Description
“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, www.jancisrobinson.com
“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.” Robert Parker Wine Advocate # 194 May 2011
“Benjamin Leroux is quiet and unassuming, but his wines more than speak for themselves … some of the most interesting wines being made in Burgundy today.” Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate
As the Jancis Robinson/Burghound quote above makes clear, Leroux is considered one of the most gifted and knowledgeable wine growers in the whole Cote d’Or. You just have to ask any serious Bourgogne producer about Leroux to understand 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.
2013 was Leroux’s final vintage with Comte Armand and so the recent 2014 harvest was the first one where Leroux could exclusively concentrate on his own wines. He has also been busy making some significant vineyard investments – to add to his small slice of Bâtard, Leroux now owns 1.6-hectares of Meursault villages, some Meursault Genevrières, some Blagny 1er cru (white and red) and enough Bourgogne blanc to supply all of his requirements. In total Leroux owns 3.8-hectares and there are some other acquisitions being worked on. So the Estate is slowly starting to take shape.
Throw in a first class vintage already in bottle (2013) and another exciting vintage (2014) in the cellar (with some electrifying new cuvées) and you have to have the eyesight of a mole not to see a great deal of delicious Burgundy on the horizon.
2013 is the kind of Burgundy vintage that is truly impossible to generalise about in terms of both quality and style. in 2013, perhaps the most critical factor was picking dates. This was a cool, super late harvest and there were those who picked early (worked for the whites) and late (tended to work for the reds). Leroux did both and has produced what we consider to be his finest set of wines.
Leroux’s 2013s are superb wines, stylish, pure and intense, with wonderful perfumes, clear terroir definition, lovely cut, freshness, energy and juicy textures. We agree with Leroux when he suggests it could turn out to be a great year.
Leroux always aims to seriously over deliver. So here is a Bourgogne Rouge composed entirely of villages and 1er cru wines! Needless to say he prefers his ’13’s over his ’12’s. Leroux declassifies these wines because a) otherwise he would have no Bourgogne rouge to sell and b) he hasn’t found any Bourgogne AOC source that can deliver the kind of quality he is looking for. 2013’s wine is drawn from Santenay villages (50%) plus parcels from Santenay 1er cru Commes and Savigny alongside a soupçon of Morey-Saint-Denis. As Leroux’s entire cache of Savigny-lès-Beaune was declassified into this Bourgogne (see below), we effectively have a Santenay-Savigny blend, and it certainly shows in the layered depth and pedigreed complexity of the wine. The 2013 Bourgogne offers delicious layers of dark cherry, plum, anise and savoury dried herb, fruit some powdery grip and terrific depth. A wine that is Bourgogne in name only.
Allen Meadows, Burghound … “An expressive nose offers up aromas of red berries, earth and a lovely floral hint. There is surprisingly good richness for a wine at this level and fine complexity as well to the suave and very round flavors that deliver fine length and balance.” RRP $80
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.