Benjamin Leroux Blagny 1er Cru ‘La Pièce Sous Le Bois’ 2021

Leroux owns two parcels of vines in Meursault-Blagny’s highest 1er Cru, La Pièce Sous Le Bois. The first is 0.44 hectares of Chardonnay planted in 1953. The second is planted to Pinot and therefore must be labelled as Blagny La Pièce Sous Le Bois (only whites from Blagny can be labelled as Meursault or Puligny, subject to their precise location). Leroux has long beaten the drum for this limestone-rich, high-altitude terroir, firstly for its whites, and even more so for its underappreciated reds. He is only getting more vocal as the climate warms!

Leroux first vinified a Pinot from here in 2014 and was so enamoured with the quality he acquired an estate parcel at the earliest opportunity, in 2017. This should be a case of enough said. Back then, when discussing the terroir, Leroux would have a sparkle in his eyes. That both Leroux’s wines from this site have a Five Star review from Jasper Morris this year tells you plenty. The combination of warmer and/or drier seasons and the high rocky terroir has seen this area excel in recent years. The winegrowing is certified biodynamic and no new oak or whole bunches are used.

“Medium red crimson, a little more colour than the Savignys. Pure red fruit with a light reduction behind. They just lost 25% of the pinot crop in Blagny as the vines were less advanced than the chardonnay. Slightly darker fruit, backward because of the late malolactic, good structure here, and will deliver a good wine with some substance. A longer finish than many.”

Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy 90-92 Points