Benjamin Leroux
Benjamin Leroux was born in Beaune, in the beating heart of the vineyards of Burgundy. He grew up surrounded by the perfumes of this mother’s flower shop in Place Carnot. As the changing seasons would vary the colors in her displays, the spellbinding aromas of the bouquets intertwined with the scents of the surrounding wine cellars. In a town where more or less everyone is connected to the vineyards, Benjamin developed a rare awareness and appreciation for deciphering and understanding odors and their origins. Without a viticultural inheritance, he decided to make his own path. At 14 years old he entered the discreet temple for passionate youth: Beaune’s Lycée Viticole. Every penny he saved was put towards acquiring a bottle made by wine growers he admired. The true revelation came from a bottle of 1985 Chambolle 1er Cru les Amoureuses from Domaine Roumier. It knocked him off his feet. That was it: he too would create wines that would be so purely exciting, inspiring, earth-shattering, and visceral. Wines to pass down to future generations, build bonds between people, and share joy. There began his quest: to make a wine that was without artifice, born of the earth, from the hand of man, with a profound respect for nature.
Benjamin wanted to understand it all: vines, wine, and humans. He earned his stripes at Domaine Comte Armand with Pascal Marchand, an initiation to viticulture work that was demanding and detailed in the name of commitment to quality. He would pursue his passion in Dijon (obtaining his national oenology degree) then venture farther abroad, away from his usual points of reference. In New Zealand, Oregon, and Bordeaux he would harvest, vinify, observe, and question. These new lands truly broadened his horizon and changed his point of view. He began to understand that wine is much more than a product: it’s a culture, a language, an act of humility in the face of nature. Wine is never made by just one person, and each bottle has the potential to outlast the people who made it. Each terroir brings a unique voice, each year brings a certain feeling to the wine. And so, Benjamin returned to his roots, rich with the seeds of knowledge harvested abroad.
At 24 years old, Benjamin found his new position in Burgundy almost by accident, as though the land had called him home. Pascal was leaving Domaine Comte Armand, freeing up the position of manager, and Benjamin jumped at the opportunity. Convinced that each vine is a living organism, that growers accompany more than control, he now wanted to work the vineyards his way. Fifteen vintages later, he had left his mark: introducing organic and then biodynamic viticulture.
In 2007, Benjamin built something of his own, not having any family lands or vineyards to inherit. This independence became a strength, permitting him to experiment, look for his own style: precision and an aspiration for a truer expression of the fruit that was harvested and the vineyard where it originated. What he truly strives for is the pure feeling, both immediate and subtle, that can only come from a wine without artifice.
For Benjamin Leroux, everything begins in the vines. The cellar is only the continuation of healthy soils, movements repeated day after day, season after season. From his first vintage, he built strong relationships with growers in the Côte d’Or that share his values: respect for the soil, organic viticulture, and careful attention given to each vine. The goal is not to impose a specific method but to think through the work together, moving forward with the humility to listen to the needs of each terroir and changing weather. Decisions are made collectively, challenges mulled over as a team: choosing a harvest date, adjusting the type of pruning, limiting any treatments. We encourage cover crop and limit plowing to preserve the ecosystems in our soils, and we harvest by hand.
Our production has grown little by little over time to include Aligoté, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir originating from sites as far south as Chassagne-Montrachet up to Gevrey-Chambertin. Each vineyard is tended to like a garden, with the philosophy focused on the long-term. A vine isn’t just a tool, but a living being that we care for and protect so that it can give the best fruit. This profound meticulousness and calm rigor are the true heart of our wines. In this unspoken dialogue between humans and the land, the team is just as important as the one winemaker.
THE VINEYARDS
THE CELLAR
The essential activity in the cellar is listening. Listening to the basic ingredients we work with, the vintage, and the natural rhythm of the fermentations. Nothing is rigid, no inflexible procedure is followed year after year. Each harvest is different, each tank requires a tailor-made approach. Sorting is careful, rigorous, and done by hand: we taste the grapes and must to gage the potential of the wine. Maceration is fairly long, followed by gentle pressing, before finishing fermentation in tank.
Aging in traditional Burgundian barrel, larger wooden cask, amphoras or wine globe: each format is chosen for what it can both bring to and reveal in the wine: without ever masking the identity of the terroir. The texture, aromas and flavors we find help to dictate our choices. The team tastes, analyses, discusses, tests, and then adjusts as needed. During vinification we taste each tank every day, adapting its treatment as needed. There is no recipe, just constant attention as each wine evolves. We look for wines that are pure and direct but most importantly wines that speak for themselves. Wines that allow their terroir to speak unfiltered, with intensity. Wines that bring forth an immediate reaction, but also have depth and can hold their own with longer tasting. This quest is one of balance: between power and finesse, between a human fingerprint and the expression of place. For Benjamin, making a great wine is about revealing its true identity. To offer the drinker a resonance, an almost intimate sensitive trace. A clear, sincere sensation that is long on the pallet and stays with them like a happy memory.
