Benjamin Leroux - Volnay 1er Cru 'Les Santenots' 2022

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.

"A fine deeper purple. The Santenots needs picking before the whites these days, but even so has touched 14%. It shows in the sensuality of the wine but there is no sign of heat. The fruit is on the cusp of red and black, a little vanilla from the oak, and a slightly lower acidity. Drink from 2029-2036. Tasted Oct 2023." - 90-92 Points, Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy

Producer: Benjamin Leroux

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Volnay 1er Cru

Vintage: 2022

Size: 750ml