2015 Richard Leroy, Noels Montbenault, VdF

Richard Leroy cultivates his two-hectare parcel in Les Noëls de Montbenault with rigorous biodynamic farming, prioritizing low yields and meticulous canopy management to ensure physiological maturity. The vineyard is defined by its volcanic rhyolite and spilite soils, a geologically distinct site that forces the Chenin Blanc vines to develop deep roots and a signature mineral-driven tension. In the warm, dry 2015 vintage, these specific conditions yielded a wine of impressive concentration, where cooling night temperatures successfully preserved the essential acidity required to balance the vintage’s natural density. The resulting Chenin Blanc is architectural and precise, showcasing a firm, crystalline structural profile that is reinforced by Leroy’s patient, reductive élevage in neutral oak barrels.