2014 Benjamin Leroux Chassagne-Montrachet Les Embazees 1er Cru

The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet les Embrazées 1er Cru has a slightly richer bouquet than expected with just a light brush of honey over the citrus fruit. The palate is a rounded texture, a slight viscosity here, powerful and intense if just missing a touch of nervousness and race on the finish. Still, this is very enjoyable if maybe not the finest Chassagne Benny Leroux conjured this year.

Sexy, complex aromas of citrus fruits, peach and truffley underbrush. Plush and sweet, with a ripe peach flavor complemented but not overwhelmed by spicy oak. Firm acidity gives this persistent wine good grip. (Leroux's smooth, silky Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot was in an oxidative phase at the end of its malolactic fermentation and impossible to assess, as was his Chassagne-Montrachet Les Baudines, which needed a racking.)