Filtered by:
Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs (Monopole) 2020
Pinot Noir | Volnay, Côte du Beaune
A wine that was rarely seen before Leroux started bottling this site One of the signature cuvées of the Leroux stable, Clos de la Cave des Ducs is a 0.64-hectare monopole vineyard owned by the family of Leroux’s right-hand man, Jean-Charles Carré. It’s a wine that was rarely seen before Leroux started bottling this site in 2007. It’s the highest 1er Cru of Volnay and the vines sit on fine, light soils. The vines are up to 80 years old (with an average age of 50 years) and include some 20
$299
$292ea in any 3+
$285ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru ‘Hauts Jarrons’ 2020
Pinot Noir | Savigny-lès-Beaune, France
The vines here are owned by one of Leroux’s close friends and are sited in the heart of the 1er Cru, on the east-facing, Beaune side of Savigny. This is the area from where the most elegant Savigny wines tend to derive—so perfect for powerful years. Like most of the terrain in the Côte d’Or, the soils here are clay/limestone, but the clay here is light and sandy. So, although there’s more flesh here than in the villages cuvée—there is also greater finesse. The 2020 was fermented with
$146
$141ea in any 3+
$136ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Pommard 1er Cru ‘Rugiens-Haut’ 2020
Pinot Noir | Pommard, France
Notwithstanding the Clos des Epeneaux, Leroux has always said that if there was one 1er Cru that would tempt him back to Pommard it would be Les Rugiens. A new long-term contract with the same owner as the Volnay Caillerets brought Leroux back to his old stomping ground in 2017 and so, once again he is working with the same iron-rich red clay soils that he did, so famously, at Comte Armand..
“A brooding and reticent nose features liqueur-like aromas of poached plum, cassis and cool eart
$360
$350ea in any 3+
$340ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 2020
Pinot Noir | Volnay, Côte du Beaune
Les Santenots is one of the top 1er Cru sites of Volnay. Here, the clay-rich soils gift wines of perfumed depth and silken structure. To give you some idea of the site’s quality, many years ago we asked Benjamin Leroux if there was one vineyard in Volnay he would like to work with, and he replied Santenots without hesitation, mentioning that he buys the wine of this vineyard from his friend Dominique Lafon each year. Of course, he then went on to speak about Rugiens and Caillerets (the most re
$298
$291ea in any 3+
$284ea in any 6+
Pommad - From the Pommard Master!
Benjamin Leroux Pommard 2020
Pinot Noir | Pommard, Côte du Beaune
Given his experience in Pommard, home turf, if he'll have handle on any fruit this will be it! As with last year, this is a blend of Les Vaumuriens (high on the slope) and Les Cras (on the lower slope), both vineyards lying on the Volnay side of the village. Leroux notes the cooler, hillside fruit from Les Vaumuriens brings freshness and balance to the blend. This was crafted from 100% de-stemmed berries and raised with roughly 20% new oak. We have very little.
“The village Pommard is a suc
$189
$182ea in any 3+
$175ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans 2020
Pinot Noir | Volnay, Côte du Beaune
‘Mitans’ derives from the old French for centre, and this is likely the source of the name as this Cru lies at the heart of the appellation (on the slopes beneath the village). This 0.65-hectare parcel is close to the Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre and encroaches into the Mitans l’Ormeau lieu-dit. The soil here is fine clay shot through with limestone, and the vines are, on average, 50 years old. Just a pinch of whole bunch this year.
Les Mitans is considered one of the most elegan
$271
$264ea in any 3+
$257ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Blagny 1er Cru ‘La Pièce Sous Le Bois’ 2021
Pinot Noir | France, Beaune
Leroux owns two parcels of vines in Meursault-Blagny’s highest 1er Cru, La Pièce Sous Le Bois. The first is 0.44 hectares of Chardonnay planted in 1953. The second is planted to Pinot and therefore must be labelled as Blagny La Pièce Sous Le Bois (only whites from Blagny can be labelled as Meursault or Puligny, subject to their precise location). Leroux has long beaten the drum for this limestone-rich, high-altitude terroir, firstly for its whites, and even more so for its underappreciate
$282
$275ea in any 3+
$268ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Pommard 1er Cru ‘Rugiens-Haut’ 2018
Pinot Noir | Pommard, France
Ben does such a great job in the Côtes-de-Beaune. There's a certain harmony that comes across in the reds he makes here. It makes sense given his familiarity with the region following his time at Comte-Armand. He talks of his efforts to shift the styles of the Pommards from rustic and super tannic to more perfumed and supple. He's succeeded in achieving that with the Pommards not only at Comte-Armand, but, at his own Domaine too!
The 1er Cru Rugiens-Hauts is an impeccable site
$350
$340ea in any 3+
$330ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Beaune 1er Cru ‘Les Cent-Vignes’ 2021
Pinot Noir | France, Beaune
Leroux has been working with a grower here since 2015. Convinced of the quality, he purchased the 0.5-hectare plot in 2021, so from next year’s release, this will be a domaine-owned bottling. The plot, on Cent-Vignes’ brown grèze litée gravels, is planted to two parcels. There’s a section of 50-year-old vines, as well as a young plot planted in 2016.
Les Cent-Vignes is one of the first vineyards you encounter if you’re heading west out of Beaune. Leroux is delighted to be working in
$282
$275ea in any 3+
$268ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Meursault 1er Cru ‘Charmes-Dessous’ 2018
Chardonnay | Meursault, Burgundy
Diam. Following the 2017 harvest, Leroux managed something of a coup when he won a hard-fought tender and was able to add to his Estate holdings in Meursault. While the purchase included a small selection of village plots (including Clos du Village) the real prizes were the well-sited parcels in Volany Santenots (Les Plures), Meursault-Blagny and a slice of Charmes, lying directly beneath Perrières. It’s a sliver of vines in the upper (dessus) portion of the vineyard, a section that has been
$410
$395ea in any 3+
$380ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans 2021
Pinot Noir | Volnay, Côte du Beaune
‘Mitans’ derives from the old French for centre, and this is likely the source of the name as this Cru lies at the heart of the appellation (on the slopes beneath the village). Leroux’s 0.65-hectare parcel is close to the Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre and encroaches into the Mitans l’Ormeau lieu-dit. The soil here is fine clay shot through with limestone, and the vines are, on average, 50 years old. There is just a pinch of whole bunch this year. Les Mitans is considered one of
$362
$352ea in any 3+
$342ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune 2021
Pinot Noir | Savigny-lès-Beaune, Burgundy
The lion’s share of this vintage comes from the outstanding Aux Fourneaux lieu-dit in the north of the village. Leroux works with lots of Pinot Fin here (a high-quality, low-yielding cultivar of Pinot Noir); vines that give low yields and great concentration. Les Conardises also contributed this year, and both parcels were fully destemmed. The wine was matured in 600-litre barrels.
“Also quite a pale colour. The bouquet is a little more pronounced in fresh raspberry fruit, pleasin
$141
$136ea in any 3+
$131ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru ‘Hauts Jarrons’ 2021
Pinot Noir | Savigny-lès-Beaune, Burgundy
The vines here are owned by one of Leroux’s close friends and are sited in the heart of the Premier Cru, on the east-facing, Beaune side of Savigny. This tends to be the source of the most elegant Savigny wines—so, perfect for powerful years. Like most of the terrain in the Côte d’Or, the soils here are clay/limestone, but the clay here is light and sandy. Therefore, although there’s more flesh here than in the village cuvée, there is also greater finesse. The 2020 fermented with only
$198
$191ea in any 3+
$184ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Gevrey-Chambertin 2021
Pinot Noir | Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte-de-Nuits
The 2021 Gevrey hails from 50-year-old vines in Les Seuvrées (bordering Morey) and the northern, limestone-rich La Justice and Les Crais. Some old vines in Les Jeunes Rois and fruit from Champerrier and En Champs (each on the Brochon side of the appellation), complete the picture. And ‘complete’ is the operative word. There’s no doubt the old vines of Jeunes Rois bring a greater dimension to this cuvée, and we’re glad Leroux decided to keep it in the blend. (It’s so good
$264
$257ea in any 3+
$250ea in any 6+
Benjamin Leroux Pommard 1er Cru ‘Rugiens-Haut’ 2017
Pinot Noir | Pommard, France
Ben does such a great job in the Côtes-de-Beaune. There's a certain harmony that comes across in the reds he makes here. It makes sense given his familiarity with the region following his time at Comte-Armand. He talks of his efforts to shift the styles of the Pommards from rustic and super tannic to more perfumed and supple. He's succeeded in achieving that with the Pommards not only at Comte-Armand, but, at his own Domaine too!
The 1er Cru Rugiens-Hauts is an impeccable site
$350
$345ea in any 3+
$340ea in any 6+
Domaine Tollot-Beaut Savigny-Lès-Beuanes 1er Cru ‘Champs-Chevrey’ Monopole 2018
Pinot Noir | Savigny-lès-Beaune, France
Fascinating comparison with the Pavelot Dominode 18. There’s a similarity with the fleshy generous fruit and shape to the fruit. The Tollot Beaut goes for a slightly softer mouthfeel with very silky tannins. Like many 2018’s rich mouth filling fruit is at play, a darkness underlying. I’m going to be fascinated to see the Leroux, Pavelot & Tollot-Beaut Savignys evolve over time. As this opens in the glass the air induces refinement and elegance. Delicious wine that in a blind tasting I'
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
Domaine Jean-Marc et Thomas Bouley Pommard 2019
Pinot Noir | Pommard, Burgundy
Resistance was futile, I had to crack one of these (May 2023). Kelley's note is bang on. Though it has certainly resolved a little since his tasting. I concur that waiting a decade will offer up something special. The missing piece of the tasting note jigsaw, texture. Important for Pommard given the significant evolution from structured wine produced by the village to the seamless, refined elegant tannins of this and many other examples. Think Thierry Violot-Guillemard, Leroux et al.
The
$175
$168ea in any 3+
$161ea in any 6+
You must be logged in to post a comment.