Benjamin Leroux, Savigny-les-Beaune (Burgundy, France) 2019

 Benjamin Leroux is a small négociant who shows that, with all the fuss about growers, négociant is not a bad word.  I tasted an extensive line-up of his staggeringly good barrel samples of his 2020s in November, which made me open some of the 2019s I had purchased.  Searching out less prestigious appellations, such as Savigny-les-Beaune, is the only reasonable way to buy Burgundies currently.  From a top producer, such as Leroux, these wines represent superb value.  Some 2019 Burgundies suffer from over-ripeness.  Not this one.  It’s bottled charm, with delicate but persistent red fruit flavors that dance on the palate.  Fresh and lively, it also displays hints of woodsy notes as it sits in the glass.  Though delightful now, it has more complexity to show, which it will, with a few years of bottle age.