Terroir Insight: Domaine Leroy, Vosne Les Beaux Monts

There is a lot of focus on Aux Malconsorts, Cros Parantoux and Aux Reignots but Vosne-Romanee 1er cru Les Beaux Monts is perhaps a bit overlooked these days. 

The lack of attention seems a bit strange and perhaps even unfair – as Les Beaux Monts was very highly regarded in the old classifications.

There are fine producers making wine in Les Beaux Monts, but none of the wines are hyped by the market … except perhaps the Les Beaux Monts from Mme Bize-Leroy.

So lets take a closer look at the Domaine Leroy plots in Les Beaux Monts.

Les Beaux Monts – four sections – village, 1er and grand cru

Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts is located north of Richebourg and Brulee, and above Les Suchots and Echezeaux.

Les Beaux Monts is divided into four sections, Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts, Vosne Romanee Les Hauts de Beaux Monts, Flagey-Echezeaux Les Beaux Monts Hauts, and Flagey Echezeaux Les Beaux Monts Bas.

It should be noted that some use the spelling Les Beaumonts instead of Les Beaux Monts. But the official cadastre use the names mentioned above for the four different sections of the vineyard.

The top part of the vineyard is classified as village in some areas, while the main part is classified as 1er cru, and the bottom part of Flagey Echezeaux Beaux Monts Bas is classified as grand cru and a part of Echezeaux.

The map below show the 1er cru part of Les Beaux Monts – Leroy (red) and the rest of the 1er cru (white)

Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee Les Beaux Monts – the plots

Domaine Leroy is the largest owner in Les Beaux Monts with two plots totalling 2.6113 ha.

The largest plot (Cadastre no AB 58) is 2.3550 ha and located in Vosne-Romanee, and the second plot (cadastre no D 731) – 0.2563 ha – is located in Flagey-Echezeaux  (Les Beaux Monts Bas) – it’s in reality one plot with D 731 being the upper southern part of this plot.

The Domaine Leroy holdings are located in the southern part of the vineyard, just north of Aux Brulees and Richebourg- see map below.

The plots in the southern end of the Leroy holdings in Les Beaux Monts (white) are the Domaine Leroy plots in Vosne-Romanee Aux Brulées – these are almost integrated in the large Plot 58 in Les Beaux Monts … with the rows continuing from Les Beaux Monts into Aux Brulées.

The ownership history of the Leroy plots

The Beaux Monts holdings of Domaine Leroy originate from the acquisition of Domaine Charles Noëllat in 1988. The total price for Domaine Charles Noëllat was 65 million franc and the deal included almost 1 ha of Romanee Saint-Vivant, large plots in both Richebourg and Clos de Vougeot and some fine plots in other vineyards – in total 12 ha.

A part of the Charles Noëllat ownership dates back to before 1920 as Rodier mentioned four owners on the Vosne part of Les Beaux Monts – 2.4230 ha in total – almost equivalent to the current cadastre plot 58 known today. The four owners were Charles Noëllat, Gaudemet, Malbranche-Morand and Guillon.