2023 Benjamin Leroux Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers 1er Cru

“Benjamin’s whites have been consistently fine over the years, but in 2023 I was particularly struck by the quality of his reds. He seems to have read the vintage just right, to make wines with classy fruit and purity, with enough structure to have some ageing potential.”
- Jasper Morris MW

Five Star Wine
94-97 points, Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
75% whole bunches. Three barrels as usual. A fine mid purple, with a first-class bouquet, ripe enough fruit but perfectly poised. The generosity is perfectly judged with a happy white pepper lift at the back. Sheer nobility, this has great potential. Drink from 2032-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.

Overview:
Along with Clos-Saint-Jacques and Lavaux-Saint-Jacques, Les Cazetiers is considered one of the three finest Premiers Crus of Gevrey. Inside Burgundy’s Jasper Morris tells us: “Good Cazetiers gives a feeling of refinement and precision which has an intellectual appeal as well as being vinously satisfying.” This steep, 8.43-ha vineyard is directly up-slope from the village of Gevrey, flanked by Clos Saint-Jacques and Combe aux Moines. Leroux’s plot has 40-year-old Pinot Fin vines situated mid-slope, on what he deems a “gorgeous terroir.” The vines have been worked biodynamically for several years. The 2023 used two-thirds whole bunches and initially went into a new barrel before being racked into an older one.