Maison Benjamin Leroux
About Maison Benjamin Leroux
At only 24 years old, Benjamin Leroux took over winemaking at Domaine Comte Armand from his old mentor, Pascal Marchand. Big shoes to fill for any young winemaker. Yet his first wines in 1999 were hailed as stars of the vintage. After leaving Comte Armand, he focuses on his own winery in Beaune where he has a small négociant business.
The natural heir of Henri Jayer, Benjamin Leroux is a modern producer in every sense of the word and his wines, whether it be the entry-level Bourgogne Blanc or the Grand Cru Echezeaux. These wines are pure class and offer some of the best, freshest styles in the region.
Viniculture
A daring young talent does not afraid to challenge tradition, Benjamin Leroux also makes use of the screw cap in some of his entry levels, meaning that the wines which are best drunk young will be fresh and lively rather than oxidised, which is of course always a risk with natural cork.
He buys grapes (never juice or wine) from his own and others’ vineyards where he holds his growers to exacting standards - over 50% practice organic viticulture. Hold on tight and grab a rising star.
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Burgundy | 8 | - | HK$4,620.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | - | HK$3,835.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 93-96 (VN) | HK$6,920.00 | |||||
Vinous (93-96)(50% new oak; vinified with two-thirds whole clusters): Healthy medium red. Knockout nose combines musky raspberry and complex soil tones. Began a bit monolithic on the palate, but aeration brought an increasingly silky texture and a captivating blend of raspberry and crushed rock lifted by spices. Still youthfully tight, this rather saline Chambertin is just beginning to express itself. Finishes with serious tannins and outstanding length. One can feel the power here, but this very tactile wine is quite unevolved. The finish offers terrific definition and lift. |
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Burgundy | 3 | 91-93 (VN) | HK$6,425.00 | |||||
Vinous (91-93)The 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru has a tight-lipped bouquet that demands coaxing from the glass; the 80% whole bunches imparts captivating undergrowth/damp moss aromas that filter through the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and quite dense, with grippy tannin and a light espresso note. I find the Mazis-Chambertin has a little more grace on the finish by direct comparison. A bit of a curmudgeon, this will benefit from four or five years in bottle. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | HK$9,685.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 92-94 (VN) | HK$6,435.00 | |||||
Vinous (92-94)(one of the four barrels was new in 2016): Musky, noble reduction to the aromas of pear, minerals and flowers. At once thick and juicy, boasting lovely concentration and clarity to its soil-driven flavors of stone fruits and saline, rocky minerals. Tight in the middle at present but this fine-grained wine broadens out on the very long, glistening, palate-saturating back end. Leroux told me he made between 25 and 30 hectoliters per hectare from these very old vines, which he noted is the normal yield here. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 91-94 (VN) | HK$6,315.00 | |||||
Vinous (91-94)Spicy nose is going through a slightly oxidative phase (this wine is lower in total sulfur today than the Abbaye de Morgeot and Les Baudines). Very rich and pliant but salty and hard to assess today, with its peachy yellow fruits in the background. This densely packed, nutty wine finishes with terrific grip, excellent length and a powerful impression of dry extract. These vines are 50 to 60 years of age and struggling, Leroux told me. There's barely 20 centimeters of topsoil here and the vines don't look healthy but they produce very concentrated grapes, added Leroux, who refers to this wine as his baby grand cru. (13% alcohol) |
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Burgundy | 1 | 96 (VN) | HK$11,730.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)The 2015 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has an immediately seductive, extremely pure bouquet of bright red fruit, strawberry and cranberry; hints of blueberry surface with aeration. The oak is very well integrated, and with continued aeration in the glass, the raspberry component becomes more expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit encased by grippy, slightly firm tannins. This is a very serious Grand Cru, extraordinarily focused and full of tension; the mouth still tingles 60 seconds after it has exited. A consummate expression of a great Burgundy vintage. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. |
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Burgundy | 8 | - | HK$6,920.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 2 | - | HK$7,225.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 2 | - | HK$7,105.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 2 | - | HK$6,880.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 89 (VN) | HK$7,590.00 | |||||
Vinous (89)The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux 1er Cru has a relatively ripe, vanilla-y bouquet; the barrel influence is a little too conspicuous for my own preference, though there is good fruit tucked in just behind. There is possibly a small TCA taint here. The palate is medium-bodied and grippy in the mouth, offering sinewy tannin and a mélange of red and black fruit laced with white pepper and sage toward the long finish. Not bad, but that slight corkiness lurks in the background. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. |
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Burgundy | 3 | - | HK$6,920.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-93 (VN) | HK$6,830.00 | |||||
Vinous (90-93)The 2009 Nuits St. George Aux Thorey is outstanding. Layers of black fruit, licorice, tar, mocha and spices flow effortlessly from a deep, muscular frame endowed with tons of power and depth. The wine turns more sensual on a fleshy, textured finish graced with exceptional length. This is one of the highlights in the lineup. |
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-92 (VN) | HK$7,315.00 | |||||
Vinous (90-92)The 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Boudots 1er Cru, which contains 50% whole bunches, has a vibrant bouquet of red fruit infused with hints of quince and orange blossom; veins of blue fruit emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, almost pastille-like in terms of purity, and the finish is sensual and quite approachable. This will drink young but has the substance to give 15+ years of pleasure. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | HK$6,670.00 | |||||
Benjamin Leroux Saint-Romain Blanc Sous Chateau
(6x75cl)
2022
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Burgundy | - | 90 (IB) |
HK$1,783 - HK$2,147 |
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Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90)Benjamin was able to keep the lees after racking as they were so pure and continue to nourish the wine. Very pale in colour. There is plenty of energy here, lemon infused up front, just the right flesh behind, with a long, agile finish. Drink from 2026-2029. Tasted: October 2023. |
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Benjamin Leroux Savigny-les-Beaune Rouge
(6x75cl)
2022
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Burgundy | - | - |
HK$1,668 - HK$2,003 |
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Burgundy | 1 | 90-92 (VN) | HK$7,255.00 | |||||
Vinous (90-92)The 2020 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru has a generous bouquet with red cherries, blackcurrant and violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, quite spicy with white pepper and clove notes towards the finish. Very fine, but it needs time. |
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Burgundy | 1 | - | HK$2,950.00 | |||||
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Burgundy | 1 | 86-88 (VN) | HK$2,205.00 | |||||
Vinous (86-88)The 2019 Vougeot Clos de Village has a light, slightly green bouquet, although there are no stems here. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly coarse tannins on the entry, but it coheres toward the finish. A lightweight Vougeot considering the vintage. Just three barrels produced. |