2020 Benjamin Leroux Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Magnum
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Body: full-bodied. Like most white wines from Côte de Beaune; 13% alcohol.
Acidity: fairly high. from the fairly cool climate of .
Aromas: stone fruit, tropical fruit and orchard fruit, typical of
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Log inBenjamin Leroux and his vision of Burgundy
Benjamin Leroux, born and trained in Beaune, is considered one of the most talented winemakers of his generation in Burgundy. After an impressive tenure as cellar master at Domaine du Comte Armand in Pommard, he established his own micro-négociant in the heart of Beaune in 2007. His philosophy is clear: working with small, carefully selected plots, organic principles, and minimal intervention in the cellar. This allows him to bring the purity and authenticity of each terroir to life.
Leroux combines an exceptional sense of balance with technical precision. His white wines are refined, linear, and mineral, while his reds display energy and structure. What makes his style unique is his control over every stage of the process—from harvest to bottling—and his emphasis on texture and length rather than power alone.
The origin: Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
The Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru vineyard, located between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, is one of the most prestigious Chardonnay terroirs in the world. The soil consists of limestone with a thin layer of clay, which gives the wines their richness, structure, and deep minerality.
While Le Montrachet often displays pure finesse, Bâtard-Montrachet is broader and more powerful, with an expression based on both maturity and complexity. The wines possess a natural depth and aromatic intensity that develops over time into an almost silky harmony.
The 2020 vintage: ripe and lively
The 2020 growing season in Burgundy was warm and dry, but with cool nights that preserved the acidity. Leroux began harvesting on August 20th , slightly earlier than planned, to preserve freshness and tension in the grapes. The use of refrigerated storage allowed the harvested bunches to be kept at a constant temperature below 13°C, enhancing their aromatic precision.
Benjamin Leroux describes his 2020 wines as concentrated yet balanced. The whites display ripe fruit and remarkable purity, while the structure is supported by refined acidity. The vintage is distinguished by intensity without heaviness—something beautifully expressed in the finest cuvées, such as his Bâtard-Montrachet.
Vinification and maturation
The 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru was fermented in a new 500-liter oak barrel and then transferred in September to two older barrels and a small 50-liter stainless steel tank for further aging. This combination gives the wine a layered profile, in which the oak influence remains subtly integrated. Leroux uses only Diam closures for its white wines to ensure a pure, controlled evolution in the bottle.
His choice of larger barrels and limited new oak allows for greater transparency and precision, allowing the terroir of Bâtard-Montrachet to shine through without losing its rich texture.
Tasting note 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Magnum
The wine opens with a seductive bouquet of brioche, wild peach, quince, and passion fruit. The aroma is expressive and inviting – a wine that cannot be ignored. On the palate, it reveals a full, balanced profile with refined tension. The oak is still present on the attack, but it absorbs beautifully with age. In the background, tropical notes and ripe stone fruit emerge, with a hint of exotic fruit elegantly interwoven with its rich structure.
The finish is long and complex, with lingering minerality that will further develop with age. This magnum version offers extra depth and a slower aging process, which will only enhance the harmony and integration in the years to come.
Rating and style
Neal Martin (Vinous) rated the wine 92-94 points , highlighting its attractive, brioche-like aroma and the balance between ripeness and freshness. He called the wine "well-balanced with tropical fruit and a mineral finish that will emerge with time." The wine has a drinking window of 2027 to 2048 and, according to Martin, displays the concentration and elegance that characterize Leroux's approach in 2020.
Drinking time and development
The wine is still in its youth and will continue to evolve in the coming years. From 2027 onwards, the 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet will reveal its full complexity, with subtle layers of minerality, fruit, and spice. The magnum bottle allows for a slower aging process and even longer lifespan.
Wine and food pairings
- Lobster with vanilla butter and tarragon – the buttery texture and light sweetness of the lobster complement the richness of the wine perfectly.
- Pan-fried sole with lemon and capers – the freshness of the wine accentuates the delicate flavour of the fish.
- Risotto with morels and Parmesan – the creamy texture and earthy notes enhance the wine's complexity.
- Grilled scallops with beurre blanc and chives – the delicate sweetness of the scallops complements the tropical fruit in the wine perfectly.
- Roasted veal sweetbreads with almond and lemon thyme – the light spiciness of the dish harmonizes with the oak notes in the wine.
- Goat's cheese with honey and roasted walnuts – the balance of creaminess and freshness makes this an elegant ending.
Would you like to order Benjamin Leroux wines online?
If available, you'll find the official fact sheet and additional information about this fine wine in the "Attachments" tab. We'll automatically send you these when you order this wine. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount. You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pickup" at the checkout page. We're located in Dordrecht, just off the A16 motorway with ample parking. Click here for our address. You can read the full wine reviews from publications like Parker, Suckling, Vinous, and Wine Spectator. Need advice on finding the perfect wine to pair with your dish? Click here for our exclusive Sommelier. Free for Grand Cru customers.
Character
The wine
- 100%
Origin
Bottle
Wine features
Vinous
(92-94)
Drinking Window
2027 - 2048
From: Dance the Quickstep: Burgundy 2020 (Dec 2021)
The 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is fermented in a new 500-litre barrel, racked into two older barrels in September and a 50-litre stainless steel container for the rest. It has an attractive brioche and wild peach scented bouquet that wants to be noticed. "Look at me!" it cries. The palate is well balanced with some oak to be absorbed on the entry, tropical fruit in the background, peach, quince and passion fruit rather obscuring the mineralité at the moment on the finish. Give this time. Closure: Diam
- By Neal Martin on November 2021
Benjamin Leroux told me that I should win an award for tasting his entire portfolio –some 53 cuvées – when I visited his winery in Beaune. Well, that's my job; you just have to pace yourself and steadily work your way through without rushing. “We picked from August 20 and nearly everything was harvested within a week," he told me. "The original plan was to begin on August 25. But there was no rain predicted, so there was no reason not to pick sooner. We had the same amount of bunches on the vine, though the reds had a lot of millerandage, so the skin-to-juice ratio was quite high. We had close to 360–370kg per barrel and 320kg for the white. Since 2018, we have used a cold room, so we can preserve the bunches at under 13°C. I had never seen juice with so much color, and therefore we were very gentle with the maceration. I used more whole bunch for the reds to lend freshness, and these days, there is not such an excess of potassium [in the soil], so we can preserve the acidity. I was not expecting the 2020 whites to do so well. I like the ripeness and concentration of the reds, and racking, which we don’t usually do, is helping a lot. All my whites are bottled under Diam, mainly Diam 30, but not all of them, and I use natural cork for the reds." Leroux is always candid in his assessment of the vintage and commented that if he could do the 2020 harvest again, he would have picked some of the vineyard earlier. Most of the whites had been racked, blended and were finishing their aging in foudres.
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Deze Bâtard-Montrachet toont verfijnde aroma's van brioche, wilde perzik, kweepeer en passievrucht met achterliggend tropisch fruit, een zachte eiktoets, uitgesproken mineraliteit en een frisse, zijdezachte structuur die in de mond kracht en elegantie combineert. Daardoor werkt hij prachtig bij romige en rijke zeevruchten zoals kreeft met vanilleboter en dragon of gegrilde coquilles met beurre blanc omdat de boterige textuur van het gerecht en het rijpe fruit van de wijn elkaar versterken, terwijl de frisse zuurgraad de delicate vissmaken van gebakken zeetong met citroen en kappertjes juist accentueert; ook een risotto met morieljes en Parmezaan vindt harmonie in de combinatie van romigheid en aardse tonen. Kies bij bereidingen voor lichte karamellisatie of kort bakken op hoog vuur om textuur en umami te versterken, subtiele botersauzen met citroen of dragon om de zuurgraad te balanceren en bij kazen een rijpe geitenkaas met honing en geroosterde walnoten voor een elegante afsluiting.
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