In my trip to Burgundy in April, one of the most memorable producers I visited was Benjamin Leroux. I really love the style of his wines and admire his wine making philosophy.
I opened 2007 Benjamin Leroux, Auxey-Duresses the other night. 2007 is the first vintage under his own label, and this generally "under-rated" appellation wine is, in fact, one of Benjamin's signature bottles.
This is a blend of grapes from three different vineyards (Boutonnieres, Macabree, and Hautees) right next to Meursault. As soon as I put my nose on the glass, my mind immediately tripped back to the moment I tasted the same wine in his cellar. There was so much going on in this wine. The aroma had the beautiful rich fruit, orange peel, pineapple, honey, and minerality. The palate was so vivid with the spice, lemon, and fresh tartness. The wine reminded me of Meursault a little bit. It was just so gorgeous, rich, and had a long finish.
And, surprisingly, the wine had a perfect mariage with my rustic "Buddhist-style" soybean and vegetable stew! Because I made it with my soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe", and it was cooked in the oven for abou 40 minutes, the dish developed the nice nutty robust flavors and lived up to the wine very nicely.
My happy moment.
