Benjamin Leroux on the philosophy of winemaking

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Photograph by Jason Lowe

Photograph by Jason Lowe

As all eyes turn to Burgundy this week with the launch of 2012 en primeur, we caught up with some of the region’s rising-star producers. First up is Ben Leroux, who – although only in his thirties – began bottling wines under his own name in 2007. Leroux’s energy and intensity appear to be reflected in his outstanding wines which, when the team visited in November, were universally impressive.

Although it is a young company, what I have created is something I always dreamed of. Quite simply, my goal is to express the best of each vineyard. I don’t mind if I am making a Grand Cru or a Bourgogne Blanc, I love them all. My target is to get the best out of each appellation.

When you are a wine producer, it is hard to be happy when your wine is sold. It’s difficult to see it go. But then, in a restaurant, when you see a table ordering your wine and people are enjoying it and having a good time with it, then that is a great thing. It is designed to feed the body, and if it creates joy too, then that is the ultimate goal.

Making good wine is a piece of cake if you have got good fruit in the tank. Following the philosophy of biodynamic winemaking, we don’t ‘do’ much: the purity of the wine comes from the quality of the fruit.

I don’t really enjoy drinking my own wine – of course, I love them all like they are my babies – but for enjoyment I like to taste something else. From white, Mosel Riesling; for red, wines of the Nebbiolo grape from Piedmont.

To find out more, go to Benjamin Leroux’s profile page.