Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses 2022

Leroux’s terrific Auxey-Duresses has always been one of the range’s great-value wines, drinking superbly young and aging very well, too. The fruit comes from three terroirs—Les Hautés, La Macabrée and Les Boutonniers—all abutting Meursault’s Les Vireuils Dessous and Les Meix Chavaux. The oldest vines date back to 1946. The land here faces north and is affected by the cold air rolling down from the Hautes Côtes—a very fresh terroir! The higher vineyards of the Côte often perform well in warmer years; this is a perfect example of the phenomenon. You find the punchy, vibrant freshness and minerality of the place woven through the creamy, generous core of the vintage. This was vinified in 12-hectolitre casks, with a small portion of the blend raised for 15 months in 600-litre barrels.