Pommard Rugiens Hauts 2015 75cl

The 2015 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, the first release from the lieu-dit Rugien-Hauts, has a more opulent nose than the village cru, one that wants to make an impression on its debut, hints of kirsch filtering through the red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, harmonious and focused with a mixture of red and black fruit, very refined and while not structured, offers a very feminine and caressing finish. This is a sublime and assured offering.<br/>A self-inflicted screw-up in my hectic itinerary coupled with a glitch in my mobile phone combined to almost screw up my visit to Benjamine Leroux completely. A quick race back to the hotel to sort out where I should be (obviously not Domaine Dublere given Blair Pethel’s perplexed expression as he pulled into his driveway) and I managed to lose just 45 minutes of my allotted time with Benjamin, who himself could not hang around since he was due a well-earned, post-harvest holiday with his young family. Still, we found time to taste through his entire portfolio of reds that runs to some 30+ labels, as well as discussing various topics surrounding Burgundy in his usual candid fashion. He told me that he started picking on 4 September and completed the entire picking within 3 days in order to capture the acidity. “The 2015 is much better than 2005,” he commented, not mincing his words. “They don’t jump in your face. There is less alcohol and more elegance.” There is a sense of fluidity in Benjamin’s range of wines, exacerbated by the shortages in recent years. Out goes the Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots, though he was not too disgruntled since he managed to find some Malconsorts and much prefers the quality. He also managed to source not one but two parcels of fruit from Pommard, which he frankly never expected. I will leave the tasting notes to do the talking. There are some exceptional wines here that rank alongside the illustrious names of Burgundy. He certainly has the gift of touch that seems to elevate everything from village crus to grand crus. I did ask about Nicolas Rossignol since he had been renting space from Benjamin in recent years. Nicolas now has his own facility and though he will miss his friend, he told me that the additional space will allow him to work more precisely in the future. So things could get even better. Alas, I couldn't find a window to taste Benjamin's white 2015s, although I will try to do so in early 2017.