Back in his Domaine Comte Armand days, Leroux was one of the first in Burgundy to celebrate old-vine Aligoté. Working with great, old-vine material and super-precise winemaking, this wine remains at the top of the spectrum. The key components are Leroux’s parcel of 50-year-old vines in Meursault’s Les Belles Roses climat. The vine material comes from the high-quality, low-yielding Aligoté Doré cultivar. The 2023 fermented and matured in seasoned 12-hectolitre ovals, with half in glass WineGlobes and stoneware amphora.

This year’s wine is drawn almost entirely from Leroux’s Estate vineyards in Meursault—including Les Millerands, Sous la Velle and Les Belles Côtes. Again, Leroux used a tiny parcel of purchased fruit from the Hautes Côtes de Beaune above Pernand-Vergelesses to add a touch of pep. There are six parcels in total, and everything matured in large casks and foudres. Unlike the majority of Bourgogne (from the foot of the hill and across the D974), Leroux’s Estate vines grow on lower slopes of the Côte, situated below the village-level vines of Meursault but on the upper side of the road.

This is the first release of this old-vine label. Looking for a new source of high-quality, old-vine Aligoté, Leroux ‘chanced across’ this parcel of vines late in 2022. His plan was to simply find a great source for massale cuttings to work with in the future, but after tasting the first vintage from cask, he knew he had found something special. The Grands Champs vineyard lies in Chassagne Montrachet, below the village and next to the restored 19th century washhouse of Fontaine Saulx. The plot of 97-year-old vines is unusual in that all the vines are completely healthy and there are no replacements. Vinified in a 12-hectolitre cask, it’s a wonderful and full-bodied example. It shows considerably more texture and spicy complexity from the small bunches than the straight Aligoté.

This year's blend includes Bourgogne-level fruit from Leroux’s key sources: the excellent Maison Dieu in Pommard, Mon Poulain in Volnay, and Les Belles Côtes in Meursault. In 2023, these sites were complemented by village and 1er Cru wines from Monthélie. Leroux opted to use whole-bunch fermentation only on the homegrown components. Maturation took place in 2,200-litre Grenier oak cask alongside ten 228-litre barrels, (10% new). As always, this punches way above its weight division.

Albeit with a barrel of 1er Cru included, 2023 is mostly the same blend of Les Athets and Les Chardannes as the 2022. These two sites sit at the base of the Chambolle hill on clay, silt and limestone soils. Leroux has once again sculpted an outstanding rendition of the village using roughly 30% bunches and 20% new oak. It’s pretty, perfumed, fine and juicy—in other words, it’s classic Chambolle!

Another change here, meaning Leroux’s Gevrey-villages now comes entirely from vines in the north of the appellation. Now that En Champs has its own cuvée (see below) and Les Seuvrées in the south has gone, Les Crais, Creux Broulliard and Les Champerriers lead the charge. Then, there is a brilliant (and brilliantly named) Brochon vineyard, Les Jeunes Rois, which brings dimension and spicy freshness to this cuvée. Suffice to say that Leroux is very happy with the new makeup. Each parcel was vinified separately before blending, with 80% of the fruit destemmed. The wine was aged in 600-litre and 225-litre barrels (15% new). As for Nuits, so for Gevrey, with Leroux fashioning a village wine with a finesse and seduction rarely seen in this village.

The Meursault is an Estate wine, based solely on Leroux’s own vines in Moulin Landin, Les Criots, Bois de Blagny and Les Millerands. There’s also some Clos du Village, one of the new parcels in Meursault that Leroux picked up in 2017. These sites are mostly lower in the village, but Leroux also used fruit from the higher white marls of Bois de Blagny, which brings drive and a salty/mineral backbone to the layered fleshiness of the other Meursault fruit. Each of these sites is certified organic and biodynamically managed . The oldest vines date back to 1944. Fermentation and maturation occurred in 300-litre and 600-litre barrels before the wine was racked to foudre and stainless steel to finish aging. Terrific.

Having managed of Comte Armand for 15 years, Benjamin Leroux knows a thing or two about producing great Pommard! This new release is a blend of three different locations. Les Cras and Les Vaumuriens-Hauts lie on the Volnay side of the village, and Leroux notes the cooler, hillside fruit from Vaumuriens brings freshness and balance to the naturally warmer Cras. Again, Leroux got his hands on some fruit from the highly prized location of Petits Noizons, facing south on the shallow limestone soils at the top of the hill. Across the three parcels, about half of the stems were retained. Four barrels were produced, including one new 456-litre barrel.

The lion’s share of this release comes from the outstanding Aux Fourneaux lieu-dit in the north of the village. Leroux works with lots of Pinot Fin here (a high-quality, low-yielding Pinot Noir cultivar), giving low yields and great concentration. The fruit from these vines, fermented with 15% bunches, includes about 10% from the 1er Cru section of the vineyard. The Connardises parcel that used to contribute to this cuvée has now been sold, and replaced this year by Saucours, a vineyard on the western extension of the slope that includes Les Hauts Jarrons. Leroux explains that Saucours, on alluvial soils, brings the bright red fruits and Aux Fourneaux provides the depth and backbone. It’s a fine combination that may even surpass the previous blend.

Les Mitans derives from the old French for ‘centre’, and this is likely the source of the name as this Cru lies at the heart of the appellation, on the slopes beneath the village. Leroux’s 0.65-hectare parcel is close to the Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre and encroaches into the Mitans l’Ormeau lieu-dit. The soil is fine clay, shot through with limestone, which preserves excellent moisture during dry spells. The vines are 50 years old on average. This is a red-fruited, yet complex and savoury Volnay that shows just how great 2023 can be for Côte de Beaune reds. Power and finesse!

Leroux now controls two hectares in Vosne, and the 2023 release includes the fruit of five separate lieux-dits. Importantly, these vineyards are home to excellent vine material—almost exclusively old selections of Pinot Fin. From north to south, these sites include: the superb Maizières Basses (organically farmed with 60-year-old Pinot Fin vines); a small portion of Les Violettes; a new (to Leroux) parcel of old-vine Pinot Fin in Genaivrières (just beneath Domaine Leroy’s vines); and finally, there is Les Jacquines, Au Village and Au-Dessus de la Rivière. These parcels span the village’s terroirs, and each was vinified separately. The 40% whole-bunch quota derives mainly from the northern parcels, and the blend was crafted with roughly 15% new oak.