Domaine Leroy Les Beaux Monts Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru 2015 0,75L

Domaine Leroy Les Beaux Monts Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru 2015

The Estate

Domaine Leroy represents the apex of Burgundian winemaking, founded by the legendary Lalou Bize-Leroy, whose name alone commands reverence among collectors and connoisseurs worldwide. With vineyard holdings among the most precious in Burgundy—exclusively Grand Cru and Premier Cru parcels—the domaine has cultivated a reputation for producing wines of unparalleled depth, precision, and longevity.

The estate’s philosophy centers on biodynamic viticulture practiced with almost spiritual devotion: minuscule yields (often below 20 hl/ha), old vines, and meticulous parcel selection ensure that only the most concentrated, expressive fruit enters the cellar. Minimal intervention winemaking and extended aging in French oak allow each terroir to speak with crystalline clarity. Domaine Leroy wines are not merely beverages—they are living expressions of Burgundy’s greatest climats, bottled poetry that evolves majestically over decades.

Les Beaux Monts: Vosne-Romanée’s Premier Cru Excellence

Les Beaux Monts occupies an exceptional position on the hillside above Vosne-Romanée’s Grand Cru band, stretching across 8.7 hectares of prime vineyard land. This Premier Cru benefits from limestone-rich soils, ideal elevation (280-300m), and southeastern exposure that ensures optimal ripening while maintaining the freshness and aromatic complexity that define great Vosne-Romanée.

What distinguishes Les Beaux Monts is its unique expression of reserved power and structural finesse. The vineyard’s stony, well-drained soils produce wines of exceptional concentration and mineral definition—’grand cru depth and dimension’ wrapped in a ‘taut’ mid-palate and ‘fine-grained chassis of tannin.’ These are wines built for the long term, revealing their full complexity only after years of cellaring.

Domaine Leroy’s parcels in Les Beaux Monts represent some of the finest holdings in the climat, cultivated through decades of biodynamic farming that have restored the soil’s vitality. Old vines, minuscule yields, and obsessive selection ensure that only the most concentrated, terroir-expressive fruit makes it to bottle. The result is Premier Cru Pinot Noir that rivals—and often surpasses—many producers’ Grand Cru bottlings in depth, complexity, and aging potential.

The 2015 Vintage

The 2015 vintage in Burgundy stands as one of the decade’s finest achievements. An ideal growing season—warm spring, hot summer moderated by cool nights, and perfect September weather—allowed Pinot Noir to achieve exceptional phenolic ripeness while maintaining vibrant acidity. Harvest conditions were optimal, with growers able to pick at ideal maturity without weather pressure.

For Premier Cru sites across the Côte de Nuits, 2015 delivered exceptional quality. Critics universally praised the vintage for producing wines of classical proportions: ripe fruit balanced by fresh acidity, supple yet structured tannins, and extraordinary aromatic complexity. The finest examples show both immediate appeal and serious long-term aging potential.

William Kelley (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) awarded this wine an exceptional 96+ points, noting: ‘The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts from Domaine Leroy is predictably superb, soaring from the glass with a deep bouquet of black fruits, hoisin, smoked duck and rich spice. On the palate, the wine is extraordinarily concentrated, full-bodied and ample, with grand cru depth and dimension, a fine-grained chassis of tannin and a long, saline finish. Compared to the lavish—even decadent—Aux Brûlées, Les Beaux Monts is more reserved, its stony structure asserting itself more prominently, its mid-palate more taut and less expansive: it will need more time in the cellar.’

Tasting Experience

• The wine ‘soars from the glass’ with a ‘deep bouquet’ of extraordinary complexity: layers of black fruits—cassis, blackberry, black cherry—intertwine with exotic notes of hoisin, smoked duck, and rich Asian spices. The aromatic profile is both opulent and refined, revealing the Premier Cru terroir’s depth and the vintage’s generous ripeness.
• On the palate, the wine is ‘extraordinarily concentrated, full-bodied and ample,’ delivering ‘grand cru depth and dimension’ that belies its Premier Cru classification. A ‘fine-grained chassis of tannin’ provides remarkable structure without weight, while concentrated flavors of black fruit, exotic spice, and smoked meat fill the palate. The wine is ‘more reserved’ than some peers—power held in check by structural finesse.
• Mid-palate character reveals the wine’s ‘stony structure asserting itself more prominently’—mineral definition and terroir precision that speaks to Les Beaux Monts’ exceptional geology. The texture is ‘more taut and less expansive’ than fleshier examples, suggesting this wine is built for the long term. Biodynamic viticulture shines through in the wine’s extraordinary purity and vibrant energy.
• The finish is ‘long, saline’—extending with remarkable persistence and mineral definition. Impressions of black fruit, stone, exotic spice, and fine-grained tannins linger beautifully. This is Les Beaux Monts in its most complete expression: reserved power, structural integrity, and Grand Cru-level depth that ‘will need more time in the cellar’ to fully reveal its potential.
• This bottling demonstrates why Domaine Leroy’s Premier Cru wines command prices rivaling other producers’ Grand Cru bottlings. At 96+ points, this is world-class Pinot Noir of the highest order—a wine for patient collectors seeking the pinnacle of terroir expression and decades of aging potential.

Service & Food Pairing

Serve at 16-18°C in large Burgundy stems to allow the wine’s deep bouquet and fine-grained structure to express themselves. Decant 60-90 minutes before service given the wine’s reserved character and structural tautness. The wine will continue evolving in the glass over 3-4 hours, revealing increasing complexity with aeration. Handle gently to preserve its elegance.

Exceptional pairings:

• Smoked duck preparations: smoked duck breast with hoisin glaze, duck confit with black fruit reduction
• Premium beef: dry-aged côte de boeuf with bone marrow, beef Wellington with truffle duxelles
• Game meats: venison loin with blackberry sauce, wild boar with exotic spices
• Asian-fusion cuisine: Peking duck, hoisin-glazed short ribs, five-spice braised beef
• Aged hard cheeses: mature Comté aged 36+ months, aged Gruyère, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cellaring & Evolution

At 9+ years from vintage, this wine remains youthful and tightly wound—its ‘reserved’ character and ‘stony structure’ indicating it ‘will need more time in the cellar.’ Domaine Leroy’s Premier Cru wines regularly evolve for 30-40 years, and this 96+ point example has exceptional aging potential ahead.

The wine’s ‘extraordinarily concentrated’ fruit core, ‘fine-grained chassis of tannin,’ and ‘taut’ mid-palate provide decades of structural foundation. While approachable now for those who appreciate youthful intensity, the wine will reward patient collectors with 20-30 years of continued evolution. Optimal drinking likely begins around 2030-2035.

Store horizontally in a dark, vibration-free environment at 12-14°C with 70-75% humidity. This wine merits Grand Cru-level storage care. Given its youth and structure, it will hold beautifully for decades. Provenance is essential for a wine of this caliber and investment value.

Collector’s Note: This 2015 Les Beaux Monts represents one of the crown jewels of Domaine Leroy’s portfolio—a 96+ point Premier Cru that delivers ‘grand cru depth and dimension’ and exceptional aging potential. William Kelley’s extraordinary score and description (‘predictably superb,’ ‘extraordinarily concentrated’) confirm this as world-class Pinot Noir. With the wine still in its youth and decades of evolution ahead, collectors have a rare opportunity to acquire Lalou Bize-Leroy’s artistry at its zenith. This is essential for serious Burgundy portfolios—a wine built for the long term that will reward patience with transcendent complexity.