Benjamin Leroux, Volnay Premier Cru, Clos de la Cave des Ducs, Burgundy
Benjamin Leroux, Volnay Premier Cru, Clos de la Cave des Ducs, Burgundy
An introduction to Benjamin Leroux, Volnay Premier Cru, Clos de la Cave des Ducs, Burgundy
Benjamin Leroux’s Volnay Clos de la Cave des Ducs Premier Cru comes from the tiny 0.6-hectare Premier Cru monopole vineyard of Clos de la Cave des Ducs; it is owned by Benjamin’s colleague Jean-Charles, and entirely enclosed by the village of Volnay itself. The Pinot Noir vines here benefit from the heat-trap effect and shelter provided by the surrounding buildings, producing ripe grapes of good phenolic character. The resultant wine is structured and perfumed, benefiting from the mix of old and young vines within the Clos.
Performance
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Understanding Benjamin Leroux, Volnay Premier Cru, Clos de la Cave des Ducs, Burgundy
The Clos de la Cave des Ducs cuvée is sourced from a mix of vines, some planted as early as 1940 and others in 1990 (with cuttings taken from Comte Armand’s Clos des Epeneaux vineyard in Pommard). The vines are tended according to biodynamic principles and all grapes are hand-harvested. In the winery, they are destemmed into wooden foudres where fermentation occurs with indigenous yeast, prior to maturing in mostly neutral French oak barrels. The wine shows classic Volnay lift on the nose and a spiciness in the mouth, with structure enough to mature well with careful cellaring for a decade or more.