FRENCH WINE

Benjamin Leroux started his negociant business in 2007 after he left Domaine Comte Armand, his sizeable estate is located just outside of the Beaune ‘ring’ D470 (or as I like to call it, the Beaune ‘M25’). Even though this Maison is a fairly big operation in terms of total production size, he usually only produces a couple of barrels of each cuvee. Benjamin sources his grapes through 3 methods, 1) manages the vineyards (mostly organic/ biodynamic) / works closely with growers and picks the grapes, 2) buys the grapes from growers and, 3) his own vineyards (i.e. Meursualt Genevrieves, etc). Benjamin Leroux never buys juice/ wine as the quality tends to be unreliable and there is no guarantee the wines are what they say they are.

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "The last vintage that will appear under the old Boisson-Vadot label is the 2016 Meursault Les Chevalières, a lovely wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, orange oil, iodine and toasted nuts. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, firm and chiseled, with a tensile spine of acidity and a chalky, mouthwatering finish."

Véronique Bonin and Nicolas Bernard are turning out some of the most exciting white burgundy on the planet. The young couple took over the 7ha domaine, formerly known as Michelot Mère et Fille, from Véronique's family in 1999. They work exclusively in chardonnay, largely in Meursault with a few small plots in Puligny. Their strict work in the vineyard allows them to let their wines to express themselves in the cellar, with as little intervention as possible - natural yeasts, no enzymes, no chaptalization, no fining, no filtering and minimal sulfur throughout the process (à la d'Auvenay from Madame Bize-Leroy). The wines rest in mostly older barrels for 15 months and another 4 months in stainless before bottling. Bernard believes that the buttery character in Meursault is a modern invention rather than an inherent quality, and his wines are more about minerality and energy than pure richness. That's not to say these lack concentration, but rather their weightless quality defines them.
These 50 to 60 year old vines are planted at the upper reaches of Charmes, just below Perrières, and this wine always has more in common with the stony, nervy character of most Perrières than it does with your average Charmes. This is a lifted, elegant, pure and thrilling Charmes that has length and intensity to rival the very best wines of Meursault

Passes of first smoky notes, evoking toasted sesame and flint, it is indeed the spring freshness that illuminates this elegant and intense Folatières. Lemon zest, honeysuckle, apple blossom, a mineral touch evoking the wet pebble, an iodized nuance of oyster shell, fresh hazelnut, wild mint and coriander: the bouquet, versatile as desired, shows a great distinction. A few brioche touches and a delicate nuance of acacia honey provide just the right amount of gluttony, while the fruit expresses itself in all its truth, with frank flavors of pear, Reinette apple and nectarine. If still very young, this Puligny 1 er Cru Folatières has a dense material but perfectly sheathed by a stimulating acidity, with lemony flavors. Let there be no mistake: there is a huge underlying structure, with fat and lamb's lettuce, which requires only a few years in the cellar to unfold fully and nest perfectly with this ubiquitous mineral tension.

WINE ADVOATE 93 POINTS - "The lovely 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie reveals aromas of crisp green pear, honeycomb, fresh pastry and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny but fine-boned palate that's elegant and precise. As I wrote last year, it combines some of the qualities of Chenevottes and Vergers."

WINE ADVOCATE 91 POINTS - "The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet Village is also showing brilliantly, opening in the glass with notes of citrus oil, fresh pear, white flowers and hazelnut. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids, chalky structuring extract and a long, mineral finish. This is Moreau's largest cuvée by some margin, and it's a terrific introduction to the domaine style. What's more, I am still drinking the 2008 and 2010 vintages from my own cellar, so I can attest to how gracefully it ages."

VINOUS 92-94 POINTS - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Champs Gain 1er Cru, the smallest cuvée of the domaine, this year represented by two barrels, has a gorgeous bouquet of citrus lemon, almond flakes, nectarine and subtle praline aromas. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, sharing the same weight and density as the La Maltroye but leading to a slightly more mineral-edged, almost stoic finish. This will be fascinating to monitor in bottle."

VINOUS 92-94 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet of yellow plum, linseed and citrus lemon scents complemented by hints of pressed flowers; a suggestion of orange rind appears with aeration. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine line of acidity, and quite spicy and energetic, revealing touches of pepper and even a dab of curry powder toward the long, complex finish. Another great success for Alex Moreau."

WINE ADVOCATE 93-95 - "Deep and powerful, the 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes offers up a deep bouquet that mingles aromas of pear and tangerine with nuances of warm bread, iodine and dried white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, muscular and concentrated, this is also quite introverted and structured, with lively acids and a long, saline finish."

VINOUS 93-95 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Grands Ruchottes 1er Cru has a fabulous bouquet of white peach, apricot, orange blossom and nectarine, turning a touch more tropical than Moreau’s other Premier Crus as hints of passion fruit and guava emerge. The palate is very well balanced with a killer line of acidity. This is armed with wonderful salinité and a focused finish akin to a Puligny Grand Cru. This is a very serious Chassagne-Montrachet that should give many years of drinking pleasure."

WINE ADVOCATE 91-93 - "Bursting with aromas of ripe citrus, pear and mint that are framed by a deft touch of oak, Moreau's 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie is medium to full-bodied, elegantly textural and precise. Racier than the more enveloping Chenevottes, it's also more tender and charming than the incisive Vergers.

VINOUS 91-93 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroye 1er Cru has a slightly reserved bouquet that is less expressive than its sibling Chassagnes at the moment; fleeting touches of citrus lemon and smoke emerge with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a very saline opening that counters the richness on the midpalate. There is weight and power to this Maltroye, yet the acidity offsets that and leaves it feeling perfectly balanced, with a very long, spicy tail on the finish. Excellent."

VINOUS 93-95 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots 1er Cru has a tight, backward, stony bouquet; Alex Moreau mentioned that he strove to pick at the right time to keep a sense of strictness. The palate is taut and fresh on the entry, with a fine bead of acidity. Elegant and refined, without the weight of the Champs Gain or La Maltroye on the midpalate, but conveying a sense of athleticism and poise on the saline finish and an exceptionally persistent aftertaste. Superb."

DECANTER 94 - "Based on heavier, clay-limestone soils than most of Chassagne's Premiers Crus, this plush, powerful white is made with fruit from Les Fairendes and slightly stonier La Cardeuse. Smoky, oatmealy and textured, with beeswax and kitchen spice aromas, a taut mineral core and a palate-coating finish. Alex Moreau calls this a 'wine to lay down' and he's right."

WINE ADVOCATE 92-94 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot was one of the more reserved wines in the cellar when I tasted it, unwinding with notes of pear, peach, white flowers, mint and petrol. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and precise, but needs time to fill out. Of course, that sense of reserve at this early stage is full of promise for the future."

DECANTER 94 - "Alex Moreau's parcel of Les Vergers faces easy and sits on limestone-rich soils in the northern part of the village close to St. Aubin. This is a wonderful expression of the Premier Cru, aged in 20% new wood and combining understated power with chalky minerality, notes of vanilla spice and dessicated coconut and a long, mineral-fresh finish. Zippy and focused."

WINE ADVOCATE 92-94 - "With a finished pH of 3.19, the 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers is one of the raciest wines in the cellar. Exhibiting scents of almond paste, citrus oil and crisp green orchard fruit, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and chiseled, with a textural attack and lovely mid-palate volume, concluding with a long and precise finish."

VINOUS 92-94 - "The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers 1er Cru has a more reserved and austere bouquet compared to the Clos Saint-Jean, featuring scents of dewy green pasture and mountain streams and more malic in style. The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, notes of lemon rind mixed with orange pith and a touch of white peach and a little tangerine toward the elegant finish, which brims over with energy. Alex Moreau mentioned that this has the higher acidity of his cuvées, and you can feel it (in a good way)."

WINE ADVOCATE 93-95 - "A new cuvée for Moreau debuts with the 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, the result of an exchange in must from a proprietor with vines in Aloxe-Corton. Offering up aromas of green apple, white flowers, toasted nuts and iodine, the wine is full-bodied, deep and tensile, with a satiny attack that segues into a layered core that's framed by lively acids and chalky extract."

Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by father and son team of Bernard and Pierre Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Mersault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the greatest potential of each vintage out of the various plots, and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allows the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is very minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in the village wines and in Bourgogne Blanc. Pierre Boisson produces a village Meursault from his grandmother’s vineyards (50 year old vines in the lieu-dits of Criots and Perchots) that is hailed an model wine for the appellation. The Domaine also crafts other bottlings, from three of the best lieux à dits in Meursault: Sous la Velle , Grands Charrons (planted in 1988) and Chevalières (planted in 1982). The Grands Charrons is the most expressive, intensely flavoured of the three. The Sous la Velle is a more elegant version of the Grand Charrons. The Chevalières is the most mineral-driven, with a more restraint fruit flavours in its youth but great ageing potential- More like premier crus than village wines. Finally, Boisson-Vadot makes a powerful yet charming Meursault Genevrières premier cru.

DECANTER 96 POINTS - "Outer quote mark Anyone who feared that quality would drop after a change of ownership at this historic domaine will be happy to know that this grand cru white is as good as ever. Blending components from three different terroirs and altitudes, it's an elegant, textured, saline white of incredible precision and understated power, with subtle toasty oak and undertones of jasmine and lemongrass."

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "Outer quote mark The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is showing superbly from bottle, wafting from the glass with a complex and beautifully integrated bouquet of pear, citrus oil, toasted sesame, warm bread, oyster shell and white flowers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with a racy spine of acidity and superb concentration without weight, followed by a long, defined finish. Surpassing the high expectations I formed a year ago, this would appear to be the finest wine produced at Bonneau du Martray for over a decade."

BURGHOUND 91 - 94 POINTS - "Outer quote mark An elegant, pure and admirably fresh nose flashes notes of green apple, mineral reduction and white flower scents. The racy but lacy middle weight flavors possess both excellent detail and an abundance of minerality before culminating in a refreshing, dry and clean finish that is less austere than usual. This should age well over the next decade."

eROBERT PARKER 92-94 POINTS :"The 2013 Meursault 1er Cru les Perrières has an attractive austerity on the nose, well defined, and actually capturing the essence of Perrières better than some of the more famous producers. The palate is crisp and precise with a keen line of acidity, well-integrated oak and a touch of grilled walnut and salinity toward the long finish. Bravo! This is very well-executed Perrières."

BURGHOUND POINTS 92 "OUTSTANDING" :"A subtle application of wood easily allows the elegant, pure and airy aromas of floral, citrus and wet stone where a hint of Asian style tea lurks in the background. There is plenty of mineral character to the beautifully well-detailed, intense and delicious middle weight flavors that conclude in an impressively long and palate coating finish. This is not especially complex at present and I would suggest acquiring this only if you have the express intention of holding it for at least 5 years."

VINOUSMEDIA 91-93 POINTS :"Discreet nose hints at white flowers, rose petal and white pepper, with citrus peel in the deep background. Fine-grained and aromatic in the mouth, offering an intriguing blend of sweet and peppery elements and wet-stone minerality. Finishes classically dry and long, with soil-driven smoky, saline minerality." -- Stephen Tanzer

A brilliant golden color. There is a very perfumed floral nose of hawthorn mixed with aroma of almond paste and a touch of spices. The palate is big and well rounded with a rich intensity of vanilla and toast flavors. This wine represents a great persistence; it’s rich and expands offering a palate of beautiful complexity and density.