Description
Benjamin Leroux is considered by many to be the successor of Henri Jayer, his knowledge about wine and most of all about each terroir characteristics runs deep. After establishing his name by leading Domaine Comte Armand Clos des Epeneaux for eight years, Leroux has started a négociant business in 2007 to make wines under his own label, in a winery that he shares with Dominique Lafon.
The Production is very limited and Leroux is determined only to work with vineyards that have been well managed and produce outstanding fruits from interesting and unjustly under rated terroirs. In fact, Leroux’s knowledge of Burgundy’s countless terroirs seems boundless and producers like him are waking up the wine world to the fact that the reputation of many Côte d’Or vineyards has as much to do with the producers who work them than any intrinsic qualities of the sites themselves.
He carefully selects his growers and exerts maximum control over them, converting them as possible to organic and biodynamic practices. Even if Benjamin is known to be a technical master of oenology, he keeps a very instinctive approach of winemaking and an open mind towards every technics, he perceives biodynamic as a flexible philosophy rather than a rigid credo and he chooses what he thinks is the best at each step. His wines are youthful and expressive, it seems that he treats his Generic Bourgogne as if they were Grands Crus, they are precise and poised, well structured with a fruitiness enhanced by a remarkable depth.
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru demonstrated impressive intensity on the engaging nose: blackberry, briary, wilted rose petal and mineral, gaining intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe juicy red berry fruit, very structured and cohesive with an almost Musigny-like finish. There is clearly great density here, a long-term Bonnes-Mares with a persistent, spicy finish that will leave you racing back for another sip. [94-96 Points, Neal Martin – December 2016, robertparker.com]
