I am rather partial to the wines of Benjamin Leroux – his stewardship at Comte Armand has produced some of the greatest, most thrilling and ravishingly lovely Pommards I have tasted. The Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru is a wine I try to buy every year as it is always delicious and within the grasp of my wallet. His undoubted winemaking skills can even make such a humble appellation shine. This wine is labelled with his own name, he is not making it for anyone else apart from for himself and his customers. He is a terribly lovely fellow, I sincerely hope he succeeds with this venture.
I will come clean and admit this is not from an appellation I normally get even a vague approximation of slightly enthused about. Indeed, Savigny is not even one of the Burgundy villages that gets reluctantly summoned to make up the numbers when the really grown-up villages feel they are too exalted to even acknowledge my invitations to dissolute Pinot bunga bunga revelries. However, as I smell and taste this I can detect the finger-prints of M. Leroux’s skilled, meticulous winemaking prowess that, whilst not masking the character of it’s origins, result in this being an absolutely topping wine from this lacklustre village.
[image image_id=”5095″ size=”medium” align=”left”]Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Hauts Jarrons 2007, Benjamin Leroux
It is rather pale, a sight that always pleases me as I know it means those loathsome arses who insist on their wines being at the black end of the inky purple spectrum will steer clear. The fruit on the nose is ripe and bright with a fresh, lively character. This nose is that of a light charmer that may not be rabidly livid with dimension but I feel it has a polished refinement that I associate with Benny L’s stylish creations. The palate is light-bodied and charged with fresh, crunchy fruit. Very good acidity here and a structure correctly bracing rigour. It is charged with vivid energy, I feel it should be tumultuous and fuming as it sits in my glass. Even with it’s spirited zesty character I’m getting a definite Leroux silky intricacy from it. Savigny at it’s best should be a light and invigorating drop, which this certainly is, but it asks for more of my attention and respect than anything else of that origin I’ve ever encountered. 2007 is a fun, accessible vintage and I think you should be popping yours soon to revel in that verve whilst it is florid and expressive. It won’t fall apart in the immediate future, though.
Harsh words for Savigny here… I’ve had some very attractive, grown up wines from Bize, Clair, and Pavelot and I’m sure there are others. There’s a Leroy SLB 1er that’s sure to be worth pausing over too, for those with limitless resources. Will try to dig something nice up for you…
Ah, Richard beat me to it as I had the same thought – or at least a similar one. I like Savigny. It’s rather lean and light, but I find it has finesse and precision when done well. Also, it seems to age better than one might expect. In light of this, I should certainly try the Leroux above!
Hi chaps,
You are probably right to call me out as being unfair on Savigny. It could well be my relative inexperience with wines of that village that is colouring my views and leading to unnecessary rudeness. Who could possibly expect unnecessary rudeness on Elitistreview… 😉 I really don’t drink that much of the stuff; most of my chums in Burgundy are in the Cote de Nuits so that is what I taste most often and tend to buy. I also have a bit of a thing for Pommard and Volnay so when in the Cote de Beaune I rarely look beyond those two.
This SlB was a really fun, lively drink (which you can score from http://www.bbr.com/ – sadly Berry’s are not the world’s cheapest booze pusher) and I had a hoot with a lot of 2009s. I will try to taste more and develop a broader knowledge base on which to base my rudeness/politeness.
Thanks for dropping by.