Benjamin Leroux Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot Premier Cru 2020

2020 was a hot season for Burgundy – both in the literal and metaphorical sense! With fresh, classic, vibrant wines after a toasty growing year, 2020 lives on as a brilliantly fresh vintage to exalt – especially White Burgundy from the Premier Cru site of Chassagne-Montrachet. Burghounds, experience the ripely fruited, mineral-forward expression of this vivacious White Burgundy for nearly 30% off recommended retail!

Benjamin Leroux did not come into this world with such an illustrious pedigree as the wines he’s ultimately been able to craft. He was born in Beaune to parents who ran a local flower shop, La Violette. At a time where wine jobs (and most others) were passed down through the family, Ben decided from an early age to break the mold and enroll in a trade school to learn how to make wine. A supremely driven and engaged whirlwind of experiences would follow, with stints at Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, Louis Jadot in Beaune, and more, finally settling at Comte Armand in Pommard, where he was named technical director and manager at the age of 24!

Years later, he would accomplish his ambition of starting his own domaine, buying a tiny 0.16 hectare parcel of Bâtard-Montrachet. Built slowly over time, he now owns and farms 8 hectares scattered throughout Burgundy, as well as being a negociant for other parcels of rare Burgundy treasures. Whether farming the land or purchasing fruit, Ben makes use of organic, and typically biodynamic, techniques (or purchases from those who follow suit). This wine comes from the center of Chassagne-Montrachet, just below the abbey, grown upon rich clay soil from a half-hectare parcel planted in 1969. He utilizes whole-cluster pressing with light settling, and then transfers the wine to 20% new oak, 300-liter barrels with native yeast fermentation. It ages a generous 18 months pre-bottling to smoothen and integrate the ripe fruit with the toasty oak nuances.

Burghound gave it a 90-93 point score, with Jasper Morris upping the ante a touch at 91-93 points – which, for Burgundy and for these critics, may as well be 97+ points if it were anywhere or anyone else. The nose opens with white peach and Chinese white pear, plus some expressed lemon peel and chalky dust. A wave of additional fruit elements comes in with the mouth – pear tartine, lychee, and some Golden Delicious apple – for something refreshing and pleasurably bright, with accompaniments of subtle acidity, a tendril of warm oak, and a bit of fresh-plucked rosemary for a harmoniously smooth finish. A truly precise and well-defined wine with tons of classic Burgundian character, but plenty of fun integrations, as well. This is one to snap up and add to your collection promptly – we don’t have much, and it won’t last long!

PAIRING IDEAS: A garlicky and herbal clam linguine with loads of fresh parsley, chives, and lemon would be a stupendous plate alongside this expressive White Burg!