Benjamin Leroux is the Beaune winemaker now counted among the most exciting names in Burgundy. He makes white and red Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, from Bourgogne Aligoté all the way to Bâtard-Montrachet and Chambertin Grand Cru, in a style built on clear fruit, bright acidity and very little new oak.
Benjamin Leroux: from Comte Armand to his own house in Beaune
Leroux was born in Beaune in 1975 into a family with no vineyards: his parents ran a flower shop. He enrolled at the wine school in Beaune at fifteen, then worked stints at Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Domaine Drouhin in Oregon and Louis Jadot. At 24 he became régisseur of Domaine du Comte Armand in Pommard, where he was in charge for fifteen vintages.
In 2007 he started his own house on the side, in part of the old Jaboulet-Vercherre winery in Beaune, a building that dates from 1898. After 2014 he left Comte Armand and has worked full time on his own wines ever since.
A micro-négociant that works like a domaine
Benjamin Leroux vinifies around 30 hectares, of which roughly eight are farmed by his own team. Those vineyards have been farmed organically from the start, with some biodynamic preparations, and were certified in 2016. The rest comes from growers he works with over the long term. What sets him apart from a classic négociant is that he buys only grapes, never must or finished wine, so every step of the winemaking happens in his own cellar.
The whites are whole-cluster pressed, fermented with native yeasts in tank, barrel or foudre and aged for 12 to 22 months. Since 2019 they have been sealed with Diam corks to guard against premature oxidation. The reds see up to 30 percent whole clusters depending on vintage and cuvée, and new oak stays at 30 percent at most. The result is wine where the difference between villages and vineyards really shows.
Benjamin Leroux Burgundy: village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru
On the white side the range runs from Bourgogne Blanc and Bourgogne Aligoté through Auxey-Duresses Blanc and Saint-Romain Sous le Château to Meursault Villages, a good way to compare Chardonnay from cooler and warmer corners of the Côte de Beaune. At the top sits Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru in magnum, from an owned parcel of 0.16 hectares planted in 1960.
The reds climb from Bourgogne Rouge through Savigny-lès-Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Hauts Jarrons, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin to Chambertin Grand Cru in magnum.
La Pièce sous le Bois: one slope, two appellations
High above Meursault lies La Pièce sous le Bois, where Leroux has worked since 2017. The upper part was planted with Chardonnay in 1953 and is bottled as Meursault 1er Cru, while Pinot Noir from the lower part becomes Blagny 1er Cru. The red is destemmed and aged without new oak, and it shows how cool and fine red Burgundy from this altitude can be.
For more from the region, browse all of Burgundy, more wines from Meursault and Gevrey-Chambertin, reds from Pommard, where Leroux made his first fifteen vintages, and the grape page for Chardonnay.
Frequently asked questions about Benjamin Leroux
Is Benjamin Leroux a domaine or a négociant?
Both. He farms around eight hectares himself and buys grapes from regular partners for the rest. Because he never buys must or finished wine, his work looks more like a domaine's than a traditional merchant house's.
Which Benjamin Leroux wine should I start with?
Bourgogne Blanc and Bourgogne Rouge show the house style clearly. Bourgogne Aligoté is the freshest and most direct white, while Auxey-Duresses Blanc and Savigny-lès-Beaune take a step up in structure and depth.
How long can the wines be cellared?
The village wines open up after a few years and keep well for a decade in good vintages. Premier and Grand Cru wines, especially the Chambertin and Bâtard-Montrachet magnums, reward longer ageing.
Are the wines organic?
His own vineyards are farmed organically and were certified in 2016. Bought-in grapes come from sustainable (lutte raisonnée), organic and biodynamic growers.