The 2016 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Baudines has a tightly coiled bouquet that is less expressive than the Les Embazées at the moment. There is a nuttiness here that renders it not unlike a Meursault. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity, harmonious and poised with a subtle touch of ginger toward the pretty finish. This is a success considering the difficult growing season.

Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, the 2014 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Baudines from Benjamin Leroux was showing some noticeable reduction on the nose, and although I initially did not quite get both hands on the terroir as I expected to when I originally tasted the wine from barrel, it soon gained clarity and a seam of mineralité. The palate is fresh and crisp, quite tensile with a pleasant bitterness toward the finish that gently fans out. This is a superb Les Baudines whose energy should see it age for many years. Tasted September 2017.

Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Baudines offers a lovely, well defined bouquet with grapefruit, nectarine and peach skin scents, an underlying cold stone note that gives it an almost Puligny-like personality. The palate is very well balanced with citrus fruit, mango and pineapple, a little more exotic than its contemporaries and yet it pulls it all off with style thanks to the tension and the acidic "bite" on the finish that becomes more and more elegant in the glass. Well done Benny boy! Tasted May 2016.

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Baudines from Benjamin Leroux has a more subdued bouquet compared to Sophie Morey's Les Embrazées 2012. It is pretty, quite detailed but tightly wound, traces of yellow flowers and a touch of almond developing with time. The palate is crisp and tensile. There is plenty of race here, good depth with that saline element flourishing towards the finish. This is a well-crafted Chassagne-Montrachet though without quite the same degree of nuance as the very best in its class.

The 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Baudines impresses for its length and poise. It is a relatively delicate, feminine wine at this stage with pretty floral notes that add complexity and lift on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. Benjamin Leroux is quite and unassuming, but his wines more than speak for themselves. I tasted a wide range of 2010s, but was only able to revisit a handful of 2009s, as production is just a barrel or two for most wines. These are some of the most interesting wines being made in Burgundy today. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Fine Vines, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702, Cavatappi, Washington; tel. (206) 282-5226, Veritas Imports, CA; tel. (310) 205-3800, Verity Wine Partners, New York, NY; tel. (212)683-8763