Benjamin Leroux (40) is undoubtedly one of the most talented winemakers of his generation and he produces an impressive range of Bourgognes.
With year 2013 I received my first allocation and I am quite happy with that.
Allen Meadows, the highly respected Burgundy critic quoted 2 people including Leroux as the natural heir to Burgundy legend Henri Jayer.
During and after his studies he did internships with Drouhin in Oregon, Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Andrew Blake in New Zealand and with Devevey in Demigny in the Côtes Chalonnaise where he was given total freedom to get to know the Chardonnay grape during the harvest of 1997. He learned to vinify the Pinot Noir grape as a 26-year-old winemaker/manager at the well-known Domaine du Comte Armand in Pommard where he gained complete confidence.
With the 2007 vintage he launched his own label. He works out of a brand new winery in the center of Beaune that he shares with Dominique Lafon and Nicolas Rossignol. He is therefore in good company and is currently vinifying about 20 white wines from well-known and lesser-known appellations in the Côte de Beaune and 25 red wines mainly from the best soils in the Côte de Nuits and Volnay. With the exception of 2 wines, only 2 to 5 barriques are produced from most of them. The grapes come from vineyards he owns but the majority he buys from producers he works closely with.
He has long-term agreements with farmers that he pays for the plot of land they cultivate and not for the amount of fruit produced on it. That allows him to determine lower yields, ripe grapes, the harvest date and many other things. This collaboration is essential as the only way to get the very best fruit for its wines.
The majority comes from vineyards that are either organically or biodynamically processed. If this is not the case, the agreement with the farmer is that this method must be applied within 5 years. He also only buys grapes and no must. His aim is to produce wines of the same high standard as those from the best estates despite the fact that he does not own the majority of the vineyards. And he succeeds wonderfully!
After obtaining his degree in oenology from the University of Dijon, he gained experience in various fields.