2012 Benjamin Leroux, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

The 2012 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru comes from vines populating the Chambolle side, although they are but a stone’s throw from Morey. It has a tightly wound bouquet with mulberry, dark plum and forest floor scents that are beautifully defined, but will doubtlessly need several years in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a chewy entry, firm tannins, plenty of black plum, cassis and blueberry fruit with an elegant, grippy, persistent finish. There is one vigneron pleased about the late running of the 2013 harvest more than any other – Benjamin Leroux. “I had my third baby two weeks ago,” he reveals, though he looks in unnaturally fine fettle given the sleepless nights he must surely be enduring. I met Benjamin at his winery located just off the Beaune ring road opposite Albert Bichot and Domaine des Croix. Here he vinifies all his negociant wines that are labeled under his name, and when he is not there, you will probably find him down in Domaine Comte Armand, where he has been responsible for recent vintages. He shares the facility with Nicolas Rossignol, whose wines I tasted directly afterwards. Those wishing to glean more information on Leroux’s background should peruse the article I wrote in the August issue of The Wine Advocate concerning Clos des Epeneaux. He told me that he will bottle his 2012s relatively early this year and, in fact, several were already under cork. Like practically everyone, his crops are depleted in 2012 depending upon the area, up to 80% in the worst affected by frost and hail. The samples that I tasted were either in bottle (wines with single figure scores) or in barrel just after malo-lactic but before racking (given by banded scores). Generally, these constituted an outstanding set of wines, albeit often in miniscule quantities, which is why some of the cuvees are exclusive to certain markets (for example, you will have to go to Hong Kong to find his elusive Clos Saint Denis.) While the grand crus could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many growers, readers should check out some of his over-performing Village and Premier Crus, particularly the former that were bolstered by the blending of the latter due to depletion of crop. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selection (Le Serbet) and through various US importers (see www.leserbet.com for full list.)

The 2012 Bonnes-Mares is one of the most reticent Grand Crus in the cellar. Iron, graphite, smoke and red fruit emerge with a little coaxing, but the Bonnes-Mares remains massive, powerful and very much closed in on itself, even within the context of young Bonnes-Mares. It will be interesting to see how things develop here.