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Le Benjamin Bordeaux Rouge, Benjamin Hessel 2021
Benjamin Hessel
Benjamin Hessel is one of a new generation of vignerons quietly reshaping the image of Bordeaux. After taking over his family’s château in the Sainte Foy subregion on the Dordogne’s eastern fringe, he shifted focus from volume to purity, converting to organic farming, dramatically lowering yields, and favouring gentle extraction and minimal intervention in the cellar. Working with a mix of gravel and clay limestone soils, Benjamin aims to express Bordeaux’s finesse rather than its power, and his wines, labelled simply under his own name, offer a welcome return to freshness, drinkability, and honest terroir.
Le Benjamin is his entry cuvée, but it’s anything but generic. The 2021 vintage was a return to a more classic, cooler Bordeaux season, with rain during flowering and a long, temperate ripening period that produced wines with lower alcohol, bright acidity, and detailed aromatics. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from 30 to 40 year old vines, the grapes are harvested by hand, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and aged for ten months in a mix of stainless steel and old barrels. The result is lifted and pure, with notes of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, graphite and dried herbs. Fine grained tannins and gentle structure make this a joyful, quietly serious Bordeaux with real charm and no excess.
Origin Sainte Foy, Bordeaux, France
Grapes Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Vintage 2021
Alcohol 12.5%
Style Fresh, Lively, Mineral Red
Bottle size 75cl
Winemaking Organic Farming, Hand Harvested, Indigenous Yeasts, Aged 10 Months in Stainless Steel and Old Barrels, Unfined, Low Sulphur
Notes Organic, Low Intervention, Cool Vintage, Lighter Style Bordeaux