of the finest Domaines, despite not owning most of the vineyards. He has long-term relationships with the growers that he works with, some of which he pays by the area of land rather than the quantity of fruit harvested. This allows him to dictate lower yields, ripeness, date of harvest, and so on. He only works with high quality growers who plough or do not use herbicides or pesticides. Most are organic or biodynamic. For those that are not there is an understanding that they will move to organics over a five-year period. Leroux’s knowledge of the Côote is encyclopedic and he has been able to unearth some very interesting, previously hardly known sources for his portfolio. It’s important not to underestimate how close Leroux works these growers as that is one of the keys to his ability to coax the finest fruit quality from the vineyards. It goes without saying that he never buys juice or finished wine, only fruit, and that he nominates the harvest dates and will pick himself if necessary.
 
A total of 120 barrels were produced in his first vintage, 2007 and some of the cuvees offered had already been produced by Leroux for a number of years at Comte Armand. These wines have now come across to the Benjamin Leroux label. With the vintages 2009 and 2010, Leroux has the first great vintages with which to work and the wines do not disappoint.

As the Jancis Robinson/Burghound quote above makes clear, Leroux is considered one of the most gifted and knowledgeable wine growers in all of the Côte d’Or. It only suffices to ask any other serious producer about Leroux to realize the respect he has garnered amongst his colleagues in the region. He was always considered a prodigy, studying at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune from the age of 13 and taking the reins at the esteemed Domaine Comte Armand when he was only 26. Leroux’s success with the Domaine’s wines over the last decade has well justified the decision to appoint such a young man to run the show. He continues to manage Comte Armand despite now having his own range of wines (another sign of how well respected he is). While his range includes many famous terroirs, Leroux is determined only to work with vineyards that have been well managed and produce outstanding fruit, regardless of whether or not they have famous names. This makes sense, Leroux’s knowledge of Burgundy’s countless terroirs runs deep and producers like him are waking up the wine world to the fact that the reputation of many Côote d’Or vineyards has as much to do with the producers who work them than any intrinsic qualities of the sites themselves.

Benjamin Leroux

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Region:

Savigny Les Beaune

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Savigny 2009

This is a blinder of a Savigny village with plenty of dark fresh cherry fruit, forest floor note and some powdery tannins lurking in the background. It is a blend of three village parcels of... read more

Product Code: 9044-750

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Region:

Savigny Les Beaune

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Savigny 1er Cru Hauts Jarron 2009

Stelvin closure. This comes from the La Dominode vineyard in the heart of Haut Jarrons, located on the east facing slope of the hills. Like most of the soils in Savigny, the soils are... read more

Product Code: 9045-750

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Region:

Meursault

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Meursault 2009

This fleshy, driven white Burgundy shouldn't be confused with Leroux's Meursault Narvaux and Meursault Vireuils (lieu-dit bottlings). Instead this is a Meursault village from several limestone rich... read more

Product Code: 9416-750

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Region:

Puligny-Montrachet

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Puligny Montrachet 2009

"This was also on its fining matter and was also correspondingly funky. There is good richness though and plenty of punch to the noticeably finer middle weight flavors that possess good volume and... read more

Product Code: 9037-750

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Region:

Chassagne Montrachet

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot 2009

Natural cork. The Abbaye de Morgeot is situated in the southern part of the wider Morgeot 1er Cru on the down slope towards Santenay. It has a deep soil of marl and limestone with an obvious... read more

Product Code: 9038-750

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Region:

Chassagne Montrachet

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Baudines 2009

The small - 3.60ha small - Les Baudines vineyard sits up high on the slope, near the tree line on the south western border of Chassagne. It's a cool site with heaps of white clay and offers a... read more

Product Code: 9039-750

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Region:

Chassagne Montrachet

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Embrazees 2009

Another of Chassagne's hidden gems - Embrazees is often bottled under the Bois de Chassagne name - this site sits right on the south western border of Chassagne above Tete du Clos and just below... read more

Product Code: 9040-750

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Region:

Puligny Montrachet

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Puligny Montrachet 2007

Product Code: 8006-750

Burgundy White

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Region:

Meursault

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Meursault 1 er Cru Porusots 2009

Natural cork. This is Leroux's first wine from this seldom seen 1er Cru. It comes from a small, organic parcel in the dessus, or 'upper', section of the vineyard, which is east-facing on a steep... read more

Product Code: 9036-750

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Region:

Charmes Chambertin

Producer:

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin Leroux Mazoyeres Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2008

Natural cork. This site has always been managed organically. This is Mazoyeres dessus, so the top part of the vineyard near Combottes and bordering Morey. Again a tremendously refined expression of... read more

Product Code: 8279-750