Benjamin Leroux La Pièce Sous Le Bois 1er Cru Meursault-Blagny 2020

Ben was born in 1975 in Beaune, not to a vigneron family, yet decided in his teens that wine was what he wanted to do. After his enology studies, he worked at Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, Louis Jadot in Beaune, and Comte Armand in Pommard, where he was named technical director and manager at the age of 24. In 2007, he founded his own domaine and négoce.

The highest 1^er Cru in Meursault, this could also be labelled "Meursault 1^er Cru Blagny" as it is in the hamlet located between Meursault and Puligny. These Chardonnay vines planted in Ben's parcel are on the uppermost part of the hill, while the part below is planted to Pinot Noir (and bottled as Blagny 1^{er Cru La Pièce Sous le Bois)}

• Size: 0.44 ha (1.09 ac)
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Vine Age: Planted in 1953
• Terroir: High "Saint Aubin-style" elevation, very rocky limestone and white clay soil
• Viticulture: Organic (certified), biodynamic
• Vinification: Whole-cluster pressing, light settling, transfer to barrels (older oak) for indigenous yeast fermentation and aging. Fined and/or filtered only if necessary.

If you’re not familiar with Leroux, he became the technical director of Comte Armand at 24, before which he enrolled in viticultural school at 15. In other words, the writing was on the wall. His style is polished, elegant, and vibrant. Despite rapidly trending toward ‘benchmark’ status amongst people who know what’s up, his wines still offer phenomenal value for the price.