Benjamin Leroux
Beaune, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
Benjamin Leroux
Photo Courtesy of Michel Joly
Benjamin Leroux is Burgundian native but didn’t come from a winemaking family. In fact, his parents owned a florist shop in Beaune, which is where he first met Becky Wasserman, as a young child. He was determined to become a vigneron at any early age, and enrolled in lycée viticole in Beaune for agricultural studies at the age of 15. Afterwards, he set out traveling the world gaining experiences in Oregon, Bordeaux and New Zealand. At the age of 24, he was fortunate to land a position as régisseur at Comte Armand in Pommard - who placed their trust in his young talent. He stayed on for fifteen vintages and was given the space to start his own side project in 2007.
Despite growing his domaine and negociant business from scratch, today he vinifies almost 30 hectares from a wide range of appellations, nine of which are domaine holdings that are farmed organically and biodynamically. His range spans the Côte from Chassagne-Montrachet to Gevrey-Chambertin, and includes all levels in Burgundy’s hierarchy. He believes small is beautiful, with attention to detail, knowing every inch of land and almost every vine and has made a reputation of prioritizing interesting parcels over how famous the appellation might be. This approach has led him to rediscover several unknown excellent terroirs which has become a hallmark of his own production.
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Ben was born in 1975 in Beaune, not to a vigneron family, yet decided in his teens that wine was what he wanted to do. After his enology studies, he worked at Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, Louis Jadot in Beaune, and Comte Armand in Pommard, where he was named technical director and manager at the age of 24. In 2007, he founded his own domaine and négoce. Thanks to solid supplies and a great sense of aging, he produces very high-level cuvées on a wide range of appellations.
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Ben’s range of appellations is quite remarkable, as his wines spans the Côte from Chassagne-Montrachet to Gevrey-Chambertin, and includes all levels in Burgundy’s hierarchy.
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With eight hectares, Ben is farming just under a third of his production. He has worked organically with some biodynamic preparations from the beginning and became certified in 2016. For grape purchases, vineyard practices are a range from lutte raisonnée, organic and biodynamic. His farming continues to evolve year after year, as he is hedging some of his vineyards high and late, reducing plowing, using cover crops to some extent. He likes to stress that there is no one size fits all approach, what is important to him is to make the appropriate actions for each vineyard, taking into account differences in genetic material, vine age, vine health, soil type, at what stage each vineyard is in its conversion to organics and biodynamics, and climatic responses that vary by season.
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For the whites, uncrushed whole-cluster pressing; ambient yeast fermentation in tank, barrels or foudres; ageing for 12 to 22 months; fining is not systematic; filtration is avoided; bottled since 2019 with Diam corks and 50 to 70ppm total sulfur.
For the reds, he is employing up to 30% whole cluster depending on vintage and cuvée; ambient yeast fermentation; pumpovers in the beginning, punch downs towards the end, 3 to 5 on average; post fermentation maceration; aged in foudres or barrels, maximum 30% new oak; rarely fined or filtered; natural cork closures; 40 to 50ppm sulfur at bottling
Wines
Aligote
Benjamin first made this wine in 2016, using exclusively old Aligoté Doré vines from Bouzeron. The following year he included Aligoté from a newly-acquired vineyard worked by the Leroux team. Today, he farms two parcels half of which are 80 to 100 years old, and the other half around 30 years old. Directly pressed, settling before transfer to older oak barrels for indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months, fined and/or filtered if necessary.
Bourgogne Blanc
Parcels vary depending on the vintage, but often includes Meursault and Puligny-area vineyards. Directly pressed, light settling before transfer to larger oak foudres and barrels (up to 10% new oak) for indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months, fined and/or filtered if necessary.
Auxey Duresses
From three parcels - Les Hautés, La Macabrée (shallow stony soils), Les Boutonniers (clay soils) planted between 1946 anf 1985. Directly pressed, light settling before transfer to foudres (10% new oak), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months, fined and/or filtered if necessary.
Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru la Pièce Sous le Bois
The highest 1er Cru in Meursault, this could also be labelled "Meursault 1er Cru Blagny" as it is in the hamlet located between Meursault and Puligny. Planted in 1953, these Chardonnay vines planted in Ben's parcel are on the uppermost part of the hill, while the part below is planted to Pinot Noir (and bottled as Blagny 1er Cru La Pièce Sous le Bois). Whole-cluster pressing, light settling, transfer to barrels (older oak) for indigenous yeast fermentation and aging. Fined and/or filtered only if necessary.
Meursault les Vireuils
High altitude, just below the forest at top of hill, facing east/southeast, terres blanches, meaning "white soils" abundant limestone planted in the mid-1970s. Whole-cluster pressing, light settling before transfer to 300L barrels (15% new oak), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 18 months, fined and/or filtered only if necessary.
Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières
Mid-slope, facing southeast, poor clay-limestone soils from a .12 ha parcel planted in 1959. Whole-cluster pressing, light settling if necessary, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in 300L oak barrels (33% new), fined and/or filtered if necessary.
Chassagne Montrachet Blanc 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot
Center of appellation just below the abbey, rich clay soil; from a .50 ha parcel planted in 1969. Whole-cluster pressing, light settling before transfer to 300L barrels (20% new oak), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 18 months.
Bâtard Montrachet
Domaine-owned vines from a .16 ha parcel planted in 1960. From the Chassagne side of the appellation, just across the road from the DRC's vines. Directly pressed, light settling before transfer to barrel (15% new), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 16 months, fined, unfiltered.
Bourgogne Rouge
A blend of parcels from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, Santenay, Beaune, Ladoix, Savigny-lès-Beaune, and/or Fixin, depending on the vintage. 100% de-stemmed, 10 days maceration, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in older oak barrels, unfined, unfiltered.
Blagny 1er Cru la Pièce Sous le Bois
Sitting astride the famous white wine villages of Meursault and Puligny, Blagny is a little-known, all-red village. A vineyard in Blagny's jurisdiction planted to white is labeled with the name of one of the better-known neighbors, with the choice of putting either the general "Blagny" or the specific lieu-dit on the label. Blagny has often fallen behind its more popular neighbors, as vignerons see more benefit to planting Chardonnay and letting the notoriety of these other appellations sell their wine. As a result, only 10% of the vineyards in the limits of Blagny village are actually planted to Pinot Noir. Benjamin Leroux is convinced of this terroir's qualitative potential for Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay, acquiring more land here in 2017 in order to make more of this cuvée.This vineyard has one of the highest elevations of all the Meursault 1er Cru terroirs. Ben Leroux describes it as Saint Aubin-style altitude, which is a rarity for red wines. De-stemmed, 3 weeks maceration in tank, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged in barrel (no new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens Hauts
2015 was the first vintage of this cuvée from a .60 ha parcel planted in the 1950s. About 30% whole-cluster (younger vines 100% de-stemmed, older vines 50% de-stemmed), indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in barrel (up to 20% new oak).
Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
From vines grown on upper slope, rocky soil, particularly small bunches of Pinot Fin typical of neighboring Vosne. About 60% whole-cluster, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged in barrel (⅓ new).
Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Rouge Aux Thorey
0.72 ha parcel high on slope, facing southeast, well-draining calcareous soils with small pebbles and gravel with vines planted in the 1960s. De-stemmed, indigenous yeast fermentation, 15 days maceration in tank. Aged for 18 months in barrel (up to 30% new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Vosne Romanée
From a 1 ha parcel planted in the early 1980s from lieux-dits Les Violettes, Maizières. ⅔ whole-cluster, indigenous yeast fermentation, 15 days maceration in tank. Aged for 18 months in 300L barrels (25% new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Clos de Vougeot Petit Maupertuis
Planted right up against the wall of the Clos, these vines are in their own micro-climate: they are more sheltered from wind and precipitation than their neighbors, and they benefit from the heat that radiates off the surface of the wall in the summer. Each year, these old vines produce small clusters with well-balanced maturities. Up to 25% whole-cluster, indigenous yeast fermentation, 3 weeks maceration. Aged for 18 months (50% new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Amoureuses
This is the smallest cuvée made by the domaine, and they make one barrel each year. Vines planted around 1975. About ⅓ whole-cluster, indigenous yeast fermentation, 15 days maceration in tank. Aged for 18 months in barrel (300L, 1 vintage oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Clos Saint Denis
From a 0.15 ha parcel planted in 1962 located at the center of the enclosed lieu-dit. Mostly de-stemmed, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 18 months in barrel (up to 50% new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Bonnes Mares
From a .10 ha parcel planted from 1982 to 1983 from the Chambolle side of Bonnes Mares, limestone-rich terres blanches soil. 100% de-stemmed, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 18 months in barrel (15% new oak), unfined, unfiltered.
Gevrey Chambertin
Sourced from vines planted from 1935 to 1995 from the lieux dits - Les Seuvrées (below Charmes Chambertin), La Justice (well-draining sand above solid limestone), Billard, Le Fourneau. About 10% whole-cluster, 15 days maceration in tank, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 18 months in barrel (20% new), unfined, unfiltered.